Nurse charged in Windsor Hills crash that killed 6 people pleads not guilty
A nurse charged with the deaths of six people after a fiery crash in 2022 pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors charged Nicole Lorraine Linton, 39, with six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence following the deadly crash two years ago.
If convicted as charged, she could face 90 years to life in prison.
The people killed in the violent crash included an entire family — 23-year-old Asherey Ryan, 24-year-old Reynold Lester, their unborn child and their infant Alonzo, who was about to celebrate his first birthday.
The family was driving to a prenatal doctor's appointment.
When the charges were filed District Attorney George Gascón said his office cannot file a manslaughter charge in a case involving an unborn child.
"This is a case that will always be remembered for the senseless loss of so many innocent lives as they simply went about their daily routines," Gascón said in a statement sent in 2022.
The deadly crash happened in August 2022 in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Windsor Hills. Investigators said Linton drove her Mercedes-Benz through a red light while going more than 90 mph. The speed limit was 35 mph.
Surveillance video showed the Mercedes blowing through the light and broadsiding another vehicle, which exploded into flames and left a trail of fire leading up to a gas station's sign.
In total, the crash involved eight vehicles including Linton's Mercedes. In addition, to the young parents and their infant, two other women died in the crash, including 42-year-old Natiesha Lewis and her friend 38-year-old Lynette Noble. They were on their way to the mall.
Lewis' family used DNA to identify her body.
"My sister has children that are mourning, that are not aware," said the victim's sister Jasmond Nelson. "It's just so tragic. It's kind of unbelievable to even be here having this conversation. My family is broken we are grieving."
Prosecutors said Linton has a history of mental health issues and a problematic driving history. They claimed she did not have a California driver's license and was involved in a collision that caused bodily injury in 2020.
Following the crash, Linton's sister, Camille, published a website that detailed her upbringing, battles with mental health and a detailed account of her interactions on the day of the crash. Camille said her sister called her about four minutes before the collision.
"When I see that video, I don't see Nicole driving...I see her mental illness driving. Something must've happened that caused her to completely disassociate with reality," she said.
Also on the website, which appears to have been shut down, Linton's family passed along their condolences to the victims and their loved ones. Camille clarified that she did not want to absolve her younger sister of accountability in the crash but hoped that she would be treated fairly, given her mental health.
She said her little sister's first manic episode happened in 2018.
"What people must understand is that over 90% of our interaction with Nicole has been 'normal' and even when she is manic, it has never been anything that would cause us to believe she was a danger to herself or other people," she wrote on the website. "Not once in the past 4 years was I ever worried that something like what happened on August 4th could happen."
The family of one of the victims called the site disturbing during a 2022 interview.
