Nicole Linton is a murderer for using her car as a missile
By Daniel Okafor · Reporting from New York ·
A jury convicted Nicole Linton of six counts of second-degree murder after she drove 131 mph into a South L.A. intersection, proving that reckless rage is not a medical crisis.
Nicole Linton used a Mercedes-Benz as a weapon. She drove into a South L.A. intersection at 131 miles per hour and killed six people. A jury took three hours to convict her of second-degree murder.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the crash happened at the intersection of La Brea Avenue and Slauson Boulevard. District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Linton used her car as a "high-speed missile." He said her actions left behind wreckage that looked like a war zone. Linton knew the risk she posed to others, yet she chose to drive while enraged.
A medical crisis did not cause the crash
Linton's defense tried to blame a medical emergency. Her lawyer, Jovan Blacknell, argued that she suffered a seizure and lost control of the vehicle. He said a medical emergency behind the wheel is not murder.
The facts defeat this argument. A medical test to provoke a seizure in Linton after the crash showed no abnormal brain activity. Prosecutors described her jerking during the test as an attempt to fake a seizure. Deputy District Attorney Antonella Nistorescu said Linton remained conscious during the event.
Linton had a history of unmedicated distress. She had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and suffered documented incidents of violence when off her medication. In one instance, she drove through red lights at 100 miles per hour while unmedicated. Her history demonstrates a clear risk to the public.
Does intent define the crime?
This case shares the mechanism of the 2016 United States vehicular manslaughter cases. Manslaughter is a common law term for homicide considered less culpable than murder. Ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco first made the distinction between murder and manslaughter in the 7th century BC.
Linton did not make a simple mistake. Prosecutors charged her under an implied malice murder theory, arguing her speed showed a total disregard for human life. Nistorescu said Linton knew she faced the same stressors that previously led her to violent actions.
Linton worked as a traveling nurse at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center. Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium employing over 300,000 workers. On the day of the crash, Linton left her shift abruptly after telling a doctor her coworkers made her feel stupid. She channeled that fury directly into her driving.
The choice behind the wheel
The consequences of that choice were immediate and severe. ABC7 Los Angeles said the impact split a Jaguar in half. The collision killed Asherey Ryan, who was more than eight months pregnant, along with her unborn child.
The crash also killed Alonzo, her 11-month-old son. Witness Veronica Esquivel saw a baby flying through the air. Witness Tonya Boyd tried to perform CPR on the child, but the baby had stopped breathing.
The collision killed Lynette Noble, 38, and Nathesia Lewis, 42. It also killed Reynold Lester, 23. Castaneda documented traumatic injuries across the crash site.
Linton's defense claimed she was not angry. Yet the record shows she had not slept or taken medication for days before driving. She knew her medical history and her personal triggers. She chose to get behind the wheel anyway.
Linton faces life in prison at a December sentencing hearing. The facts prove she did not suffer an unavoidable medical crisis. The California Board of Nursing will likely revoke her nursing license. A person who uses a vehicle to kill six people has no place in a profession dedicated to healing.
Sources
- Los Angeles Times: Nurse convicted of murder in high-speed South L.A. car wreck that killed six
- ABC7 Los Angeles: Nicole Linton found guilty of second-degree murder in deadly 2022 Windsor Hills crash that killed 6
- Los Angeles Daily News: Nurse convicted of second-degree murder in crash that killed 6 in LA