Background: News footage of Adam Crespo during his murder trial (WFOR). Inset: Silvia Galva (GoFundMe).
A Florida man who tried to explain his girlfriend”s death from a spear as an accident was found guilty of her murder.
Adam Crespo, aged 49, was found guilty of second-degree murder on Monday for the death of his girlfriend, Silvia Galva, who was 32. According to Miami’s NBC affiliate WTVJ, the jury took “just under two hours” to decide Crespo’s fate, rejecting his claim that Galva’s chest wound from a spear was accidental.
The defense called a single witness — a retired medical examiner — who suggested that Galva’s cause of death “is best left undetermined.” Despite this, and the defense’s dramatic attempts to reenact the incident, the jury was unconvinced by their argument.
As per the arrest records viewed by Law&Crime, authorities responded to the couple’s home on July 12, 2019, and discovered Galva “on the bedroom floor with a chest wound.” Unfortunately, despite emergency efforts, Galva succumbed to her injuries that night, after being impaled by what was initially a decorative bedpost spear.
In both the police report and a recorded interrogation, presented as evidence in court, Crespo recounted that during an argument with Galva on their bed, he had pulled her by her ankles. He suggested that in an attempt to prevent being dragged off, “She must have grabbed onto the spear.”
Crespo claimed that he was “turned away” when he “heard a snap.” Upon turning back, he saw the 12-inch spear lodged in Galva’s chest. He told authorities that he then removed the blade, hoping the injury wasn’t severe, and called out to a neighbor to phone 911 while he tried to staunch the bleeding.
The police, upon arrival, found the broken spear and its blade. Notably, the blade had pierced through the bedsheets and had completely penetrated Galva’s body.
During the trial, Assistant State Attorney for the Broward State Attorney’s Office Jaclyn Broudy said Crespo “was a person who very clearly is guilty of second-degree murder, very clearly had an ill will, a hatred, a spite against [Galva]. He was pissed off and wanted her out.”
Prosecutors brought in another medical examiner who told the court that the angle of the wound, combined with the force needed to cause the blade to go through Galva’s torso, proved it was a homicide. Broudy said, “There is no scenario, no speculative, possible imaginary scenario that exists where this was an accident. This was an intentional act by that man.”
Crespo’s defense attorney Christopher O’Toole said, “There is no physical evidence, there is no evidence Adam gripped that spear and used it. Why is there no physical evidence? Because it was an accident. There’s not going to be physical evidence that there was a murder.”
The jury agreed with the prosecution, returning a guilty verdict on one count of second-degree murder. Crespo is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 31.
