The nurse charged with killing five people last week when her Mercedes plowed into traffic at a busy intersection in Windsor Hills was involved in 13 previous crashes, Los Angeles County prosecutors said Monday she accused her of murder.
Authorities revealed new details about Thursday’s crash and about the driver, Nicole Lorraine Linton, 37, whose permanent address is in Texas and who currently rents a room in Los Angeles while working as a traveling registered nurse.
Prosecutors said they are reviewing multiple previous crashes linked to Linton — both in and outside California — including one in 2020 involving bodily injuries involving two cars in total. However, they provided few additional details.
Linton’s attorney, Halim Dhanidina, asked the court Monday to extend her arraignment until October as he reviews her history of “documented profound mental health problems.” Dhanidina did not elaborate on those issues, but said the Windsor Hills crash could be related.
The crash
California Highway Patrol officers Thursday investigate a fiery crash that killed several people near a gas station in Windsor Hills.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Surveillance video just before Thursday’s deadly crash shows a dark-colored Mercedes speeding down La Brea Avenue as dozens of cars cross over Slauson Avenue in Windsor Hills. Prosecutors say Linton was behind the wheel.
The Mercedes doesn’t seem to slow down until it runs a red light shortly after 1.30pm. The light was red for nine seconds before the car drove through the intersection and collided with several cars, prosecutors said. The Mercedes caught fire and hit a light pole, where it came to a stop. After the crash, a streak of fire burned on the ground and the cloud of smoke could be seen from miles away.
Prosecutors say Linton was traveling at a speed of 90 mph.
At least six vehicles were involved in the accident, according to California Highway Patrol investigators. In addition to the dead, eight were injured.
Los Angeles County Dist. atty. George Gascón said there is no evidence of alcohol use by Linton at this time.
When he announced the charges against her on Monday, he declined to discuss what led to the crash, saying it was still under investigation and that he “wouldn’t go into details”.
The aftermath
Candles, balloons and flowers at a street memorial to victims of a fatal accident at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson Avenue in Windsor Hills.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
The impact of the crash and the fire it caused killed 23-year-old Asherey Ryan; her 11-month-old child, Alonzo Quintero; her boyfriend, Reynold Lester; and their unborn child. Ryan was 8½ months pregnant when she was murdered. The boy she was carrying was named Armani Lester, according to the Los Angeles County coroner.
Two other women who died in the crash have yet to be identified.
Linton was hospitalized for several days with moderate injuries before being taken into custody.
Photos posted online after the crash appear to show Linton sitting on the curb with a bloodied arm. She appears to be wearing hospital trousers and a shirt with lettering on the breastplate and sleeve.
Footage from the scene shows massive damage to the front of the Mercedes, which slammed headfirst into a light pole. A law enforcement source told The Times that Linton suffered a broken foot and wrist in the crash, but the car’s advanced airbag systems for a frontal impact appear to have protected her from the worst of the impact.
A specialized CHP accident investigation team extracts data from the Mercedes computers that record speed, braking and acceleration.
The charges
Linton was charged Monday with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter. The vehicle manslaughter charge concerns the deaths of the four adults and the baby, which was about two weeks before his first birthday. Ryan’s unborn child cannot be included in those costs.
Linton faces life imprisonment if convicted on all charges.
Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Natalie Stone denied her bail, which was previously set at $9 million, at the request of the district attorney’s office, who said she poses a flight risk. Linton would leave LA and travel to Hawaii for work, prosecutors said.