Texas Nurse Hits 130 MPH at Red Light… Killed 6 Including Pregnant Mom and Infant | Nicole Linton

Texas Nurse Hits 130 MPH at Red Light… Killed 6 Including Pregnant Mom and Infant | Nicole Linton

> > “…had to watch that accident so many times on the internet, not even knowing it was our own family. We pray for that family. We pray for the victims, not even knowing it was our own family.”
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> > “I don’t… I don’t even know if I can continue school or work. I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t sleep. Thank you.”
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> > “About a former Houston nurse who’s accused of killing six people in a fiery crash near Los Angeles.”
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> > “Nicole Linton is being held without bail. Authorities say she had no drugs in her system, but the California Highway Patrol report shows she had at least 13 previous crashes, including one in 2020, totaling two cars.”
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> > “Xavier Walton is following the case and has the new information tonight.”
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> > 5 seconds. That’s all it took. 5 seconds between a car sitting perfectly still at a red light and that same car exploding through a Los Angeles intersection at 130 miles an hour. One moment it’s an ordinary Thursday afternoon. The next there’s fire, twisted metal, and smoke rising high enough to see from miles away.
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When it was over, six people were dead. A young mother 8 and 1/2 months pregnant. Her baby boy, not even a year old. The child she was carrying who never got the chance to be born. And the woman behind the wheel walked away from the wreckage alive. A nurse, someone whose entire job was saving lives. Today, she’s on trial for murder.

We are just hours away now from the trial of a former nurse charged with murder in a horrific crash four years ago at a Windsor Hills intersection.

> > “The crash killed six people referred to as the Slauson 6. Prosecutors say Nicole Linton ran a red light and plowed through the intersection at 130 mph.”
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It’s the 4th of August, 2022, a neighborhood called Windsor Hills in Southwest Los Angeles, right where La Brea Avenue meets Slauson. It’s a little before 1:40 in the afternoon. Traffic is light. Nobody at that intersection has any reason to think this day is different from a thousand others.

In one of the cars is Asherey Ryan. She’s 23 and she’s about to have her second baby any day now, really. Beside her is her fiancé, Reynold, and buckled into the back is their 11-month-old son, Alonzo, who’s just weeks away from his first birthday. The three of them are on their way to a prenatal checkup. They’ve already chosen a name for the little one on the way. They’re going to call him Armani.

A few feet away in a different car are two friends, Nathesia and Lynette. They’re headed to the mall. That’s it. Just an errand on a normal afternoon, the kind you don’t think twice about. None of them know each other, and none of them know the woman speeding toward that red light.

Her name is Nicole Linton. She’s 37, a traveling nurse who took contracts across the country and had landed in Los Angeles for the summer. On paper, she’s exactly the kind of person you’d trust in an emergency room. Trained, ambitious, somebody who spent her career keeping strangers alive.

But there’s another side to the story, and it’s the part her defense would eventually build its entire case around. Years earlier, Nicole had a breakdown. She was hospitalized, and doctors diagnosed her with bipolar disorder. When she stayed on her medication, things held together. When she didn’t, they unraveled.

And in the weeks leading up to that August afternoon, the pieces were coming apart. An online therapist had reportedly told her she was only dealing with anxiety, not bipolar disorder at all. So, she stopped taking the medication that had been keeping her stable. She wasn’t sleeping. The people around her would later say something about her felt off.

That’s the version her lawyers tell. Prosecutors see something colder. And the truth of what was happening inside that car is exactly what a jury is being asked to decide right now.

Here’s what isn’t in dispute. Nicole’s Mercedes came down La Brea heading south toward the intersection. The light in front of her was red, and it had been red for several seconds, long enough that anyone paying attention would have started slowing down. She didn’t slow down. She did the opposite.

Investigators later pulled the data straight from the car’s own computer, and the numbers are chilling in their simplicity. In the final stretch before the crash, the vehicle was accelerating to 122 mph, then higher, climbing toward 130. The speed limit on that road is 35. And in those last few seconds, the brake was never touched, not once. The gas pedal stayed pressed all the way to the floor.

