The “suicidal” California physician accused of deliberately driving his Tesla off a cliff together with his spouse and two younger youngsters inside received’t face trial for tried homicide as he’s as a substitute set to start a psychological well being diversion program.
Dharmesh Patel, who was granted admission into the two-year program final Thursday on the San Mateo County Court docket, will stay in jail for “a number of weeks” earlier than he’s launched, the San Mateo District Legal professional advised NBC Information.
The radiologist, who has spent the final 18 months behind bars. will likely be launched from jail to his father or mother’s dwelling the place he will likely be ordered to not depart.
He may also need to report back to courtroom weekly for a progress report.
Patel will likely be ordered to be examined twice per week “to point out remedy compliance,” and should abstain from medication and alcohol whereas additionally forfeiting his driver’s license and passport, the outlet reported.
The physician will return to courtroom on July 1 the place particulars of his launch will likely be decided, a spokesperson for District Legal professional Stephen Wagstaffe advised NBC Information.
Decide Susan Jakubowski granted Patel admission to this system whereas the DA’s workplace “intensely” opposed it.
The radiologist appeared “by all accounts a sort and loving” father, mentioned Jakubowski on Thursday, including that Patel could be higher served in remedy than in jail, the Mercury Information reported.
Final week’s ruling was made after proof was discovered exhibiting Patel has main depressive dysfunction.
In April two medical doctors testified in courtroom that Patel suffered from “main depressive order” and skilled a “psychotic” break throughout the tried murder-suicide on Jan. 2, 2023.
The Tesla Mannequin Y plummeted off the 250-foot cliff off “Satan’s Slide” on Freeway 1 and landed on the shore of the Pacific Ocean.
Miraculously, Patel, his spouse and their two youngsters — a 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son — all survived.
Patel was arrested and later charged with three counts of tried homicide. He initially pleaded not responsible to the costs saying the Tesla skilled a malfunction inflicting the automotive to careen off the cliff.
His spouse Neha later advised investigators her husband had suffered from despair earlier than the crash.
“He’s depressed. He’s a physician. He mentioned he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposefully drove off,” Neha advised rescuers.
Throughout his testimony, psychologist Mark Patterson mentioned Patel’s delusions have been provoked by the nation’s fentanyl disaster, the conflict in Ukraine and feared his youngsters may very well be kidnapped and molested, which appeared to have been linked to Patel’s worries about accused intercourse trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
In Could, Neha Patel begged prosecutors to drop the costs and admit her husband into this system.
“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,” she mentioned.
The physician was deemed an excellent candidate for this system as a result of he’s at low danger of injuring anybody else and has proven progress together with his remedy because the crash, Patterson mentioned.
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