A California doctor who allegedly tried to murder his family in cold blood by drivving them off a cliff on the Pacific Coast Highway in his Tesla, does not want to be sentenced to prison time. Instead, he asked the court if he could be sent away for mental health treatment. Dharmesh Patel, 41, a resident of the city of Pasadena, has been charged with three counts of first-degree attempted murder, to which he pleaded not guilty.
According to Fox News, Patel was driving his family in a Tesla vehicle that then plunged off Devil’s Slide located close by California Highway 1 on Jan. 3. Patel, along with his wife, 4-year-old son, and 7-year-old daughter, all survived the horrific crash. Lawyers representing the suspect have asked for a mental health diversion due to their client being diagnosed with major depressive disorder. In order for Patel to be considered eligible for the program, his mental illness would need to be considered a “significant factor” in the criminal act he committed, according to California law. Those who successfully complete the treatment program can potentially have the charges dropped or the arrest expunged from their record.
However, the law does exclude murder and voluntary manslaughter suspects, but attempted murder is not ruled out. Once the program has been completed, the court then decides whether or not the previous charges should be reinstated.
The doctor’s wife says that her husband told the family he was intending to drive off the cliff right before the incident occurred. The suspect tells a different story. According to Patel, the Tesla Model Y he was driving started having tire issues as he drove off the massive 250-foot cliff.
“He drove off. He’s depressed,” Neha Patel went on to say in an affidavit that was obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off.” The Tesla was so badly mangled that first responders had to uses the “jaws of life” in order to get everyone out of the vehicle.
According to District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, who conducted an interview with Fox News Digital, everyone inside the vehicle had to be removed through its windows. The young male child did not suffer any serious injuries. Patel’s seven-year-old daughter did sustain serious injuries but made a quick recovery. The worst injuries in the accident were suffered by Patel’s wife, Neha.
The decision concerning Patel’s eligibility for the mental health diversion is set to be decided at the end of July 2023.
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