Tragic accident or murder? Jury to decide fate of L.A. nurse in high-speed wreck that left six dead
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Set us as preferred If Nicole Linton had a seizure, then she can’t be held responsible for what happened after her Mercedes flew into a South L.A.intersection at 131 mph in August 2022.If she didn’t, then she’s going to prison for decades on six counts of murder.After a three-week trial that focused more on Linton’s mental and physical health than the crash itself, jurors must now decide whether the traveling nurse was suffering a medical crisis or driving recklessly and full of rage when she careened into the intersection of Slauson Boulevard and La Brea Avenue more than four years ago.
The jury is expected to begin deliberating Friday morning.Prosecutors charged Linton with six counts of murder in the deaths of Nathesia Lewis, 42, Lynette Noble, 38, Asherey Ryan, 23, her 11-month-old son, Alonzo, and her boyfriend, Reynold Lester, 23.Ryan was more than eight months pregnant at the time, and Linton is also charged with killing her fetus.
Video from the scene shows Linton’s vehicle flying into the intersection like a missile, causing a fiery multi-car collision that left burning car parts and streaks of blood as black smoke filled the sky.The force of the collision ripped Ryan’s fetus from her womb and launched Alonzo’s car seat through the air, prosecutors have said.
On the day of the crash, Linton was headed home from her job at Kaiser Permanente hospital in West L.A., according to prosecutors.They said she was furious at coworkers, planning to quit her job and channeling that rage into her driving.Linton’s defense has centered on expert testimony from a neurologist and a psychiatrist who say Linton had a seizure before the crash.
While Linton has not been diagnosed with an underlying seizure disorder, such as epilepsy, defense attorney Jovan Blacknell said Linton suffered intermittent seizures during h...