The Pasadena physician accused of making an attempt to kill his household by driving the household Tesla off a cliff along with his spouse and two kids inside will obtain psychological well being therapy and has the chance to get his legal case dismissed, a decide dominated.
Dharmesh Patel, 43, has been held in jail in San Mateo County since January 2023, when he drove his spouse and 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son off a cliff on Pacific Coast Freeway at Satan’s Slide, plummeting 250 ft to the rocky terrain beneath. The household miraculously survived.
On Thursday, a San Mateo Superior Court docket decide decided Patel was eligible for psychological well being diversion resulting from his main depressive dysfunction and may reside along with his mother and father throughout his therapy.
Medical doctors testifying for Patel’s protection group mentioned that Patel suffered from the dysfunction with “psychotic options,” in keeping with district lawyer Stephen Wagstaffe, whose workplace opposed the diversion of the case. Patel’s spouse testified that he ought to be launched, even after she informed authorities earlier within the case that Patel “tried to kill us.”
“He was nervous in regards to the world. He was involved about the whole lot occurring on the planet together with that his kids may … [be] intercourse trafficked,” Wagstaffe mentioned.
Emergency personnel reply to the car crash on Jan. 1, 2023, that led to Dharmesh Patel being jailed on suspicion of tried homicide and youngster abuse.
(Sgt. Brian Moore / Related Press)
Wagstaffe mentioned that a physician who examined Patel and testified on behalf of prosecutors disagreed with the protection’s analysis and believed that Patel suffered from schizoaffective dysfunction.
“It’s a special course of therapy. If what he’s really affected by is schizoaffective dysfunction then their therapy plan and medicine won’t work and won’t clear up it,” Wagstaffe informed The Instances.
Wagstaffe mentioned diversion means the legal case in opposition to Patel — by which he’s charged with three counts of tried homicide — will probably be suspended. He will probably be within the psychological well being diversion program for 2 years. There isn’t any probation or supervision past his conferences with the physician dealing with his case, Wagstaffe mentioned.
If Patel violates the provisions of the diversion, by breaking a legislation or failing to comply with the circumstances of the therapy plan, the legal course of resumes. If Patel will get by way of the two-year therapy plan efficiently, the case could be dismissed.
Patel has not been launched but from jail, in keeping with county information. The decide within the case has ordered the physician to stay in San Mateo County throughout the period of the psychological well being diversion. Patel will probably be required to verify in at court docket as soon as every week and can reside along with his mother and father in Belmont.
