The unborn baby killed in a horror car crash in Los Angeles last week was almost full term and ripped from his mother’s womb when a “mentally ill” intensive care unit nurse plowed into her vehicle at breakneck speed.
Asherey Ryan was eight months pregnant with her second son, Armani Lester, when she was killed on August 4 along with Armani and her one-year-old son Alonzo.
Armani’s father, Reynold Lester, was also killed in the accident, along with two women in another vehicle, whose names are not yet known.
ICU nurse Nicole Linton was caught by surveillance cameras plowing her vehicle at high speed through a red light and onto the busy intersection.
It immediately split the other family’s vehicle in half. Alonzo was thrown through the air in his car seat.
Asherey Ryan was eight months pregnant with her second son, Armani Lester, when she was killed on August 4 along with Armani and her one-year-old son Alonzo
Six people died in the horror crash last Thursday, including the pregnant woman, her unborn son, her one-year-old son and her boyfriend
ICU nurse Nicole Linton has been charged with six counts of murder
Linton, 37, has been charged with six counts of murder, including one involving the death of the unborn child.
The coroner ruled that he was both born and died in the crash before being torn from his mother’s body.
Luis Quintero, Alonzo’s father, shared his grief on Monday.
“He was full of joy, very excited.
“I loved it when he grabbed his hands when he kicked his legs with excitement… now I’ll never see him again.”
He said he wanted Linton – who prosecutors say was involved in 13 previous accidents – to be brought to justice.
“I want to see justice done. Something for her, revenge for what she did.
“Maybe then I can forgive her. But not now. She took my son away from me. And I’ll never see him.”
The family is now raising money for funeral services on a GoFundMe page. They have raised more than $163,000 so far.
Linton’s attorney said her mental health contributed to the crash and asked that her arraignment be delayed until October.
She had no drugs or alcohol in her system, and her motive for running a red light and plowing through the intersection remains unclear.
Linton on the side of the road after the accident. Her lawyer told the court she had “serious” mental health problems
One-year-old Alonzo also died in the crash. His father Luis Quintero is now mourning him
Luis Quintero, the father of one-year-old Alonzo, said he will never be able to forgive the nurse
Prosecutors also revealed in court that Linton was involved in 13 previous traffic accidents, including one in 2020 in which two vehicles were totaled.
obtained crash records from two incidents in Texas – one in 2013 and one in 2016.
In both cases, another driver drove into her vehicle.
The California Highway Patrol declined to provide further details about any of the accidents.
It remains unclear why Linton was able to work in the health care setting, let alone in the ICU, with the extensive mental health issues described by her attorney. She has held no fewer than six nursing jobs in five states over the past two years.
A native of Houston, Texas, Linton was a Los Angeles contractor at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Hospital. She worked for the nursing group AMN Healthcare, which she joined in October 2020.
The aftermath of last Thursday’s fiery crash in Los Angeles
Tributes at the crash site in Windsor Hills, Los Angeles last week
AMN Healthcare declined to comment on what type of background checks were carried out when she first got a job with them.
“At this time we cannot comment on an active criminal investigation. Any further questions should be referred to law enforcement,” a spokesman said.
By 2009, Linton worked as a sales manager for General Motors, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She began working as an “external” in healthcare at NYU in 2010, although she did not complete her nursing degree in 2015.
Asherey, Renald and little Alonzo were on their way to a doctor’s appointment for a pregnancy test when Linton crashed into the car they were in. Her car was torn in two on impact.
“A young family was destroyed in the blink of an eye,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said Monday.
“There is catastrophic damage to the families and friends of those killed and injured.
“It is a tremendous loss not only to their families, but to our entire community who learned of this incredible tragedy and saw the now viral video of the collision.”
Two other women remain unknown. No one from Linton’s family has spoken out so far.