Man suspected in Penngrove slaying convicted in his wife’s death

A Marin County man suspected in the slaying of an elderly Penngrove woman was convicted Monday by Arizona jurors in the death of his alleged accomplice during a shootout with police.

Victor Silva, 27, of Novato was one of two suspects believed to have killed Olga Dinelli, 84, after ransacking her Rose Avenue home.

Her body was found tied to a chair Feb. 26 with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Silva and a woman identified as his wife, Stephanie Lejean Hill, are suspected of fleeing across the Southern California desert. Near the state line, Hill was shot and killed by Riverside County deputies and Silva was captured and held by authorities in La Paz County, Ariz.

Prosecutors charged Silva with murder under a law that made him responsible for any death that occurred during a police pursuit.

His two-week trial, which included testimony from a Sonoma County detective, ended Dec. 18. Jurors returned guilty verdicts Monday on felony murder, unlawful flight, conspiracy to commit a drive-by shooting, conspiracy to hinder prosecution and theft, said Terri Wilson of the LaPaz County Attorney’s Office.

Wilson said the theft charges were based on jewelry and a car stolen from Dinelli. Silva and Hill had been married about two months at the time of the killing, detectives said.

The sentencing phase of Silva’s case begins Dec. 31, when a judge will hear testimony from both sides about a possible punishment. It was unclear whether he would face the death penalty.

After his sentencing, Silva will be extradited to California to face charges in Dinelli’s death, said Brian Staebell, a spokesman for the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.