FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – A South Florida man has been convicted of second-degree murder in connection with the 2019 death of his girlfriend, who died after being impaled in the chest by a decorative spear in the couple’s bedroom.

Adam Crespo, 49, was found guilty Monday following a brief jury deliberation that lasted less than two hours. Prosecutors argued that Crespo acted with malice and intent, rejecting his claims that the stabbing was accidental during a confrontation with 32-year-old Silvia Galva.

Police responded to the home Crespo and Galva shared late on July 12, 2019, after Crespo called for help. Officers discovered Galva on the bedroom floor with a chest wound. Despite emergency efforts, Galva succumbed to her injuries that night. Investigators determined the fatal injury was caused by a 12-inch spear blade, which had broken off from what was reportedly a decorative bedpost.

According to authorities, Crespo told them that he and Galva had an argument on their bed that escalated physically. He stated that as he tried to pull her by her ankles, she grabbed the spear to resist, and he then heard a snapping sound. When Crespo turned around, he found the blade lodged in Galva’s chest. He told police he removed the spear in hopes that the injury was not severe, and then sought help from a neighbor while trying to provide first aid.

The police investigation revealed that the blade had pierced through both the bedsheets and Galva’s torso. Officers recovered the broken spear and the blade at the scene.

During the trial, prosecutors emphasized the force required for the blade to penetrate Galva’s body, suggesting it could not have happened by accident. A medical examiner testified for the prosecution, asserting that the characteristics of the wound were consistent with homicide and that the angle and depth of the wound implied intent.

The defense, led by attorney Christopher O’Toole, called a retired medical examiner who maintained that the manner of Galva’s death could not be definitively determined. O’Toole argued that a lack of physical evidence tying Crespo’s hands to the spear supported his client’s account of an accident, insisting there was no proof Crespo used the weapon deliberately.

Despite the defense’s case, jurors sided with the state’s version of events, concluding that Crespo’s actions were intentional rather than accidental. Moments after deliberations, the jury returned a guilty verdict for one count of second-degree murder.

Crespo faces sentencing at a hearing scheduled for October 31.