Los Angeles, California — A former traveling nurse has been found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder after prosecutors said she ran a red light at approximately 130 mph, causing a devastating 2022 crash that killed six people, including an unborn baby.
Jurors deliberated for only about three hours Friday before finding 41-year-old Nicole Linton guilty in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. The convictions stem from the Aug. 4, 2022, collision at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues in the Windsor Hills area.
Linton is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 1 and is facing the possibility of life behind bars.
Six People Were Killed in the Crash
Among those killed was 23-year-old Asherey Ryan of Los Angeles, who was approximately 8 1/2 months pregnant at the time.
Ryan’s unborn child, her 11-month-old son Alonzo Quintero, and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Reynold Lester, also died in the crash. The family was traveling in a Jaguar that was split “in half” during the collision.
Nathesia Lewis, 43, and 38-year-old Lynette Noble were also killed.
Linton and nine other people were injured in the crash.
The deputy medical examiner who testified during the trial said all six victims died from traumatic injuries, while three of the victims sustained burns after their deaths.
The deaths shocked the Los Angeles community and prompted a lengthy criminal case over what happened in the moments before the Mercedes-Benz entered the intersection.
Defense Said Linton Suffered a Seizure
Linton’s defense argued that she had suffered a seizure that prevented her from stopping the vehicle, describing the collision as a tragic event rather than an intentional act.
Her attorney, Jovan Blacknell, acknowledged the devastating consequences of the crash during his closing argument.
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Blacknell told jurors the crash was “catastrophic” and that “the loss of life was horrendous,” while also pointing to “the emotion of it.”
Linton did not testify in her own defense during the trial.
Her sister, Camille, has continued defending Linton through a website supporting her, where she has maintained that the deadly collision “did not happen on purpose, but was a tragic accident.”
Prosecutors Pointed to Her Actions Before the Crash
Prosecutors presented a very different account of what happened before the collision.
According to the prosecution, Linton had finished a shift as a traveling nurse at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center that afternoon and was planning to quit.
Prosecutors argued that she deliberately maneuvered her vehicle while accelerating downhill toward the intersection before running the red light at an extremely high speed.
The deputy district attorney also pointed to Linton’s bipolar disorder diagnosis, allegations that she had failed to take prescribed medication and previous incidents prosecutors described as aggressive behavior.
One prior incident from 2016 was also presented to jurors. Prosecutors said Linton struck a woman before driving away at approximately 100 mph and running red lights.
Those arguments were central to the prosecution’s effort to establish that the 2022 crash was not simply an unavoidable medical emergency.
Murder Charges Went to Trial
Linton initially faced six murder charges and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter. Prosecutors later dropped the manslaughter counts shortly before the trial began, while the six murder charges remained.
The jury ultimately convicted Linton on all six counts of second-degree murder. The California Highway Patrol arrested Linton on the day of the crash. She has remained in custody without bail throughout the case.
Sentencing Is Set for December
Linton’s conviction now moves the case into the sentencing phase. She is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 1, when a judge is expected to determine her sentence following the six murder convictions.
The case has remained closely watched because of the number of lives lost and the circumstances surrounding the high-speed collision.
For the families of those killed, the verdict marks a major development in a case that began with a devastating crash at a busy Los Angeles intersection more than four years ago.
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