Nicole Linton is facing life in prison come this December. A jury this week found the former nurse guilty on six counts of murder for the deaths of six people, including an unborn child allegedly ripped from his mother’s womb. The verdict comes four years after Linton slammed her car into a crowded intersection in August 2022 while driving 131 miles per hour.
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Nicole Linton Convicted Of Murder +6
After deliberating for three hours, says the Los Angeles Times, a jury convicted Nicole Linton on six counts of murder on Friday (Oct. 2). Her sentencing date is on the books for December 1. She will likely face multiple life sentences, prosecutors have said. Following her initial arrest, Nicole Linton’s bail was set at $2 million and later increased to $9 million. After her first court appearance on August 8, 2022, the judge kept her behind bars without bail.
The Crash In Los Angeles Killed A Couple & Their Children
More than four years ago, on August 4, 2022, Nicole Linton drove her Mercedes-Benz into a South Los Angeles intersection in the Windsor Hills area. She had left work as a registered nurse early that day, then 18 minutes later, she ran a red light at 130 mph. The light had been red for 15 seconds.
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A statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on her conviction shared those details and what emergency officials later found at the scene. Linton had struck multiple vehicles, and three of them caught fire. There were burning car parts and streaks of blood on the street, and black smoke filled the sky, per the L.A. Times.
Four adults and two children lost their lives in that Slauson and La Brea intersection. Asherey Ryan was 23 years old, eight months pregnant with Armani and traveling with her 24-year-old boyfriend Reynold Lester and their 11-month-old son Alonzo. The family was traveling to their last prenatal appointment during the crash, per the DA. They never made it.
“The force of the crash sliced their car in half, ejected Alonzo and his car seat and ripped Armani from his mother’s womb,” the statement reads.
Also, two friends, 43-year-old Nathesia Lewis and 38-year-old Lynette Noble, were on a shopping outing when they too died in the crash.
Prosecutors Pushed Back HARD Against Nicole’s Defense
Nicole Linton’s attorneys attempted to argue that she had suffered a seizure leading up to the crash, causing her to lose control of her car. She had been examined weeks after the crash by a neurologist and psychiatrist to support the defense. However, they didn’t call any medical experts to testify about whether bipolar disorder was a factor.
But prosecutors weren’t buying what Nicole Linton and team had tried to sell. They presented evidence in court that Linton revved her engine after passing the Five Points intersection. Then, she floored her gas pedal for a minimum of five seconds before driving through the cars in the Slauson and La Brea intersection. Prosecutors argued Linton was angry with coworkers at the Kaiser Permanente hospital in West L.A. and was considering quitting.
Additionally, they said Nicole bore the responsibility of managing her disorder stressors. They also said she had prior incidents of violence and erratic driving while not taking her disorder medications. Before the crash, she allegedly hadn’t slept or taken her medication.
And with the verdict, it appears the jury agreed with the prosecution’s argument: it was no accident.
“The jury agreed that this was no accident. Nicole Linton murdered six people when she deliberately put her foot on the gas and accelerated up to 130 mph through a red light into an intersection with visible traffic, deploying her car as a high-speed missile with complete disregard for the lives of others on the road,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “Linton’s actions left behind heartbreaking wreckage that looked like a warzone, traumatizing survivors and witnesses. She also caused devastation in the lives of the victims’ loved ones. Asherey Ryan, Reynold Lester, Alonzo Quintero, Armani, Nathesia Lewis and Lynette Noble should still be with us today. While this verdict cannot bring them back, it can honor their memory by ensuring that their lives were not forgotten and that justice prevailed on their behalf.”
