The nurse accused of killing five people last week when his Mercedes stuck in traffic at a busy intersection in Windsor Hills had been involved in 13 previous accidents, Los Angeles County prosecutors filed Monday with charging her with murder.
Authorities have released new details about Thursday’s crash and the driver, Nicole Lorraine Linton37, whose permanent address is in Texas and who is currently renting a room in Los Angeles while working as a traveling registered nurse.
Prosecutors said they are looking at several prior Linton-related crashes — both in California and outside — including one in 2020 that involved bodily injuries in which two cars were totaled. They did, however, provide few additional details.
Linton’s attorney, Halim Dhanidina, on Monday asked the court to continue his arraignment until October because it is reviewing his out-of-state history of “profound documented mental health issues.” Dhanidina did not elaborate on those issues, but said the Windsor Hills crash may be related to them.
Here’s what we know:
The crash
California Highway Patrol officers are investigating a violent crash where several people were killed near a Windsor Hills gas station on Thursday.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Surveillance video just before Thursday’s fatal crash shows a dark-colored Mercedes racing down La Brea Avenue at high speed as dozens of cars cross Slauson Avenue in Windsor Hills. Prosecutors say Linton was driving.
The Mercedes does not seem to slow down before running a red light shortly after 1:30 p.m. The light had been red for nine seconds before the car drove through the intersection, hitting several cars, prosecutors said. The Mercedes caught fire and hit a lamp post, where it came to a stop. After the crash, a trail of fire burned to the ground and billowing smoke could be seen miles away.
Prosecutors say Linton was driving at speeds as fast as 90 mph.
At least six vehicles were involved in the accident, according to California Highway Patrol investigators. In addition to the dead, eight people were injured.
District of Los Angeles County. Atti. George Gascón said there was no evidence of Linton’s drinking at this point.
Announcing the charges against her on Monday, he declined to discuss what led up to the crash, saying it was still under investigation and “wasn’t going to go into details. “.
The following
Candles, balloons and flowers at a street memorial to fatal crash victims at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson Avenues in Windsor Hills.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
The impact of the accident and the fire it caused killed a 23-year-old Asherey Ryan; his 11 month old child, Alonzo Quintero; her boyfriend, Reynold Lester; and their unborn child. Ryan was 8.5 months pregnant when she was killed. The boy she was carrying was named Armani Lester, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
Two other women killed in the accident have not yet been identified.
Linton was hospitalized with moderate injuries for several days before being taken into custody.
Photographs uploaded after the crash appear to show Linton sitting on the sidewalk with a bloody arm. She appears to be wearing hospital medical pants and a shirt with writing on the chest and sleeve.
Footage from the scene shows massive damage to the front of the Mercedes, which crashed headfirst into a lamppost. A police source told The Times that Linton broke her foot and wrist in the collision, but the car’s advanced airbag systems for a frontal collision appear to have shielded her from the worst of the impact.
A specialist CHP accident investigation team extracts data from Mercedes computers which capture speed, braking and acceleration.
Expenses
Linton was charged on Monday with six counts of murder and five counts of manslaughter. The vehicular manslaughter charges relate to the deaths of the four adults and the baby, who was about two weeks shy of his first birthday. Ryan’s unborn child cannot be included in these costs.
Linton faces life in prison if convicted on all charges.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Natalie Stone denied bail, which had previously been set at $9 million, at the request of the district attorney’s office, which said she was at risk of fleeing . Linton was to leave Los Angeles and travel to Hawaii for work, prosecutors said.