Man charged with killing Italian tourist, injuring 16 others, in Los Angeles boardwalk crash

A lawyer for a man charged Tuesday with murder and assault for allegedly driving his car through a weekend throng on California’s famed Venice Beach boardwalk and killing an Italian tourist, said it was an accident that has left his client devastated.“I don’t believe he intentionally tried to hit anybody,” said public defender Philip Dube, who is representing Nathan Louis Campbell, 38.“He’s profoundly sad, he is profoundly depressed, that he has potentially ended somebody’s life,” Dube said outside the courthouse, after Campbell entered a not guilty plea. “I think this was a horrible accident.”A felony complaint outlined 34 counts against Campbell, saying he acted willfully. However, it provided no explanation for why he allegedly manoeuvred around a vehicle barrier early Saturday evening and plowed into tourists and vendors on the popular walkway along the Pacific.Italian newlywed Alice Gruppioni, 32, who was on her honeymoon, was killed, and 16 other people were injured.Campbell was charged with one count of murder, 16 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and 17 counts of hit-and-run.If convicted, he could face life in prison. Bail was set at $1.48 million.Campbell appeared briefly in court, handcuffed in blue prison garb, with his greying hair disheveled. He sat with his hands folded in his lap and only said “I do” and “yes sir” while responding to questions.Dube told reporters there was no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved, and he said he was unaware of any history of mental illness with his client.“He is very fragile. He is very frail right now,” Dube said.