Nicole Linton Convicted in Windsor Hills Crash; Sentencing Set for December 1
The jury found the former traveling nurse guilty of six counts of second-degree murder, more than four years after the crash at Slauson and La Brea.
A Los Angeles jury convicted Nicole Linton on October 2 of six counts of second-degree murder in the 2022 Windsor Hills crash that killed Asherey Ryan, her infant son and unborn child, her boyfriend and two other women at the intersection of Slauson and La Brea avenues.
Linton, 41, faces multiple life sentences, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 1 in Department 109 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. The verdict followed about three hours of jury deliberations and came more than four years after a collision that turned an ordinary afternoon on a heavily traveled neighborhood corridor into a scene of devastating loss.
Remembering the six people killed
Ryan was 23 and eight and a half months pregnant. She was traveling to a prenatal appointment with her boyfriend, Reynold Lester, and her 11-month-old son, Alonzo Quintero. Ryan, Lester, Alonzo and Ryan’s unborn son, Armani, were killed in the crash.
Nathesia Lewis, 43, and Lynette Noble, 38, were friends traveling in another vehicle on a shopping trip, according to prosecutors. They also died. Community members and relatives have remembered the victims as the Slauson Six.
Nicole Linton’s trial: the prosecution and defense accounts
Prosecutors said Linton accelerated to about 130 mph before driving through the red light on August 4, 2022. They presented evidence that she pressed the accelerator for at least five seconds before hitting vehicles in the intersection. Their account was that her actions were deliberate and that she remained conscious as she approached the crossing.
Her defense argued that the traveling nurse suffered a seizure while driving and lost consciousness. Defense attorney Jovan Blacknell maintained that a sudden medical emergency explained the collision. Prosecutors disputed that explanation. Jurors ultimately found her guilty on every murder count presented to them.
Linton originally faced additional vehicular manslaughter charges. Those charges were dismissed before trial, FOX 11 reported. The October 2 verdict was on six counts of second-degree murder; it was not a verdict on the earlier manslaughter counts.
ABC7 reported that relatives embraced and cheered after leaving the courtroom. Jasmond Nelson, Lewis’ sister, told the station the verdict mattered, while the loss remained. “We will still miss our loved ones,” she said.
The crash also prompted a public response beyond the courthouse. An August 2022 county Board of Supervisors agenda outlined Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell’s request for an incident-response review and traffic-safety measures around Slauson, La Brea and the surrounding area, including study of road designs intended to reduce excessive speeding.
Related coverage: Families’ response to Nicole Linton’s mental health website in 2022.
Cover image: Portrait cropped from VOBLA’s verdict graphic. Source: The Voice of Black Los Angeles, from VOBLA’s October 2, 2026 verdict report.
