A nurse who has pleaded not guilty has been charged in a Windsor Hills accident that killed six people

A nurse charged in the deaths of six people following a fire accident in 2022 has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors charged Nicole Lorraine Linton, 39, with six counts of murder and five counts of involuntary manslaughter after the fatal accident two years ago.

If convicted as charged, she faces 90 years to life in prison.

Among the people who died in the violent crash was an entire family – a 23-year-old Asherey Ryan24-year-old Reynold Lester, her unborn child and her toddler Alonzo, who was about to celebrate his first birthday.

The family went to a prenatal doctor’s appointment.

When the charges were filed, District Attorney George Gascón said his office could not file a manslaughter charge in a case involving an unborn child.

“This is a case that will forever be remembered as so many innocent lives were senselessly lost while simply going about their daily routines,” Gascón said in a statement sent in 2022.

The fatal accident occurred in August 2022 in the Los Angeles district Windsor Hills. Investigators said Linton ran a red light in her Mercedes-Benz at more than 90 miles per hour. The Speed ​​limit was 35 miles per hour.

Surveillance video showed the Mercedes tearing through the lights and hitting another vehicle, which burst into flames and left a trail of fire leading to a gas station sign.

A total of eight vehicles were involved in the accident, including Linton’s Mercedes. In addition to the young parents and their toddler, two other women were killed in the accident, including the 42-year-old Nateesha Lewis and her friend, 38-year-old Lynette Noble. They were on their way to the mall.

Lewis’ family used DNA to identify her body.

“My sister has children who are grieving and unaware,” said the victim’s sister, Jasmond Nelson. “It’s just so tragic. It’s kind of incredible to even be here and having this conversation. My family is broken, we are grieving.”

Prosecutors said Linton has a history of mental health issues and a problematic driving history. They claimed she did not have a California driver’s license and was involved in a collision in 2020 that resulted in bodily injuries.

After the crash, Linton’s sister Camille posted one website It detailed her upbringing, her struggles with mental health and a detailed account of her interactions on the day of the crash. Camille said her sister called her about four minutes before the collision.

“When I watch the video, I don’t see Nicole driving. I see her mental illness while driving. Something must have happened that caused her to become completely detached from reality,” she said.

Linton’s family also expressed condolences to the victims and their families on the website, which appears to have been shut down. Camille made it clear that she did not want to absolve her younger sister of responsibility for the accident, but hoped she would be treated fairly given her mental health.

She said her little sister’s first manic episode happened in 2018.

“What people need to understand is that over 90% of our interaction with Nicole was ‘normal’ and even when she was manic, there was never anything that led us to believe she was a danger to herself or other people.” says she wrote on the website. “In the last four years, I have never once been afraid that something like what happened on August 4th could happen.”

The family of one of the victims called the website disturbing in an interview in 2022.