During court evidence Thursday, the wife of the California doctor accused of purposely driving a Tesla off a cliff with his family inside last year pleaded prosecutors to drop the attempted murder charges against him.
Dharmesh Patel was reportedly tearful as he listened to his wife, Neha Patel, reflect on the horrible crash for the first time in a Redwood City court, including how their small son asked her, “When’s Daddy coming home?”
“We need him in our lives, and it has been over a year and a half since my children and I have seen or spoken with Dharmesh,” Neha Patel told the San Francisco Chronicle.
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“We are not a family without him.”
Dharmesh Patel is charged with three counts of attempted murder after allegedly driving the family’s Tesla off a 250-foot cliff in an attempted murder-suicide on a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway known as Devil’s Slide on January 2, 2023.
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Patel had “serious lower body injuries,” while Neha Patel and their then-7-year-old daughter suffered severe injuries during the perilous plummet.
Their four-year-old kid was treated for minor injuries.
Patch stated that Patel pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder and two enhancements relating to the injuries sustained by his wife and daughter.
He claimed that his Tesla Model Y had tire troubles when he drove it off the cliff.
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Witnesses, on the other hand, stated that Patel’s Tesla showed no symptoms of slowing down before to the crash, and a police report ruled out a probable vehicle problem.
Neha Patel also informed the court of her children’s anguish over each birthday and holiday they spend without their father.
“When will Daddy come home? “He’s taking so long, and I miss him,” she remembered her now-5-year-old son telling her.
According to the Orange County Register, a doctor testified last week that Dharmesh Patel had psychotic symptoms and thoughts about his children being stolen and abused prior to the disaster.
According to the site, the delusions were triggered by the country’s fentanyl issue as well as the conflict in Ukraine.
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Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles, hopes to be eligible for a two-year mental health diversion program rather than a trial, which may end in a life sentence in jail.
During the hearing, psychologist Mark Patterson stated that the father was a “very motivated” candidate for the program and “amenable to treatment.”
Last year, Neha Patel told detectives that her husband was suicidal and purposefully drove off the road, but she pleaded with them not to punish him.
“He is depressed.” He is a doctor. He claimed he was going to drive off the cliff. “He purposefully drove away,” Neha told rescuers at the time.
According to the SF Chronicle, Neha Patel said during Thursday’s testimony that her husband has “never had an episode” in their 25 years of marriage.
“Now that we understand and know he has a treatable condition, things will be different,” she went on to say. “I want members of the court to know the health and safety of my family is of paramount importance.”
In 2018, California implemented a pre-trial diversion program for defendants diagnosed with a mental condition.
If Patel received treatment and completed the two-year program, his criminal charges would be dropped and his arrest record erased.
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