The two women who were fatally struck by a car on Morrison Drive on April 28 lay in the foliage for nearly seven hours before being found, according to court documents.
Lizzy Zito and Arianna Gamber, both 20, were walking along Morrison Drive, just north of the pedestrian entrance to the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge near Grace Bridge Street, when a gray 2010 Acura TL veered off the right side of the road, drove onto the curb, ran over the women then continued traveling on the raised area several feet before reentering the roadway without the driver ever calling police, arrest warrant affidavits state.
Video footage shows the collision occurred between 1:42 a.m. and 1:44 a.m., according to the affidavits. The two “obviously deceased” bodies were not found until 8:32 a.m.
The vehicle’s driver, identified by police as Max David Gentilin, continued driving north until he turned at the first right onto Johnson Street and parked at a street parking spot in front of the Morrison Yard apartment complex, according to affidavits.
Video captured him exiting the car from the driver’s seat, inspecting his Acura for damage and removing twigs and leaves from the outside of the sedan. The car sustained damage to the passenger side of the vehicle and its front and the passenger-side tire was flat, according to affidavits.
Hair and blood were found along the underbody of the car, affidavits state.
The video recorded the man police identified as Gentilin asking himself “What am I supposed to do?”
Affidavits do not specify what he did after inspecting the damage to the vehicle he drove but is registered in his parents’ names, but police said in a May 1 statement that he abandoned the car and fled the scene without rendering aid to the victims.
Later that day, he showed up for his shift at Hall’s Chophouse on King Street, according to affidavits. He arrived at work around 10 a.m. “in a panicked state,” according to statements from coworkers. His behavior was “abnormal and out of character,” according to the interviews.
He left work around 1:30 p.m., before his shift ended, after allegedly telling one of his managers that he crashed his car.
“I crashed my car last night and the police are calling me. I need to go handle this,” one of his managers said in an interview, according to affidavits. “I (expletive) up. I (expletive) up.”
A manager at Hall’s Chophouse declined to confirm or deny Gentilin’s employment, directing questions to the steakhouse’s attorney, Cherie Blackburn. Blackburn did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.
Gentilin’s defense attorney, Chris Adams, restated his sorrow for the families of the victims.
Max Gentilin attends his bond hearing online after being arrested for allegedly killing two women in a hit-and-run on Morrison Drive on April 28.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the two families,” Adams told The Post and Courier on May 4. “We’re sincere in that. This is a tragic, tragic loss of life for them. We’re aware of that and impacted by that.”
Gentilin, who was granted a $300,000 surety bond for his two charges of hit and run with death results and released from jail on May 2, is not expected to appear in court again for another month.
“This is the very beginning of a long and difficult process,” Adams continued.
Grief is still fresh for the families of Zito and Gamber.
Zito was supposed to graduate from the College of Charleston just two weeks after she was killed. Both girls were looking forward to celebrating their 21st birthdays in May.
Nicole Gamber, Audrey Gamber and Cathe Stotts embrace after discussing Nicole's daughter Arianna Gamber on May 2, 2024, in Charleston.
“Had he come forward, had he turned himself in, had he been properly investigated by the police, both of them may still be here,” Gamber’s mother, Nicole Gamber, told reporters on May 2.
Zito’s father said during the bond hearing that he could forgive an accident, but he can’t forgive Gentilin for leaving his child to die.
“To leave those two girls laying in the street like a piece of meat, I would never forgive that,” he said through tears. “He put a hole in our heart that will never be filled.”
