The traveling ICU nurse who killed six people in a horror crash in Los Angeles on Thursday after plowing her Mercedes 90mph through a busy intersection had a “profound” history of mental illness and had been involved in 13 prior crashes, but she was still subcontracted to work in a hospital and allowed to drive.
Nicole Lorraine Linton, 37, is being held on six murder charges as a result of the crash on Thursday. She also murdered pregnant Asherey Ryan, 23, her one-year-old son Alonzo, and Reynold Lester, the father of Asherey’s unborn child. Craig Pitchford was named as another victim on Tuesday. Two additional female victims have yet to be identified.
Linton is from Houston, Texas, and was working as a contractor at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Hospital in Los Angeles. She was employed by the nursing contractor organization AMN Healthcare, which she joined in October 2020.
On Tuesday, AMN Healthcare did not immediately respond to inquiries about Linton’s credentials.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Linton worked as a sales manager for General Motors until 2009. Despite not finishing her nursing degree in 2015, she started working in healthcare as a ‘extern’ at NYU in 2010.
Her attorney stated in court yesterday that she had a “profound” history of mental health issues in other states.
He said they would have contributed to the accident and requested that her arraignment be postponed until October.
She was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and her motivation for running the red light and ramming through the junction is unknown.
Craig Pitchford, the fourth casualty of the incident, was identified by his family yesterday.
Prosecutors also disclosed in court that Linton had been involved in 13 previous car accidents, including one in 2020 that wrecked two automobiles.
The Los Angeles Times reported on the collisions yesterday, but no additional information has been released.
The DailyMail.com got accident reports from two Texas occurrences, one in 2013 and one in 2016.
Another motorist rear-ended her car in both occasions.
The California Highway Patrol refused to disclose any further information about the other crashes.
It is puzzling how Linton was able to work in healthcare, much alone in the ICU, while having such severe mental health issues as her attorney claimed.
She cried in court on Monday as she was charged with six charges of murder.
Linton was going at least 90 mph when she went past a red light and collided with oncoming traffic at the busy junction of La Brea and Slauson Avenues.
Following the horrific collision, Asherey Ryan, 23, and her one-year-old kid Alonzo Luchiano Quintero, as well as her unborn baby boy, were confirmed dead at the site.
Renald, the unborn child’s father, was also killed in the collision as the automobile broke in two instantly on contact, according to family members.
Linton crashed into the automobile Asherey, Renald, and young Alonzo were driving in on their way to a doctor’s appointment for a pregnancy check-up.
Nicole L. Linton, 37, is being detained on a $9 million bail after a tragic vehicle accident in Los Angeles.
‘In the flash of an eye, a young family was decimated,’ Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said Monday.
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‘The relatives and friends of those slain and wounded have suffered irreparable devastation.
‘It’s a great loss not just to their families, but to our whole community, who learnt of this horrific tragedy after seeing the now-viral footage of the incident.’
The fifth victim, Pitchford, was identified by his family.
‘On August 4th, 2022, we unfortunately lost Craig Pitchford, beloved Father, Grandfather, and friend,’ they said on a GoFundMe campaign yesterday.
Craig was one of the people killed in the terrible accident at Slauson and La Brea.
‘Because there is no insurance, we are gathering cash for his funeral service.’ We welcome whatever contribution you feel moved to make.’
Two additional ladies have yet to be recognized. So yet, no one from Linton’s family has spoken up.
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