It was a terrifying scene captured on numerous security cameras.
People were running out of the way as a car drove through the crowded Venice Beach Boardwalk in August 2013, injuring 17 people and killing 32-year-old honeymooner Alice Gruppioni, who was visiting from Italy with her new husband.
Friday, those security videos played a key role in the trial of Nathan Louis Campbell, the transient from Colorado charged with murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
He listened intently and took notes as LAPD Detective Orlando Martinez testified he gathered security camera video from eight soon after the incident.
Several jurors turned to look at Campbell after they watched video of his car driving down the boardwalk with the body of Alice Gruppioni on the hood. Campbell looked away and lowered his head when photographs of injuries suffered by Nancy Martinez were displayed.
Martinez was struck by his car and thrown about 25 feet. Two years later, she still wears a brace around her torso and walks with a cane. Fighting back tears, she testified about the day she was struck and her lingering injuries.
Campbell has pleaded not guilty and his attorney says he was swerving to avoid people, while the prosecution claims he intentionally aimed his car toward people.
Testimony will continue Monday when Alice Gruppioni’s widower takes the stand.