The Mercedes blew through the red light and hit the crossing traffic like a missile. The first impact set off a chain reaction across the whole intersection. Cars were thrown into each other. One vehicle was torn nearly in half by the force, and almost instantly, flames fed by a gas station right there on the corner. Witnesses said it looked like a bomb had gone off. Nine vehicles ended up caught in it. Black smoke climbed into the sky.

> > “News. Is the CHP holding a news conference right now regarding the terrible crash in Windsor Hills that killed five people?”
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> > “Just given the circumstances of how bad the vehicle was engulfed, it’s hard for us to tell at this point. It’s still an ongoing investigation till we can get some better, uh, information.”
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> > “Okay, so we have one person died in one burning vehicle, another person dies in another burning vehicle, pregnant mom ejected with her fetus, so that’s two. And then we’ve got the one-year-old. Did I miss anyone or were there three in the burning?”
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> > “As far as the specifics as to how many were in each vehicle and as far as how many were ejected, that’s still preliminary. It’s still an ongoing investigation. We do not know exactly how many were in each vehicle. Uh, we’re still trying to piece that stuff together since it’s still, uh, an active, ongoing investigation.”
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> > “Anything else about as far as the Mercedes-Benz driver? Do we know if she’s been arrested at all, under the influence?”
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> > “Yeah, last reports we have is the, uh, driver of the, uh, Mercedes that was traveling at a high rate of speed, uh, is a 40-year-old female. Um, do not have any other information as far as name or, uh, where she resides out of. Um, other than that, she is still being attended to by physicians and nurses over at Ronald Reagan UCLA Westwood.”
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> > “What kind of condition?”
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> > “Last known condition was major injuries. Uh, we do not have any specifics at this time. We have, uh, not gathered any further information from the hospital yet.”
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> > “Can you talk about, though, the speed issues?”
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> > “Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I mean it’s, it’s very obvious from the video everyone’s seen at this point that it was a tremendous high rate of speed. Um, obviously we weren’t out here to necessarily have, you know, a radar or anything out, but, uh, we can say it was a high rate of speed, at minimum at least 50 to 60 mph, and/or higher.”
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> > “And again, you’ve got nine. We have a total of eight that are injured and were transported to the hospital, and we have now six that are confirmed deceased at the scene.”
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> > “And were there not children?”
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> > “Yes, that’s correct. As far as the eight that were injured and transported, including the driver of the high-speed vehicle, I can say that the youngest, uh, child for the minor—uh, the ones that were characterized as minor injury—uh, was 13 months old, and the oldest was, I want to say, 15 years of age. And everyone else was, uh, ages in between that, uh, except for one other, uh, I believe it was like a 33-year-old female.”
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> > “Can we talk about those injuries for the minors? Are we talking broken bones, head injuries?”
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> > “The information I received from the LA County Fire Department was they were triaged as minors. So, typically from my training experience, it wouldn’t include any, uh, major injuries like fractures and stuff like that. So, typically if they’re able to walk, um, they’re characterized as minor. So, and we do not know the exact extent of injuries for everyone.”
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> > “No, we cannot comment on the charges that the driver may or may not face just because it’s still an active, ongoing investigation. We still have more witnesses to, uh, talk to, uh, review other possible video footage, and gather more, um, stuff from the driver of the high-speed Mercedes. So, at this time, we cannot say if and/or when charges will be filed, but it’ll be updated if there are.”
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> > “Sorry if you mentioned it already, but how’s the status… the status of the, uh, high-speed driver?”
