Nicole Linton drove about 130 mph in a 35-mph zone before running a red light, causing the fatal crash in August 2022, prosecutors said

NEED TO KNOW

• Nicole Lorraine Linton, 41, has been found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder by a jury on Friday, Oct. 2
• Prosecutors said Linton drove about 130 mph in a 35-mph zone before running a red light and killing several victims at the time of the August 2022 crash
• Linton faces life in prison when she is sentenced on Dec. 1

Nicole Lorraine Linton, 41, has been found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder.

After a three-hour deliberation, a jury convicted the former nurse on Friday, Oct. 2. The verdict found Linton guilty of killing six people in a car crash in Los Angeles in August 2022, the Los Angeles County District Attorney announced in a news release.

The fiery crash killed Nathesia Lewis, 43, and Lynette Noble, 38; Asherey Ryan, 23, who was 8 1/2 months pregnant; Ryan’s boyfriend, Reynold Lester, 24; and their 11-month-old son, Alonzo; her unborn child, Armani, was also killed.

Linton’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1, and she faces life in prison.

At the time of the deadly crash, Linton was driving her Mercedes-Benz around 130 mph in a 35-mph zone on La Brea Avenue. She ran a red light before slamming into several other vehicles, and the car caught fire.

During the trial, prosecutors argued Linton’s reckless driving was fueled by her desire to quit her job at Kaiser Permanente Hospital and tension with her co-workers, according to The Los Angeles Times.

They argued Linton refused to address mental health issues, including her bipolar disorder diagnosis. The prosecution alleged that days before the crash, Linton was not taking her medication or sleeping.

The prosecution also claimed she had previously gone off her medication, which resulted in erratic driving and violent incidents.

“The jury agreed that this was no accident,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in the release. “Nicole Linton murdered six people when she deliberately put her foot on the gas and accelerated up to 130 mph through a red light into an intersection with visible traffic, deploying her car as a high-speed missile with complete disregard for the lives of others on the road.”

“Linton’s actions left behind heartbreaking wreckage that looked like a warzone, traumatizing survivors and witnesses,” Hochman continued. “She also caused devastation in the lives of the victims’ loved ones.”

“While this verdict cannot bring them back, it can honor their memory by ensuring that their lives were not forgotten and that justice prevailed on their behalf,” Hochman concluded.

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One of the victims’ sisters, Jasmond Nelson, said, “Even though we have justice, grief doesn’t change. It doesn’t stop. So we will still miss our loved ones,” per KTLA. “This has been a long journey. It’s been extremely hard, so much grief.”

“This was not an accident,” Ryan’s sister, Shaseana Kerr, said, per CBS News. “This was someone who wanted to take himself out and others with her.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

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