*Nicole Linton has been convicted of six counts of second-degree murder in the 2022 Windsor Hills crash that killed six people, bringing a long-awaited verdict in a case that devastated families and the Los Angeles community.
A jury returned the guilty verdict Friday, Oct. 2, after Linton went on trial over the fiery Aug. 4, 2022 collision at La Brea and Slauson avenues.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Linton drove her Mercedes-Benz through a red light at 130 mph, striking multiple vehicles. Three vehicles caught fire.
The victims were Asherey Ryan, 23; her boyfriend, Reynold Lester, 24; their 11-month-old son, Alonzo Quintero; Ryan’s unborn child, Armani; Nathesia Lewis, 43; and Lynette Noble, 38.
The convictions mark the first measure of legal closure for families who have spent more than four years mourning six lives lost in a matter of seconds.
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Jury Convicts Linton on All Six Counts
Prosecutors presented evidence that Linton accelerated before entering the intersection rather than stopping or swerving. The DA’s office said she floored the accelerator for at least five seconds before the collision.
Linton’s defense maintained during the trial that she experienced a seizure and lost control of her vehicle. Prosecutors disputed that account.
The jury ultimately found Linton guilty of all six felony murder counts.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the verdict represented accountability for six lives lost, declaring that while it could not bring the victims back, it could ensure “that their lives were not forgotten and that justice prevailed on their behalf.”
Linton faces multiple life sentences. Her sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1.
Four Years of Waiting for the Slauson 6 Families
For the victims’ families, the verdict comes after more than four years of grief, court proceedings and public efforts to keep their loved ones’ memories alive.
EURweb has followed the case since the hours after the crash, including Linton’s arrest following the deadly collision and the subsequent filing of six murder charges.
The human cost was evident from the beginning. Ryan was 8 1/2 months pregnant and traveling with Lester and Alonzo to a prenatal appointment when they were killed.
In August, as Linton’s trial approached, EURweb reported on the annual Slauson 6 Community Memorial Barbecue, where relatives, community members and supporters gathered near the crash site to remember the victims and renew their call for justice.
A Community Kept Their Names Alive
The six victims have collectively become known as the Slauson 6, with memorial events helping ensure the case remained about more than courtroom arguments and legal delays.
The families and community supporters repeatedly gathered to remember Ryan, Lester, Alonzo, Armani, Lewis and Noble while waiting for the criminal case to reach trial.
That wait has now produced six murder convictions.
Sentencing will mark the next major step in a case that began with a catastrophic afternoon at one Los Angeles intersection and continued through four years of mourning, remembrance and demands for accountability.
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