Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist, drove his car carrying his wife and two children aged 7 and 4 off a cliff
An Indian-American doctor who drove his Tesla off a cliff in the United States with his wife and two children inside – in an alleged attempt to murder them – will not serve any prison time for now and will receive a mental health treatment.
Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist in California, drove his car, along with his wife Neha and their two children, ages 7 and 4, off a cliff last year after suffering a psychotic breakdown, psychologists told the court. Mr. Patel believed his children were at risk of sex trafficking, leading him to crash the car, they said.
After leaving the cliff, the Tesla fell more than 250 feet. However, the family miraculously survived the accident and were saved from the mangled car. Neha Patel admitted that he intentionally drove the car off the cliff, but later testified that she did not want her husband to be prosecuted.
Doctors said Mr Patel suffered from schizoaffective disorder and major depressive disorder. “He had heard footsteps and thought he was being followed in the weeks leading up to the accident. It was paranoid and a kind of delusional thinking that he acted at that time to protect his family from a worse fate,” a psychologist told the court, adding that “he feared his children were at risk of being kidnapped, possibly for sexual assault”.
On Thursday, a U.S. court ruled that Mr. Patel was eligible for “mental health diversion,” which allows a mentally ill defendant who has committed a crime to receive mental health treatment instead of serving time. a pain. The law states that such a provision can only be considered if illness played a major role in the crime.
Superior Court Judge Susan M. Jakubowski found Mr. Patel eligible for the program based on the doctors’ diagnosis and ordered him released to his parents in California. He will be monitored by GPS and must report to court once a week. He is also not allowed to travel outside his country and must surrender his driving license and passport.
The case will be heard on July 1.