LOS ANGELES — New court documents are shedding light on the state of mind of the Houston traveling nurse who's charged with killing six people in a high-speed crash in Los Angeles.
Nicole Lorraine Linton went before a judge on Wednesday.
Newly released court documents describe Linton's behavior in the days and hours before the fatal crash as increasingly frightening.
Records from the UCLA Medical Center say Linton underwent a loss of consciousness triggered by bipolar disorder and possibly other mental and neurological conditions.
RELATED: Court docs: Former Houston nurse accused in deadly California crash has a history of mental illness
Court documents from Linton's defense detailed her four-year struggle with bipolar disorder. Letters from her family back in 2018 say Linton voluntarily checked into the Ben Taub Psychiatric Hospital and was eventually prescribed psychiatric medication.
Linton took a year off from nursing school at the University of Texas in Houston after this to focus on her mental health, according to court documents.
On December 9, 2019, Linton's neighbors reported she was seen running around the apartment complex naked and in a manic state, according to a letter to her defense attorneys. Reports say she was involuntarily committed to the psychiatric ward at the Houston Methodist Hospital after this incident.
At some point during the COVID-19 shutdown, court documents say Linton started seeing an online therapist who said she no longer needed to take her psychiatric medication, claiming she simply had anxiety.
Now, Linton is charged with six counts of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter.
This information all comes from Linton's defense. KHOU 11 has reached out to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for comment. We have yet to hear back.
Linton's next court date is set for September 12.