A Los Angeles jury has convicted traveling nurse Nicole Linton of six counts of second-degree murder for the August 2022 crash in Windsor Hills that killed six people, according to the New York Post. The Nicole Linton guilty verdict Windsor Hills crash case came after jurors deliberated for roughly three hours on Friday, October 2, MyNewsLA reported.
The Nicole Linton Guilty Verdict in the Windsor Hills Crash
The conviction closes a chapter in one of the deadliest crashes in recent Los Angeles history. According to the New York Post, the jury returned its verdict after only a few hours of deliberation, rejecting the defense’s argument that Linton had suffered a medical episode and could not stop the car.
Prosecutors told jurors there was no evidence Linton had a seizure behind the wheel. They said she had left her job at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles mid-shift that afternoon, was driving angrily, and had no drugs or alcohol in her system when the crash occurred.
The defense, by contrast, claimed that a seizure made it impossible for Linton to stop or slow down, and that the crash was the result of a medical emergency rather than a criminal act. The jury sided with the prosecution.
The Crash: 130 mph at La Brea and Slauson
On August 4, 2022, the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues — a busy commercial corridor in Windsor Hills — became the scene of devastation in an instant. Prosecutors said Linton barreled through a red light at approximately 130 miles per hour, slamming into several vehicles and setting off a chain reaction of collisions that ultimately involved nine cars, MyNewsLA reported.
Some of the vehicles burst into flames. Eight to nine other people were injured in addition to the six who were killed, according to the reports.
The Six Victims
The crash took the lives of a pregnant woman, her boyfriend, her infant son, her unborn child, and two women in a separate car:
- Asherey Ryan, 23 — eight-and-a-half months pregnant at the time of the crash, she had been headed to a prenatal appointment.
- Armani Lester — Ryan’s unborn son, the child the family had planned to name Armani Lester.
- Alonzo Quintero, 11 months old — Ryan’s infant son.
- Reynold Lester, 23 — Ryan’s boyfriend and the father of her unborn child.
- Nathesia Lewis, 43 — a driver in a separate Nissan, killed alongside her friend.
- Lynette Noble, 38 — Lewis’s friend, also in the Nissan.
Ryan’s family has said she was on her way to a prenatal appointment with her infant son and boyfriend when the crash happened, and that the family had already chosen the name Armani for the baby she was carrying.
Prosecution vs. Defense: The Failed Seizure Claim
The central dispute at trial was whether the crash was a deliberate, reckless act or a medical emergency.
What the prosecution argued
Prosecutors told the jury that Linton was driving at an extreme speed through a red light, that she was angry after leaving her nursing shift at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles mid-shift that afternoon, and that there was no evidence she suffered a seizure. They also noted that toxicology found no drugs or alcohol in her system.
What the defense argued
Linton’s lawyers maintained that she had a seizure while driving and could not stop the vehicle. The jury rejected that explanation after roughly three hours of deliberation.
Sentencing: 90 Years to Life, December 1
Linton now faces a statutory sentence of 90 years to life in California state prison, MyNewsLA reported. Sentencing is scheduled for December 1.
The mandatory life-range sentence reflects the six second-degree murder convictions — each count carrying a 15-years-to-life term under California law, stacked for the six victims.
FAQ
Who is Nicole Linton?
Nicole Linton, 41, was working as a traveling nurse at the time of the crash. According to the New York Post, she had walked off her shift at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles earlier that afternoon on August 4, 2022, before the fatal crash at La Brea and Slauson avenues.
How fast was she driving?
Prosecutors said Linton ran a red light at approximately 130 miles per hour, a speed that turned the intersection collision into a fiery nine-vehicle chain reaction, MyNewsLA reported.
When is sentencing?
Sentencing is scheduled for December 1. Linton faces a statutory sentence of 90 years to life in California state prison for the six counts of second-degree murder.
What happened to the victims’ families?
According to the New York Post and MyNewsLA, the crash killed Asherey Ryan, her boyfriend Reynold Lester, her 11-month-old son Alonzo Quintero, her unborn child Armani Lester, Nathesia Lewis, and Lynette Noble. Reports on the trial did not include further detail on the families’ statements beyond their accounts of the day Ryan — eight-and-a-half months pregnant and headed to a prenatal appointment — was killed.
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Sources: New York Post; MyNewsLA.
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