News
March 23, 2023 | 5:37 p.m
Defense attorneys for a traveling nurse accused of killing six people when she drove through a busy Los Angeles intersection at 130mph said they plan to call an expert who will testify she had a seizure and “froze” at the wheel to explain the smashing horror.
Nicole Linton appeared before a Los Angeles judge Thursday with her attorney, Jacqueline Sparanga, who told the judge that they plan to call a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy and seizures.
“We’re going to have him defend himself at the preliminary hearing, which is very rare,” Sparanga told The Post.
“Everything the doctor has seen is consistent with her having a seizure. Nicole hasn’t been sleeping for days and insomnia can cause seizures.”
She added, “People who fall asleep at the wheel go limp, but if they have a fit, everything gets strained. This is consistent with why she puts her foot on the pedal.”
Among the six dead were Ashery Ryan, who was pregnant, her 11-month-old son Alonzo, and her boyfriend Reynolds Lister. Family members said the family was on their way to a antenatal appointment.
Prosecutors allege that a psychiatric evaluation performed on Linton showed no indication of a seizure and that Linton “knocked” her car to the floor for at least five seconds before reaching speeds of 122 to 130 miles per hour before speeding into the intersection of La Prairie and Slawson Streets in Aug 4. last year.
Video footage showed Linton’s Mercedes crashing into several cars before exploding in a fireball.
“This NASCAR-worthy performance flies in the face of the notion that she was unconscious or incapacitated,” prosecutors wrote in the motion.
Linton, 37, pleaded not guilty to six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular homicide. She remains in the county jail, held “without bail.”
Linton’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 17.
Sparanga said their testimony is a “leading expert” on seizures and epilepsy but did not reveal the name of the neurologist. The lawyer said Linton has a history of mental health problems and has suffered from seizures in the past.
“She’s being treated for mental health issues, so government doctors have recognized that this is a mental health condition,” Sparanga said.
load more…
{{#isDisplay}}
{{/ isDisplay}} {{#isAniviewVideo}}
{{/ isAniviewVideo}} {{#isSRVideo}}
{{/ isSRVideo}}
“Unapologetic communicator. Wannabe web lover. Friendly travel scholar. Problem solver. Amateur social mediaholic.”