Ex-wife of man accused of running down, stabbing California doctor feared for her safety before attack: report

close

Video

Phil Holloway: Evidence shows Murdaugh has consciousness that his actions were wrong

Former Georgia Sheriff’s Dept. legal adviser Phil Holloway on the latest from the Alex Murdaugh trial

The ex-wife of an accountant accused of running down then fatally stabbing a California doctor was reportedly afraid for her own safety in the weeks before the incident.

Vanroy Evan Smith, 39, is accused of striking 58-year-old Michael Mammone with his car and then stabbing him to death while the emergency room physician was on a bike ride in the coastal city of Dana Point.

Police were called to conduct a wellness check on Smith's ex-wife days before the alleged murder because of "something involving Mr. Smith," according to the New York Post.

Smith's former father-in-law Stanley Hart told the outlet that his daughter "was concerned for her own safety before this," and that Smith had "issues."

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF STABBING CALIFORNIA DOCTOR TO DEATH SPOKE OF ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ DURING ATTACK, WITNESS SAYS

Vanroy Smith, 39, is accused of killing Dr. Michael Mammone last week. (Orange County District Attorney's Office)

"It wasn’t like I didn’t believe it, but I never could’ve imagined this," Hart said. "He has some issues, that’s all I can say. If the authorities do their due diligence, they will probably determine pretty quickly what those issues are."

Hart went on to say that Smith and his daughter were involved in a custody battle over their twin daughters.

Smith's friend Jo A. Gilliam told the Post that she believed Smith had not been seeing his children lately.

CALIFORNIA DOCTOR STABBED TO DEATH ON SCENIC BIKE RIDE REMEMBERED BY COLLEAGUES FOR SAVING ‘MANY LIVES’

Dr. Michael Mammone, 58, was killed last week by a motorist who struck his bicycle and then attacked him, authorities said. (Providence Mission Hospital Laguna Beach)

"This is ridiculous. I’m devastated. I just spoke to him on the 23rd, and he said he was doing OK, but he was going through some things," she said, adding that Smith had become closed off and shut down his accounting business in the weeks leading up to the alleged murder.

Gilliam speculated that "something had to trigger him because this is not him."

Smith's former client Alice Smith, who is not related to the alleged killer, said he spent most of his time alone and never mentioned his twin girls.

Michael Mammone was struck by a car and then stabbed last week in Dana Point, California. (Heather Paul via Getty Images)

"I don’t know his personal life, I just know his business side," she said. "I am very much shocked by all this. The Evan I know is not this Evan… He was a sweet, respectable guy. Nothing negative. He’s a person who gave the shirt off his back."

An anonymous witness who spoke to a local ABC affiliate said Smith muttered something about "White privilege" during the incident.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The neighbor, who declined to be interviewed on camera, said she and her family heard what sounded like a gunshot before the attack against Mammone, and then heard the suspect issue the racial slur, according to ABC7. Police have yet to announce a motive.