LOS ANGELES — A Houston nurse accused of killing six people in a fiery crash is waking up in a Los Angeles jail Tuesday morning after a judge denied bail.
Nicole Lorraine Linton, the traveling nurse who's facing six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter, pleaded not guilty in court on Monday.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the same judge denied a motion for Linton to be let out of a correctional facility so she could get psychiatric treatment. Back in August, court documents showed Linton had a history of mental illness dating back to 2018.
Linton's attorney claimed she lost consciousness before the deadly crash, but new court documents say that wasn't the case. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office states Linton was in full control of the steering wheel and conscious when she slammed into the Windsor Hills intersection.
In addition, court documents and surveillance video reviewed from the crash impact show Linton held down the gas pedal for at least five seconds, going from 122 miles per hour to 130 just before impact.
Who is Nicole Linton?
- Linton's lawyer, Halim Dhanidina, said his client has an out-of-state history of “profound mental health issues” that might be linked to the crash but didn’t specify, according to the Los Angeles Times.
- Authorities said they didn't find evidence that Linton was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The California Highway Patrol said she had at least 13 previous crashes — including a 2020 injury accident that totaled two cars — and knew the threat posed by her driving behavior, the Times said.
- KHOU 11 reached out to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, who told us, "Due to the fact that the defendant’s traffic history involves multiple jurisdictions, we cannot confirm the exact number of collisions. We can only say that she has been involved in numerous prior collisions including one in 2020 that involved two wrecked cars and bodily injury."
- Linton was also believed to be a flight risk since she works as a traveling nurse, so the judge denied a request to set bail.
What happened?
On Aug. 4, a Mercedes-Benz sedan ran a red light at high speed and caused a crash involving as many as six cars near a gas station in the unincorporated Windsor Hills about 10 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Surveillance video captured a Mercedes-Benz speeding through the busy intersection of Slauson and La Brea Avenues. before hitting several cars.
The California Highway Patrol said Linton, who sustained moderate injuries in the collision, was taken into custody on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Linton was charged with six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. One murder charge was filed for the pregnant woman's unborn child.