Editor's note: This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The traveling nurse who is facing murder charges for allegedly plowing through a Los Angeles intersection at 90 mph last week reportedly had a history of acting erratically and threatening suicide after breakups.
Prosecutors said that 37-year-old Nicole Linton had been in 13 wrecks, including one in 2020 that caused bodily injury, before she allegedly sped through a red light on Aug. 4 in the Windsor Hills neighborhood, igniting a fiery wreck and killing six people.
Linton is now facing six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Her attorney requested that her arraignment on Monday be continued and said that Linton has "documented profound mental health issues," according to the Los Angeles Times.
Linton was previously romantically involved with Germaine Mason, an Olympic medal-winning track and field athlete from Jamaica who died in a motorcycle crash in 2017, the Daily Mail reports.
"Nicole was different after that. She really loved that guy. She said they’d spoken about marriage. I don’t think she’s ever got over that," a friend told the news outlet.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said Monday that investigators are still looking into the crash, but as of now, there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in Linton's system.
The wreck killed 23-year-old Asherey Ryan, who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant and on her way to a prenatal checkup. Ryan's 11-month-old son and her boyfriend were also killed.
Two other women who have not yet been identified were also killed in the crash.
LOS ANGELES DA GEORGE GASCON ANNOUNCES CHARGES FOR DRIVER IN FIERY CRASH THAT KILLED 6
Linton reportedly worked at strip clubs in New York City before becoming a nurse, with a friend describing her as volatile after breakups.
"When I saw what had happened in LA, the first thing that went through my mind was that she had argued with her boyfriend and was drunk and trying to commit suicide," a source close to Linton told the Daily Mail.
Linton reportedly worked as a traveling nurse in Texas for years but had most recently been at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center in California.
She was hospitalized at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center over the weekend and was being held on $2 million bail, but that was increased to $9 million when she was released from the hospital.
"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's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.
Fox News's Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
