Nicole Linton, a traveling nurse working in Los Angeles, was behind the wheel when the speed of her car accelerated to at least 130 mph through a popular Los Angeles intersection. The legal team backing the defendant is now arguing that Linton suffered a seizure during that fateful incident on Aug. 4, 2022.
“Everything that the doctor had reviewed is consistent with [Linton] having a seizure,” said Jacqueline Sparagna, Linton’s attorney in the case. “People who fall asleep at the wheel go limp, but if they have a seizure, everything tenses up. That is consistent with why her foot was on the pedal.”
Linton and her attorneys appeared in court on Thursday (March 23) to inform the judge that a epileptologist, a neurologist specializing in epilepsy, will provide expert evaluation of Linton’s condition at the preliminary hearing scheduled on April 17. A psychiatric evaluation conducted following the crash allegedly showed no signs of a seizure or epilepsy, according to prosecutors. However, additional evidence of Linton’s history of mental illness was later revealed through court proceedings.
Linton’s sister, Camille, created a website to “provide clarity on who Nicole is and her struggles with mental illness.” The website is divided in six sections that cover Linton’s mental health struggles, her profession as a travel nurse, the day of the accident and the ensuing charges, the family’s perspective, and Linton’s biography.
Video footage captured Linton, 37, reaching abnormal speeds going downhill in her vehicle on Slauson Avenue as she approached La Brea Avenue, famously marked by gas stations on each of the four corners at the intersection. Police reports indicated that Linton allegedly pressed her foot on the gas pedal down to the floor for about five seconds before crashing.
Six people in the vicinity died, including friends Nathesia Lewis and Lynette Noble, and a family of four consisting of Reynold Lester, Asherey Ryan, who was pregnant, and her 11-month old son, Allonzo Quintero.
Linton, who is being held without bail, is facing five counts of vehicular manslaughter and six counts of murder. She has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
