Nicole Linton’s defense attorney has made quite the argument in court by claiming that she may have suffered a “seizure” when she traveled 130 mph through a busy intersection in LA before crashing and killing six people. The incident, which occurred back in August 2022, led to the demise of a pregnant woman named Asherey Ryan, her 11-month-old son Allonzo, and her boyfriend Reynold Lester, who was headed to a prenatal care checkup. Two others victims died also died at the scene at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues: Nathesia Lewis and Lynette Noble.
Linton’s attorney, Jacqueline Sparagna, has since told a judge that they plan on bringing on board a neurologist that specializes in seizures. This would indicate there will be an argument made that the nurse from Texas suffered a burst of uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain in the moments leading up to the crash. “We are going to put on a defense at the preliminary hearing, which is rare,” she said.
“Everything that the doctor has reviewed is consistent with her having a seizure. Nicole wasn’t sleeping for days and insomnia can cause seizures.” Sparagna added that those who suffer a seizure while driving usually feel their body get tense, which she alleges is what would explain why Linton’s foot was still on the pedal when she caused the fiery crash. Prosecutors had previously argued there was no evidence backing claims that Linton had a seizure behind the wheel. The case continues.
The circumstances of why Linton, who was employed by AMN Healthcare at a Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Los Angeles, was allowed to work in the intensive care unit despite her mental health issues remain unclear.
A judge has set her bail at $9million at the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood, given the fact she is a traveling nurse and may be a flight risk.
Records indicate that in 2013, Linton transitioned from the Washington, DC area to Laredo and then a year later, to Houston.
Linton could face a potential sentence of 90 years to life in prison if found guilty on all counts.
The medical professional who is examining her thinks the signs may be indicative of frontal lobe epilepsy, which usually lasts around 30 seconds and can bring on rigidity in the body and loss of awareness. This is usually accompanied by amnesia, where the individual cannot recall having fainted. We hope the court will grant us the consent to have Nicole tested for the psychological and neurological conditions that can lead to these kinds of symptoms.
The indications of this particular form of epilepsy are often neglected by physicians as the signs may, in fact, be associated with psychiatric issues.