Nurse Found Guilty of Killing Six People in Horrifying Fiery Crash

A California jury has found traveling nurse Nicole Linton guilty of six counts of second-degree murder for causing the horrific 2022 crash that killed six people, including a pregnant woman, her baby son and her unborn child.

Linton, 41, was convicted Friday after jurors deliberated for roughly three hours following a three-week trial in Los Angeles.

The case centered on the Aug. 4, 2022, crash at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues in Windsor Hills.

Prosecutors said Linton was behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz when she accelerated to about 130 mph and blasted through a red light that had already been red for approximately 15 seconds.

Her car slammed into several vehicles, triggering a fiery multi-car wreck.

The impact was so violent that one vehicle carrying a young family was torn apart.

Asherey Ryan, 23, who was eight and a half months pregnant, was killed along with her boyfriend, Reynold Lester, 24, and their 11-month-old son, Alonzo Quintero.

Ryan’s unborn son, Armani, also died.

The family had been on the way to Ryan’s final prenatal appointment when the crash happened.

Prosecutors said the force of the collision ejected Alonzo and his car seat and caused Ryan’s unborn baby to be expelled from her body.

Two friends in another vehicle, Nathesia Lewis, 43, and Lynette Noble, 38, were also killed.

Nine other people were injured in the crash, including Linton.

Jurors were shown graphic surveillance footage, photographs and other evidence documenting the devastation.

Some relatives of the victims left the courtroom during portions of the trial as prosecutors presented images from the scene.

The central question throughout the case was whether Linton was conscious and in control of the Mercedes in the seconds before impact.

Her defense argued that she suffered a sudden seizure and lost consciousness behind the wheel.

Defense attorneys stressed that investigators found no evidence she had been drinking or using drugs.

They also noted that she was not using her phone, racing another driver or involved in a road-rage confrontation.

Linton’s attorneys argued that the crash was a medical emergency rather than murder.

Prosecutors strongly rejected that explanation.

They presented vehicle data showing Linton accelerated from roughly 122 mph to 130 mph during the final five seconds before the collision.

They also said she maintained control of the steering wheel as the road curved and did not brake or swerve before entering the intersection.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said evidence showed Linton revved the engine after passing another intersection and then floored the accelerator as she approached Slauson Avenue.

Prosecutors argued that those actions demonstrated conscious control rather than a seizure.

They also pointed to medical testing performed after the crash.

A test intended to trigger abnormal brain activity did not show evidence of a seizure disorder, according to prosecutors.

The prosecution also alleged that Linton appeared to intentionally jerk and twitch during testing in an attempt to simulate seizure activity.

The defense disputed that interpretation and called medical experts who supported the theory that she experienced a seizure.

Linton’s state of mind before the crash was another major part of the trial.

Her older sister, Kimberly Linton, testified that Nicole had been behaving unusually in the hours and days leading up to the collision.

Kimberly said she spoke with her sister several times by video call on the afternoon of the crash.

According to her testimony, Nicole was talking in ways that did not make sense and behaving in a manner her family considered highly unusual.

At one point, Nicole allegedly told her sister she planned to marry actor Will Smith and asked her to meet her “at the altar.”

Kimberly also testified that her sister appeared naked during another call and had been obsessively cleaning.

Prosecutors argued that Linton had been dealing with serious mental-health problems, had not been taking prescribed medication and had not slept for days.

They said she was frustrated with coworkers and left her nursing shift early before driving through Los Angeles.

The defense maintained that her unusual behavior supported the argument that something medically or neurologically was wrong with her before the collision.

Prosecutors, however, argued that Linton knew from previous episodes that getting behind the wheel while in that condition posed a serious danger to others.

The murder charges were based on a legal theory known as implied malice.

Under that theory, prosecutors did not have to prove that Linton intended to kill anyone.

Instead, they had to convince jurors that she knowingly engaged in conduct so dangerous to human life that it showed a conscious disregard for the safety of others.

The jury ultimately agreed with prosecutors.

Linton had originally faced six counts of second-degree murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

However, prosecutors dismissed the five lesser manslaughter counts shortly before trial, leaving jurors to decide only the six murder charges.

They found her guilty on all six.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the verdict confirmed prosecutors’ argument that the crash was not simply an accident.

He said Linton deliberately accelerated through an intersection filled with traffic and showed complete disregard for the lives of others.

Families of the victims became emotional after the verdict was read.

Some cried and embraced prosecutors and investigators outside the courtroom after waiting more than four years for the case to reach a conclusion.

Linton remains in custody.

Her sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.

She faces multiple life sentences and could receive as much as 90 years to life in state prison.

The verdict closes one major chapter in a case that has haunted the Windsor Hills community since the fiery crash in 2022, while the families of six victims now prepare for the final sentencing hearing.