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 The defendant, Nathan Louis Campbell, 40, insisted up to the
moment he was sentenced that the carnage he caused in August 2013
was unintentional, despite his conviction in June by a jury of
murder, assault and felony hit-and-run charges.
"I was responsible for a terrible incident that has caused lasting
physical pain and mental anguish for several people," Campbell,
dressed in orange jail uniform, said in court as he read calmly from
a 2 1/2-page handwritten statement.
"This was not an intentional act. It was a horrible accident due to
a combined set of circumstances including my own bad judgment,
confusion, panic and fear,” he told the judge.
Campbell’s attorney, James P. Cooper III, acknowledged that his
client was behind the wheel of the 2008 Dodge Avenger but said
Campbell did everything he could to avoid hitting pedestrians.
 Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathryn Solorzano, who rejected a
defense motion for a new trial last month, was not dissuaded.
"This was not an accident,” she told Campbell. “Everything that you
did on that date was criminal behavior. You engaged in behavior that
exhibited rage on that day. The impact has been haunting."
Security camera footage from the incident aired on national
television showed Campbell's car smashing into a crowd of people on
the Venice boardwalk, a major Los Angeles tourist attraction, before
it appeared to back up and then drive into another group of people.
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Honeymooner Alice Gruppioni, 32, was killed after 15 days of
marriage to Christian Casadei.
Reading from one of the victim impact statements in court, Deputy
District Attorney Victor Avila said: "I saw Alice Gruppioni lying on
the ground, bathed in her own blood. I saw her husband find her.
I’ll never forget his screams. I’ve heard his screams so many times
in my sleep."
Gruppioni’s aunt, Katia Gruppioni, made a video impact statement
that was played in court, in which she said her family had "been
given a life sentence, and that’s forever.”
Campbell will serve at least 42 years in prison before he is
eligible for parole.
(Editing by Paul Tait)
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