LOS ANGELES — A Houston woman suspected of causing a horrific crash that killed five people, including a pregnant woman, last week in Los Angeles was charged Monday with six counts of murder.
Nicole Linton, who was arraigned in a Los Angeles Superior Court, was also charged with five counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release.
If convicted on all the charges, Linton could be sentenced to 90 years to life in prison if convicted on all the charges, the Associated Press reported.
According to the news outlet, the traveling nurse didn’t enter a plea and was ordered to be held without bail.
A bail hearing is scheduled for next week, the Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors said Linton is accused of causing a fiery wreck by allegedly speeding on La Brea Boulevard before slamming into several vehicles in Windsor Hills on Aug 4.
The victims killed were Asherey Ryan, 23, who was pregnant with a baby boy, Ryan's 11-month-old son Alonzo Quintero, and Ryan's boyfriend, Reynold Lester, Asherey Ryan's sister Sha'seana Kerr said in a GoFundMe posting, the Associated Press reported.
According to the news outlet, Kerr said Ryan was heading to a prenatal doctor's appointment when she was killed.
Prosecutors said two other women, whose names have not been made public, were also killed.
Seven other people, including six children, were injured in the crash, which was captured by a security video, the Associated Press reported.
The Los Angeles Times reported Linton's lawyer Halim Dhanidina asked the court to continue his client's arraignment to October so he could review her history of “profound mental health issues” from out of state.
As the investigation into the crash continues, California Highway Patrol investigators haven't found any evidence that Linton was under the influence of alcohol, the newspaper reported.
Still, prosecutors said Linton has a history of dangerous car accidents, including 13 prior wrecks, one of which occurred in 2020, where two vehicles were totaled, according to The Times.
