Nicole Linton, 41, was found guilty on six counts of second-degree murder on Friday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. The verdict follows a high-speed crash on August 4, 2022, at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues, where Linton ran a red light at 130 mph, resulting in the deaths of six individuals, including an unborn child. Jurors deliberated for three hours before reaching their decision.
The victims included 23-year-old Asherey Ryan, who was eight and a half months pregnant, her unborn child, her 11-month-old son Alonzo Quintero, and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Reynold Lester. Two additional victims, 43-year-old Nathesia Lewis and 38-year-old Lynette Noble, were also killed in the incident. Linton and nine others sustained injuries in the crash.
Linton's defense argued that she experienced a seizure that prevented her from stopping her vehicle. Prosecutors, however, contended that Linton had walked off her shift as a traveling nurse at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center that day, intending to quit, and deliberately accelerated her vehicle downhill toward the intersection.
The prosecution highlighted Linton's diagnosis of bipolar disorder and her alleged failure to take prescribed medication, along with previous incidents of aggressive behavior, including a 2016 incident where she struck a woman and fled at high speed.
Linton did not testify during her trial. Deputy Medical Examiner Vadims Poukens confirmed that all six victims died from traumatic injuries, with three suffering burns post-mortem. Initially, Linton faced six murder charges and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, but the latter were dropped prior to the trial. Linton has been held without bail since her arrest by the California Highway Patrol on the day of the crash. Her sister has publicly defended her, stating that the crash was a tragic accident and not intentional.