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> > “As far as we know, uh, still labeled as having major injuries. As far as to what extent, we do not know. Uh, from my experience, anyone listed as major injuries typically sustains some sort of, uh, fractured bones and stuff of that nature.”
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> > “I’m sorry, the driver of the high-speed vehicle we know is a 40-year-old female… Did she respond to the call?”
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> > “Yeah. Currently, we have one of our CHP West LA officers investigating this, uh, incident at the hospital. And from the information I’ve received, they have had the ability to interact and communicate with her, but not to the fullest extent due to her injuries.”
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> > “So, she’s talking? She’s responsive?”
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> > “She is responsive from what I know.”
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> > “Are you able to give a Spanish update as well? Or do you have someone that will?”
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> > “Yes, I do.”
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> > Inside those cars were the six people who would never make it home. Asherey, her fiancé Reynold, their baby boy Alonzo, the unborn son they’d named Armani, and the two friends on their way to the mall, Nathesia and Lynette.
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> > “Really, at first I thought that they dropped a bomb on us. I realized that it was two cars there. You can see the people on fire.”
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> > “All I heard was a crash and explosion. It was just a big explosion, and the flames like went over my whole car. The flames went over the car and I thought my car was on fire.”
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> > Deborah Jackson was about to pump gas. You can see her gold SUV just behind the firefighters near the wreckage.
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> > “The flames went over my… I thought my whole car was on fire. I couldn’t… Everybody was screaming, telling me to jump out and I was trying to jump out. I was just, I was just scared. Couldn’t. And I saw things, metals and things flying in the air. So, I kind of covered myself behind the pump.”
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> > A handful of ambulances responded to help eight other people injured in the crash. The LA County Fire Department says two adults and six kids survived with minor injuries.
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> > “It was all burning. It was all burning. Two cars were burning. And then there was another car over there, a Mercedes, and I think they rescued her.”
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> > Investigators tell me they did rescue the driver of the Mercedes, the woman who drove her car through the red light, causing the gruesome crash.
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> > “It happened so fast. In an instant. So much destruction, heartbreak, and loss.”
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> > “My sister has children that are mourning, um, that are not aware, and it’s just so tragic. It’s kind of unbelievable to even be having this conversation. Um, my family is broken. We are grieving.”
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> > The loving mother of six was headed to the mall with her friend, 38-year-old Lynette Noble, who was driving when a speeding Mercedes-Benz slammed into their vehicle and others at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson. The two friends died in the fiery crash.
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> > “My only sister was the only sister that could not be identified like everybody else. That’s why we’re here so late, because my sister was a Jane Doe because of what the actions Nicole Linton took. And we do want justice for our sister. So sad that she died such a tragic death. And I just one day hope that we get answers. All I want to know is why. Like, I just want to know why. That’s it.”
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> > Eight more people were hurt. Some of them children. The Mercedes came to rest wrapped around a light pole, still burning. And here’s the detail that stops you cold. Nicole Linton survived. First responders pulled her from the wreck. She had serious injuries, but she was alive. At the hospital, a doctor who examined her said she seemed to have no memory of what had just happened at all.
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And that’s where this stops being just a horrific accident and becomes something much harder to answer. Prosecutors charged Nicole with six counts of murder, one for each life lost, including the unborn child. Not manslaughter, murder. Their argument comes down to a legal idea called implied malice.

