The family of Alice Gruppioni, the woman who died after a man drove his car onto Venice boardwalk Saturday, released a statement Tuesday thanking people around the globe for their thoughts and prayers. They also expressed their gratitude to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office for their work on the prosecution of suspect Nathan Louis Campbell.
The statement in full:
The family wishes to express our sincere gratitude for the thoughts and prayers from so many around the world. We appreciate the professional attention and kindness shown by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office while advising us this morning of the impending prosecution of Nathan Louis Campbell.
We also wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to Consul General of Italy, Giuseppe Perrone, for assisting us in expediting arrangements to allow us to bring Alice home.
No words can adequately express the grief and sorrow we are feeling as we mourn the loss of a beautiful person, family member and young bride. Thank you all for your concerns as we begin to search for answers.
Gruppioni, who married Christian Casadei just a few weeks before her death, was in Los Angeles for their honeymoon. Casadei was with her on the boardwalk when a car careened into the pedestrian-only walkway, killing Gruppioni and injuring 16 other people. Casadei, who sustained minor injuries, was there by Gruppioni's side when she later died at a local hospital, according to Italian newspaper La Republicca.
"There isn't words that can explain what happened and what I feel," he said Monday in a video interview with ABC Los Angeles. "I want to come back to Italy with her." Watch the heartbreaking segment below, in full:
Campbell appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, 16 counts of assault with a deadly weapon (a car) and 17 counts of hit-and-run. His bail was set at $1.48 million, and he could face life in prison if convicted. During the court appearance, his public defender Philip Dube called Saturday's crash a "horrible accident" and said that his client was very "fragile" and "frail," reports the Associated Press.
"He's profoundly sad, he is profoundly depressed, that he has potentially ended somebody's life," said Dube.
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