Prosecutors say Nicole Linton deliberately accelerated before a crash that killed six, while her defense says she lost control during a seizure.
LOS ANGELES — The murder trial of former traveling nurse Nicole Linton opened with sharply different explanations for the high-speed 2022 Windsor Hills crash that killed six people, leaving jurors to weigh whether her actions reflected conscious driving or a sudden medical emergency.
Linton has pleaded not guilty to six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence stemming from the Aug. 4, 2022, collision at Slauson and La Brea avenues. Prosecutors allege she accelerated her Mercedes-Benz to about 130 mph before entering the intersection against a red light. Her defense argues that she suffered a seizure, lost consciousness and was unable to control the car.
The competing accounts are expected to shape much of the trial. Prosecutors told jurors that the car remained centered as it traveled along a curving roadway before the collision, evidence they say indicates Linton continued steering as she approached the intersection. They also contend she had time to slow, brake or take other action before the crash but instead continued accelerating.
Defense attorney Jovan Blacknell has challenged that interpretation, describing the collision as the result of a medical crisis rather than an intentional or reckless decision to drive into traffic. The defense said Linton was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, was not using her phone, was not racing another driver and had not been involved in a confrontation on the road. Blacknell told jurors that Linton experienced a seizure shortly before impact.
The defense also plans to rely on evidence about Linton’s condition before and after the crash. Her attorneys have said co-workers noticed she was not behaving normally on the day of the collision and that conversations with her sister included statements that did not make sense. Emergency workers who treated Linton after the crash previously testified that she appeared confused and did not remember what had happened immediately before the collision.
Prosecutors dispute the seizure explanation. They have pointed to medical testimony and crash-reconstruction evidence they say undermine the claim that Linton suddenly lost control. They also allege that she was frustrated with her nursing job and angry before leaving work, and they intend to argue that her emotional state helps explain her driving. The defense rejects the suggestion that workplace frustration proves she intentionally drove at extreme speed.
Linton had a documented history of mental health problems before the crash, an issue that has figured prominently in earlier court proceedings. Her attorneys have said she was experiencing a mental health crisis around the time of the collision. The defense, however, is not pursuing an insanity defense. Instead, its central argument is that a seizure or other loss of consciousness prevented her from controlling the vehicle at the critical moment.
The crash killed Asherey Ryan, her 11-month-old son, Alonzo Quintero, her boyfriend, Reynold Lester, and Ryan’s unborn son, Armani. Nathesia Lewis and Lynette Noble also died. Ryan was more than eight months pregnant and was traveling to a prenatal appointment when the collision occurred. Several other people were injured.
Surveillance footage played for jurors showed Linton’s Mercedes entering the intersection at high speed before striking other vehicles. Prosecutors also presented photographs and video from the aftermath. Relatives of the victims became emotional during the presentation, and several people left the courtroom as the evidence was shown.
The distinction between a deliberate act and an involuntary medical episode carries enormous importance as jurors consider the murder charges. Prosecutors must prove the elements of the charged crimes beyond a reasonable doubt, while Linton’s attorneys are asking jurors to conclude that the crash, however devastating, was caused by a medical emergency rather than criminal conduct.
Testimony began after opening statements and is expected to continue for several weeks. Linton remains presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges against her beyond a reasonable doubt.
Author note: Last updated September 13, 2026.