> > “CHP investigator Joshua… from, um, we have as well the… we have, um, let’s see, sorry, your name? Public Information Deputy. And then we have, uh, from my office, we have our, um, uh, District Deputy District Attorney Brittney Vanoi. We have Director Diana Teran and Joseph from my office.
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Uh, I want to begin by saying that, you know, today we are going to be filing criminal charges in connection, uh, with last Thursday’s tragic crash that killed six people and injured six others. Uh, Ms. Nicole Linton will be charged with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter. The six counts of murder pertain to the five people that were killed in a horrific crash, as well as an unborn baby who was also killed.

Last Thursday at about 1:40 p.m., Ms. Linton was driving on La Brea Avenue when her car struck several vehicles as she was crossing an intersection. In an instant, Ms. Linton’s alleged conduct took the lives of six people and injured many others. Her vehicle sheared a car that exploded into flames. That car contained an expectant mother, Asherey Ryan, the father of the unborn child who has not yet been identified, and a one-year-old boy who was in a car seat—and unfortunately, that was not enough to protect him.

A young family was destroyed in the blink of an eye. Linton’s vehicle then collided with another car, killing two women in a Nissan Altima, who sadly have yet to be identified. Her vehicle also careened into an SUV containing a family of seven. Thankfully, only minor injuries out of this crash. The SUV struck another vehicle, also injuring a car driver. And then several other vehicles were struck in a crash, but there were no additional serious injuries.

Preliminary investigation shows that Linton may have been traveling at approximately 90 mph when she ran through a solid red light. If convicted as charged, Ms. Linton faces up to 90 years to life in prison.

While the wreckage of this fiery crash at the 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 the families, but to our entire community who learned of this incredible tragedy or watched the now-viral video of the collision.

I’m sure this is a time of great sorrow and grieving for the families and friends of those who will forever be affected by this. My office will do all the work that we can with the families during this difficult time. Our victim services will provide services and assistance to those that need it.

I also want to thank the CHP for the incredible work that they did in this investigation. This is a complex and ongoing investigation, but the preliminary work created the tools necessary for us to make an informed charge decision. I also want to thank the members of our staff, our prosecutors who worked throughout the weekend, uh, to make sure that we bring this case to justice.

I will now take a limited number of questions. So, I’ll handle a few questions and I’m going to switch to Spanish and I’ll try to get it. Yes.”

> > “Two questions for you. What resulted in the murder charges, and when is she due in court, and when are they going to be filed?”
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> > “The case will be filed, uh, in about 20 minutes. Uh, this is an ongoing investigation and there are a lot of moving parts to it. So, I’m not going to get into the evidence that was being used for the murder charges, but the case will be filed in about 20 minutes. Yes, sir.”
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> > “Is there any history of accidents or crashes that she has had in California or in other states?”
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> > “There’s still a pending investigation, so I’m not going to get into the details. I’m sure that some of you have your own sources, but, you know, we’re not discussing that at this point.”
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> > “I guess I’m curious about alcohol.”
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> > “Uh, there is no evidence of any alcohol use at this point. I know that some of you spoke to a woman that alleges they have been drinking together. Uh, the CHP is working to identify this person, but we don’t have any further information.”
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> > “Not ruled out at this point?”
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> > “Neither. We have no idea at this point. One more question. Yes, sir.”
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> > “Counts of, uh, murder and manslaughter. How do they break down? Is it three of one, three of another? And what degree of murder?”
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> > “Yeah, so there’s six counts of murder. That includes the unborn child. Uh, there are five counts of, uh, vehicular manslaughter, gross negligence. Uh, the unborn child cannot be counted for a manslaughter charge.”
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Her defense fought that number hard, calling it exaggerated and unproven, and to this day it remains disputed. One thing that got ruled out early: drugs and alcohol. Toxicology came back clean. Whatever happened in that car, it wasn’t chemical.

So the defense went a completely different direction. Their claim is that Nicole never made a decision at all—that she suffered a medical event, a seizure, and lost control of her own body in those final seconds. In their telling, this wasn’t a driver choosing to speed. It was a woman who was, in that moment, not truly conscious of anything. They even point to how she was found with her arm hanging out the window as consistent with a seizure. Two stories, one car, and a gap between them that six lives fell into.

> > “An emotional day in court for opening statements in the murder trial of Nicole Linton, a traveling nurse accused of causing a horrific high-speed crash in Windsor Hills that killed six people in 2022. Fox 11’s Rachel Aragon live in downtown LA with what jurors heard and saw in court today. Rachel.”
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> > “Hey, Christine. Yeah, jurors today saw some pretty horrific and graphic images and videos of that fiery crash. Again, that fatal crash, no less, from 2022 in Windsor Hills. Both defense and prosecutors made their case a bit today during the opening remarks, but it was pretty clear pretty quickly that this trial and case will largely focus on the physical and mental state of the defendant.
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Jurors packed the courtroom Tuesday for the trial of Nicole Linton. The Texas nurse accused of causing this fiery crash in 2022 that killed six people, including an unborn baby. In their opening statements, prosecutors argued Linton had plenty of time to stop, brake, or even swerve before she allegedly plowed through a solid red light at 130 mph in Windsor Hills.”

