Family members of those killed in a horrific Los Angeles crash left the courtroom in anguish Tuesday after prosecutors showed disturbing footage of a fetus during opening statements in the trial of nurse Nicole Linton.
The video, presented to jurors to illustrate the devastating aftermath of the Aug. 4, 2022 collision, showed the fiery scene prosecutors say unfolded after Linton sped through a red light at La Brea and Slauson avenues and struck pedestrians at the busy intersection.
Jurors saw clips of witnesses and bystanders desperately trying to extinguish flames as images from the crash site appeared on screen, including the unborn child of victim Asherey Ryan.
“The baby was ripped from her womb,” Deputy District Attorney Brittany Vannoy told the court, referring to Ryan, who relatives have said was headed to a prenatal appointment when the deadly crash occurred.
Vannoy said one witness described seeing “a little baby flying over her head and lying at her feet,” as the prosecution displayed the graphic images tied to the fatal Los Angeles intersection crash.
The courtroom gallery was overcome with emotion as the footage played, with relatives sobbing before several abruptly rushed out of the proceedings.
Linton is charged with six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter in connection with the crash, which killed Ryan and her unborn child, as well as Ryan’s 11-month-old son, Alonzo, and her boyfriend, Reynold Lester.
“The defendant killed six people when she drove her Mercedes 130 miles per hour,” Vannoy said during her opening statement.
Linton has pleaded not guilty and remains at a county jail under a “no bail” hold.
A neurologist hired by her legal team said the traveling nurse from Houston, Texas had a history of seizures in her frontal lobe that caused bizarre behaviors.
Prosecutors claim a psychiatric evaluation showed no indication that she suffered a seizure while driving and that Linton “floored” her car for at least five seconds before reaching speeds of 122 to 130mph prior to the crash.
Video footage showed Linton’s Mercedes smashed into multiple vehicles before exploding into a fireball.
