LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A jury found Nicole Linton guilty of second-degree murder on Friday in connection with the 2022 Windsor Hills crash that killed six people, including a mother and her unborn child.
The verdict came after jurors deliberated for just three hours in the case stemming from the Aug. 4, 2022, collision at the intersection of Slauson and La Brea avenues.
Prosecutors alleged Linton was driving a Mercedes at about 130 mph when she sped through the intersection, triggering a fiery crash that shocked the community.
Linton, 39, was found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. She faces the possibility of life in prison.
She previously pleaded not guilty.
A verdict has been reached in the trial of a woman accused of causing a 2022 crash that killed six people in Windsor Hills.
The families of what community members call the “Slauson Six,” say they’ve been waiting more than four years for justice. They’ve been in the courtroom for weeks for the unfolding trial.
During opening statements last month, prosecutors told jurors that “the defendant killed six people” before playing surveillance video of the collision. Family members of the victims reacted emotionally as the video was shown in court. Several people reportedly left the courtroom during the presentation of evidence.
Jurors saw graphic images and video from the 130-mph crash that killed six people in 2022, prompting gasps, tears and family members to flee the courtroom.
According to her defense team, Linton was suffering a mental health crisis at the time of the crash and may have experienced a lapse of consciousness.
During their opening remarks, Linton’s defense attorney said the traveling nurse had just left her job and suffered a medical emergency while driving home. They claim Linton suffered a seizure before the crash, and add that there was no evidence that she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They also said she was not on her phone, was not racing anyone and was not angry or fighting with anyone at the time of the crash.
Prosecutors told jurors there was no evidence of a seizure and argued that Linton had been upset at work and was driving angrily.
“It’s going to be very important because the prosecution is going to argue that even if she was suffering from some sort of a mental health defect that she should’ve known better than to even get behind the wheel of a car,” said legal expert Lou Shapiro. “So when you take that into consideration, and you have the horrific tragedies and deaths that befell the victims, combining all that it’s an uphill battle for the defense.”
The crash killed 23-year-old Asherey Ryan, who was eight and a half months pregnant. Ryan was traveling in a Jaguar with her 24-year-old boyfriend, Reynold Lester, and their 11-month-old son, Alonzo Quintero, on the way to a prenatal appointment. Their unborn son, Armani, was also killed.
During their opening statements, prosecutors told jurors that the force of the crash threw Alonzo through the air, landing at the feet of a woman at a nearby gas station. They later showed surveillance footage from the gas station that prosecutors said captured witnesses picking him up from the ground.
The prosecution also presented graphic images related to the crash. Prosecutors showed images of Ryan’s charred body and her unborn son and argued that the force of the crash caused the injuries that led to their deaths. Prosecutors said the impact was so hard, Armani was ripped from Ryan’s womb.
In one video, jurors could see the baby lying in the street with its umbilical cord still attached.
The presentation prompted audible reactions from the audience, and some family members ran out of the courtroom. Linton also became emotional at times and was seen crying in court.
At one point, one of the jurors was visibly distraught.
Authorities said 43-year-old Nathesia Lewis and her friend, 38-year-old Lynette Noble, who were in another vehicle, also died in the collision.
A California Highway Patrol investigator said the impact was so severe that the Jaguar was split in half. Nine other people, including Linton, were injured.
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