Woman charged with murdering Costa Mesa man told police he attacked her
The 21-year-old woman accused of murder in the death of a man found with stab wounds inside his Costa Mesa condominium March 11 told police investigators that the man had attacked her before he died, according to a court filing.
Orange County Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy filed a motion in Orange County Superior Court on March 14 requesting that the court order Amber Angelovic of Huntington Beach to allow prosecutors to take photos of “any bruising or injuries consistent or inconsistent with her statements to investigating officers,” the document states.
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Angelovic and Derek Valentine, 32, had met at a party about three weeks before Valentine’s killing, according to their mutual friend Michael Li, who said the two had expressed interest in each other to him.
Valentine asked him about Angelovic and sought advice for courting her, Li said in an interview Wednesday. Angelovic had asked if Valentine was a good guy, Li said.
Li met up with them at the Stag Bar + Kitchen in Newport Beach late on the night of March 10, he said. The group had a few drinks to celebrate Angelovic’s new job and discussed going to another bar. Li said he went to the restroom and when he returned, Angelovic and Valentine were gone.
He sent Angelovic a text message asking if they had left and she responded that they had. They exchanged their last text around 2:50 a.m. March 11, Li said.
A few hours later, Costa Mesa police launched a homicide investigation after finding Valentine’s body inside his home at 610 Shasta Lane.
Police responded to the condominium after receiving several emergency calls at about 5:30 a.m. reporting a stabbing. A knife authorities believe was used in the crime was found in the home.
Prosecutors wrote in last week’s court filing that Angelovic had spent the night at Valentine’s home and that at 5:28 a.m., Valentine walked out of his room bleeding from two stab wounds to his chest.
“He announced that he was dying and fell down the stairs,” Murphy wrote.
The source of that information is unclear in the document, and Murphy did not return a call from the Daily Pilot seeking comment.
One of the wounds was to Valentine’s heart and he died on the floor, the filing states.
According to the document, Angelovic told police investigators that Valentine had hit her multiple times in the face and shoulders and slammed her against a wall and the floor.
Murphy wrote there were “no significant visible marks or injuries on her face or body at the time of her initial statements.”
Li said that in the more than two years he had known Valentine, he’d never seen him act aggressively.
“That just wasn’t him,” he said.
Prosecutors have charged Angelovic with murder and a possible sentencing enhancement of personally using a deadly weapon, according to court records.
Angelovic graduated from Florida State University in 2016 and has worked as a nanny, an activities director and a surf instructor and as a saleswoman for a yacht company in Florida.
She has been released from Orange County Jail on $1-million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Friday, according to court records.
Angelovic did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Li said Valentine had the “energy of a power plant” and a clear zest for life.
“He will always be remembered as the heartbeat of the crowd, who prided himself on making sure everyone around was having a great time,” Li said.
Valentine’s father, Jeff, wrote about the loss of his son in a Facebook post.
“Despite the awful shock and gut-wrenching pain involved with losing my only child so suddenly and without notice, I’m able to endure this horrible tragedy only because I have the guaranteed assurance that I will be reunited with him again one day in heaven, as Derek received Jesus Christ as his lord and savior,” he wrote.
Valentine grew up in Florida and attended the University of Florida, earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2010.
Court records from Florida and an online wedding registry indicate Valentine was married in June 2012 and divorced in August 2013. Court records indicate his then-wife filed a lawsuit against him in July 2013 alleging domestic violence, but the case was later dismissed.
Valentine’s LinkedIn page indicates he worked as a salesman at an AT&T store in Tustin and as a service manager and sales manager for the Bridgestone tire company in Texas and Florida. Photos on his Facebook page show he traveled to Maui and Australia in 2016. He was in the process of earning his real estate license, Li said.
“There was no adventure too big for him. His purpose in life was to find good people to share these adventures with and experience every ounce of joy that life has to offer,” Li said. “He will truly be missed, but his memory never forgotten.”
A memorial for Valentine is scheduled for April 1 in Melbourne, Fla.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
