What happened at a Los Angeles intersection on a summer afternoon in 2022 was initially described as a horrific crash.

Four years later, a jury has reached a far more serious conclusion.

It was murder.

Nicole Lorraine Linton, 41, was found guilty Friday of six counts of second-degree murder in connection with the August 2022 Windsor Hills crash that claimed six lives.

The jury deliberated for only about three hours before reaching its verdict.

According to prosecutors, Linton was driving her Mercedes at roughly 130 mph in a 35-mph zone when she went through a red light at the intersection of La Brea Avenue and Slauson Boulevard.

Seconds later, her car slammed into multiple vehicles, triggering a devastating chain-reaction collision.

Among those killed was 23-year-old Asherey Ryan, who was more than eight months pregnant. Her 11-month-old son, Alonzo, and her boyfriend, Reynold Lester, also died.

Ryan’s unborn baby, whom the family planned to name Armani, was also lost.

Two other women, Nathesia Lewis, 43, and Lynette Noble, 38, were killed as well. Eight other people were injured.

But inside the courtroom, the central question was not simply what happened.

It was why.

Prosecutors argued that Linton knowingly accelerated toward a busy intersection despite the obvious danger. They pointed to vehicle data showing the accelerator was fully depressed moments before impact and said the traffic light had already been red for about 15 seconds.

They portrayed Linton as angry and emotionally distressed after tensions with coworkers and argued that she was driving recklessly after deciding to leave her nursing job.

The defense told a very different story.

Her attorneys argued that Linton suffered a seizure or medical episode behind the wheel and lost control of the vehicle. They maintained that she did not intentionally cause the collision and should not be held criminally responsible for a medical emergency.

Jurors ultimately rejected that explanation.

After the verdict was announced, relatives of the victims embraced prosecutors and detectives. But for the families, the guilty verdict could never erase what happened.

Jasmond Nelson, the sister of Nathesia Lewis, said the families were grateful for the verdict — while acknowledging that grief does not simply disappear with justice.

The case now moves to sentencing.

Linton faces the possibility of multiple life sentences, with her sentencing hearing scheduled for December 1.

Four years after a single traffic light changed several families forever, a jury has answered the question that has haunted the case from the beginning:

Was it a tragic accident — or a criminal act?

Their answer was clear.

Guilty of six counts of murder.

SOURCES
PEOPLE – Former Nurse Found Guilty of 6 Counts of Murder
Los Angeles County District Attorney – Official verdict announcement
Los Angeles Times – Nurse convicted in fatal high-speed crash
NBC Los Angeles – Verdict in Windsor Hills crash case
ABC7 Los Angeles – Nicole Linton found guilty