> > “Those are images that I, the family, and everyone who witnessed will never forget.”
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> > Community activist Najee Ali was in the courtroom comforting the family of some of the victims. Prosecutors showed jurors video of the bloody scene and graphic pictures of the victims, some of which appeared severely burned. In those moments, some of the victim’s family members walked out of the courtroom in tears.
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> > “Today was a very hard and difficult time for the family members, but also everyone in that courtroom. We saw the aftermath of what Nicole Linton caused.”
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> > Linton has pleaded not guilty to murder and vehicular manslaughter charges. During opening statements, defense attorneys claimed Linton was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol or on her phone. The defense claims Linton was having a medical emergency, specifically a seizure while she was driving. Those in the courtroom supporting the victims say the truth will eventually come out.
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> > “We’ve waited a long time for this day. This is the first day that we hope will be on the path for justice and a conviction.”
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> > Now, prosecutors also called up their first witnesses to testify today, including the sister of one of the victims. We also know the trial will resume tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.
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For years, the case crawled through the court’s competency hearings, medical evaluations, motion after motion. Nicole was held without bail the entire time. And then, more than four years after that afternoon, it finally reached a jury. The trial opened in September 2026 in Los Angeles. Nicole Linton, now 39, pleaded not guilty.

One of the first things prosecutors did was play the surveillance footage of the crash for the jury, the raw video of those final seconds. Several members of the victims’ families couldn’t sit through it. They got up and walked out of the courtroom before it finished. If she’s convicted on every count, she faces the rest of her life in prison.

And when you strip it all down, the jury isn’t being asked whether Nicole Linton caused this. Everyone agrees she did. The cameras caught it. The data proved it. The question is far narrower and far harder. Was it a crime or a catastrophe no one could have stopped?

> > “I’ve never ever, I’ve never called her Ash in her life. It’s always been Asherey.”
> > “Yeah.”
> > Davis says her sister was excited about her second pregnancy.
> > “So, she was expecting a second boy.”
> > “Oh, yeah. She was on her way to the doctor’s.”
> > The force of the crash caused this child seat to be ejected. It had belonged to Ryan’s son, Alonzo.
> > “He had the sweetest smile. Oh, like the most beautiful smile in the world for everything. My nephew, he didn’t deserve that.”
> > Davis says her sister loved being a mom. This is a picture of Ryan and their other sister when the two first became pregnant for the first time.
> > “She was beautiful. So, I mean, she had the worst attitude, but she was so loving. She was so supportive.”
> > At the corner of La Brea and Slauson, a memorial is growing for the five victims and Ryan’s unborn son. We asked Davis if she had anything to say to the person accused of the deadly crash.
> > “I don’t have nothing to say to her, but I hope she… I hope she feels every bit of pain that she’s caused to everybody.”
> > Luis Quintero, Alonzo’s father, spent time at the memorial mourning the loss of his son. Alonzo was 11 months old. His first birthday was just a few days away. Davis scrolled through pictures as she remembered her nephew.
> > “He had the sweetest smile. Um, like the most beautiful smile in the world. Therefore, everything, my nephew… He didn’t deserve that. He was supposed to be one in a couple of days. He didn’t make it to his first birthday.”
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Because here’s the thing that neither side can argue with. Six people left their homes that day expecting to come back. A mother on her way to check on the baby she was about to meet. Two friends headed out for an ordinary afternoon, and none of them ever made it to where they were going.

Whatever the jury decides about why it happened, it doesn’t change that. Six people are gone either way.

If this case got to you the way it got to me, do me a favor, hit that like button because it genuinely helps these stories reach more people. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next case, and turn on notifications so you’re the first to know when the verdict in this one comes down.

And I want to hear from you in the comments. Do you think this was murder or a medical emergency she couldn’t control? Drop your take below. And while you’re there, let me know where in the world you’re watching from. I read every single comment, and I love seeing how far these stories travel. Take care of each other out there. I’ll see you in the next.