A 37-year-old nurse accused of killing six people and injuring eight others when her Mercedes-Benz plowed into several vehicles in Los Angeles, California last week faces six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, officials announced Monday.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón called the crash “tragic.”
Nicole Linton, a traveling nurse from Houston, was being held in lieu of $9 million bond and faces up to 90 years to life in prison if convicted, Gascón said. She is expected to be arraigned Monday.
Authorities believe Linton’s car was traveling at around 90 mph when she sped through a red light and hit crossing vehicles at the busy intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues.
23-year-old Asherey Ryan who was six months pregnant, her 11-month-old son Alonzo, and her fiancé, Reynold Lester, were on their way to a prenatal checkup when the speeding Mercedes hit them and exploded into flames.
Everyone in Ryan’s vehicle died, including her unborn son.
Two other women in another vehicle were also killed, but they have yet to be been identified. Six other vehicles were involved in the crash.
“A young family was destroyed in the blink of an eye,” Gascón said at a news conference Monday. “While the wreckage of this fiery crash at this intersection was removed and traffic eventually resumed, there’s catastrophic damage to the families and friends of those killed and injured. It’s not only a tremendous loss to their families, but to our entire community, who learned of this incredible tragedy who watched the now viral video of the collision.”
There is no evidence that alcohol was a factor in the deadly incident, but the crash remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol, Gascón said.
Loved ones gathered at the site of the horrific crash over the weekend.
Sha’seana Kerr, Ryan’s younger sister, shared this message for Linton.
“I just want to tell her that we forgive her,” Kerr said. “She will have to live with this for the rest of her life. That’s why she was spared. We understand it already.”
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