Houston Nurse Charged with Murder, gross vehicular manslaughter, for Killing 6 , Breaks down in Court During Sentencing

Via CBS Dallas:
A nurse from Houston was charged Monday with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter for the fiery crash that killed six people, including an infant and a pregnant woman.

Nicole Lorraine Linton, 37, was behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz that barreled through a red light at Slauson and La Brea avenues last Thursday and slammed into several other vehicles in the Windsor Hills area, according to the CHP. The six people killed included all the members of one family — 23-year-old Asherey Ryan, the child she was pregnant with, her boyfriend, 24-year-old Reynold Lester, and the father of her unborn son, and her infant son Alonzo, who was about to celebrate his first birthday.

The charges include six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter. District Attorney George Gascón said his office cannot file a manslaughter charge in a case involving an unborn child.

"This is a case that will always be remembered for the senseless loss of so many innocent lives as they simply went about their daily routines," Gascón said in a statement.

Linton, who was in a wheelchair, made her first court appearance in the case on Monday. She did not enter a plea in the case, and her next hearing was scheduled for Aug. 15.

If convicted as charged, she could face 90 years to life in prison, Gascón said. Prosecutors say Linton has a history of mental health issues and a problematic driving history, including a lack of a California driver's license and her involvement in a 2020 traffic collision with bodily injury.