Woman accused in stabbing death of Costa Mesa man pleads not guilty to murder

A 21-year-old woman accused of murder in the death of a man found with stab wounds inside his Costa Mesa condominium in March pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court.

Amber Joy Angelovic of Huntington Beach is facing a murder charge and a possible sentencing enhancement on allegations of personally using a deadly weapon in connection with the death of 32-year-old Derek Valentine.

Angelovic has been released from Orange County Jail on bond and is expected to appear in court for a pretrial hearing July 14.

Costa Mesa police found Valentine’s body in his home at 610 Shasta Lane after receiving several emergency calls about a stabbing on the morning of March 11.

Authorities have released few details about the case. However, according to a document filed in Superior Court, Angelovic told police investigators that Valentine had attacked her before he died.

Orange County Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy filed a motion March 14 requesting that the court order Angelovic to allow prosecutors to take photos of “any bruising or injuries consistent or inconsistent with her statements to investigating officers,” the document states.

Murphy wrote in the 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.

One of the wounds was to Valentine’s heart and he died on the floor, the filing states.

According to the document, Angelovic told investigators that Valentine had hit her multiple times on the face and shoulders and slammed her against a wall and the floor.

But Murphy wrote that there were “no significant visible marks or injuries on her face or body at the time of her initial statements.”

Hours before police arrived, Angelovic, Valentine and their mutual friend Michael Li had met for drinks at Stag Bar + Kitchen in Newport Beach to celebrate Angelovic’s new job.

Li told the Daily Pilot in March that he went to the restroom at the bar and that 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 messages around 2:50 a.m. March 11, Li said.

Li said Angelovic and Valentine had met at a party about three weeks before Valentine’s death and that they had expressed interest in each other to him but weren’t dating.

Angelovic graduated from Florida State University in 2016 and has worked as a nanny, an activities director, a surf instructor and a saleswoman for a yacht company in Florida.

Valentine grew up in Florida and attended the University of Florida, earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2010.

Valentine’s LinkedIn page says 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 last year. He was in the process of earning a real estate license, friends said.

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Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

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