Neha Patel, the spouse of an Indian-origin physician, pleaded with prosecutors to drop tried homicide costs in opposition to her. The Indian-origin physician is accused of deliberately driving his Tesla off a cliff in California along with his spouse and kids within the automobile final yr.
Neha Patel’s emotional testimony in courtroom highlighted the continued ache the household is enduring. She instructed the courtroom that her younger son requested her: “When will daddy be coming dwelling?”
Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist at Windfall Holy Cross Medical Heart in Los Angeles, faces tried homicide costs after allegedly driving his Tesla off a cliff along with his household inside final yr. Nonetheless, Neha Patel is pleading with prosecutors to drop the costs, alleging that her husband was mentally in poor health on the time of the accident, in line with the New York Submit.
Patel turned emotional as his spouse, Neha Patel, shared concerning the horrific accident in a Redwood Metropolis courtroom in California.
His little son requested him, “When will daddy be coming dwelling?”
Neha Patel’s emotional testimony in courtroom highlighted the continued ache the household is enduring.
“We want him in our lives and it has been greater than a yr and a half since my kids or I’ve seen or spoken to Dharmesh,” she mentioned, in line with the San Francisco Chronicle.
“We aren’t a household with out him,” he added.
Neha Patel additionally shared in courtroom how her kids really feel heartbroken on each birthday and vacation with out their father.
“When will dad come dwelling? “It is taking a very long time and I miss it,” he recalled his now five-year-old son telling him, the New York Submit reported.
The incident occurred on January 2, 2023, on a harmful stretch of the Pacific Coast Freeway generally known as Satan’s Slide.
Patel drove the Tesla, along with his spouse, 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son on board, down a 250-foot cliff.
Miraculously, all 4 members of the family survived, though they suffered numerous accidents.
ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES AND MENTAL HEALTH CLAIMS
Dharmesh Patel faces three counts of tried homicide over the crash.
He initially claimed that his Tesla Mannequin Y malfunctioned, inflicting the accident.
Nonetheless, witnesses reported seeing the automobile not decelerate earlier than going over the cliff, and a police report discovered no proof of issues with the car.
Neha Patel additionally contradicted her husband’s claims, stating in courtroom that he had “by no means had an episode” like this of their 25 years of marriage.
She believes her husband’s actions stemmed from a psychological well being situation, treatable with correct care.
That is according to the testimony of a psychologist who said that Patel skilled psychosis earlier than the accident.
The psychologist additionally reported that Patel had delusions that his kids had been kidnapped and sexually abused, fueled by anxiousness across the fentanyl disaster and the struggle in Ukraine.
Final yr, Neha Patel instructed investigators that her husband was suicidal and deliberately drove off the street, however she requested authorities to not prosecute the daddy.
“He’s depressed. He is a physician. He mentioned he was going to leap off the cliff. He left on objective,” Neha instructed rescuers on the time.
HOPE FOR MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION PROGRAM
Dharmesh Patel’s authorized group is in search of to have him qualify for a two-year various psychological well being program.
This program, launched in California in 2018, permits defendants with recognized psychological problems to obtain remedy and have their costs dismissed upon completion.
Psychologist Mark Patterson testified that Patel is a “extremely motivated” candidate who would profit from this system.
Neha Patel echoed this sentiment, saying, “Now that we perceive and know that you’ve got a treatable situation, issues will probably be completely different.”
The courtroom will resolve whether or not to permit Patel to enter the diversion program or proceed with a trial, which may lead to a life sentence.
In 2018, California began a program for mentally disturbed defendants referred to as pretrial diversion.
If Patel obtained care and accomplished the two-year program, his prison costs can be dismissed and his arrest report destroyed, the New York Submit reported.
