The California physician accused of driving his spouse and two children off a cliff in a terrifying homicide suicide try is ready to be launched right into a psychological well being diversion program that might see the fees in opposition to him dropped.
Dharmesh Patel, 43, was granted admission into the two-year psychiatric program throughout a listening to in San Mateo courtroom Thursday, and could possibly be sprung from jail as early as this summer time.
The radiologist appeared “by all accounts a form and loving” father, Choose Susan Jakubowski mentioned, including that he can be higher served in remedy than in jail, the Mercury Information reported.
After the ruling Thursday, Patel’s household had been seen embracing with happiness, as they requested he be handled and never jailed.
“We’d like him in our lives and it has been over a yr and a half since my youngsters or I’ve seen or spoken to Dharmesh,” his spouse, Neha, mentioned, including their son had been asking “When’s Daddy coming residence?”
Patel has spent the final 18 months behind bars after he allegedly drove his spouse and two younger children off a cliffside street generally known as the Satan’s Slide whereas affected by a supposed psychotic break on January 2, 2023.
He, his spouse, and their then 7-year-old daughter suffered extreme accidents, whereas their then 4-year-old son suffered minor accidents.
The incident landed Patel with three tried homicide fees — however in Might, Neha begged the courtroom to permit him admission into the diversion program, saying they had been “not a household with out him.”
The diversion program would see Patel launched to stay along with his mother and father whereas he enrolls in a two yr remedy with the Stanford College psychiatric fellowship, in keeping with Mercury Information.
Throughout that point he can be barred from contacting his spouse or children, or from practising medication.
Ought to Patel full the 2 yr program, all fees in opposition to him can be dropped.
“He needs to proceed psychiatric remedy,” Choose Jakubowski mentioned. “The courtroom believes he now realized the significance of being forthright.”
Patel initially plead not-guilty to his fees, claiming the Tesla skilled a malfunction and despatched his household careening off the cliff.
However his spouse instructed investigators he’d been struggling despair previous to the incident and deliberately wrecked the automotive, whereas psychologists later testified Patel had been affected by delusions that his children had been going to be kidnapped right into a sex-trafficking ring tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
The precise explanation for his psychosis stays unknown.
Clinicians have provided diagnoses starting from main despair issues to schizophrenia, however the courtroom finally dominated no matter he suffered from was sufficient to qualify him for the diversion program.
This system was launched in 2018 for defendants whose crimes could have been pushed by treatable psychological sickness. Felonies like homicide to not qualify for this system, however Patel’s tried homicide fees do.
He’s due in courtroom on July 1 for the ultimate ruling on his launch, and can stay behind bars till then.
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