LOS ANGELES — The sister of a traveling nurse accused of killing six people in a high-speed crash broke down on the witness stand as she described a series of strange video calls her sister made while driving just before the collision.

Nicole Linton is on trial in Los Angeles Superior Court on six counts of murder in the Aug. 4, 2022, crash at La Brea and Slauson avenues in Windsor Hills. Prosecutors say her Mercedes-Benz tore through a red light at about 130 mph, slammed into other vehicles, and triggered a fireball near a gas station. She faces life in prison if convicted. She has pleaded not guilty. The defense argues she suffered a seizure and lost control of the car. Linton waived her right to testify after the defense rested. The case is expected to go to the jury later this week or next week.

Those killed were Asherey Ryan, 23, who was more than eight months pregnant and on her way to a prenatal appointment; her unborn son, who was to be named Armani; her 11-month-old son, Alonzo Quintero; Ryan’s boyfriend, Reynold Lester; and Nathesia Lewis, 42, and Lynette Noble, 38, who were in another car. Several other people were injured. Prosecutors dropped five counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence before trial.

On Monday, Kimberly Linton, Nicole’s oldest sister, testified that Nicole made five video calls while driving that afternoon, including one that lasted six minutes. She said her sister was talking “gibberish” and “complete nonsense,” and that her face looked confused. In one exchange, Nicole mentioned Kimberly’s daughter in Philadelphia and said, “pack a lunch for daughter I’m going to take her to school.” In another, she said she would be marrying Will Smith and told her sister to “meet me at the altar.”

Kimberly said she immediately called another sister, Camille, around the same time Nicole slammed into traffic. In an emotional recorded call played in court, Kimberly blamed Camille for “triggering Nicole” by texting her days earlier and said, “You know she’s not well.” Camille replied that she would never text her again.

Kimberly also testified that in the days before the crash Nicole had been cleaning obsessively and once “popped up” naked on a video call, surprising her. “The behavior was unusual,” she said.

Prosecutors have told jurors that data from the Mercedes showed Linton was traveling about 122 mph five seconds before impact and reached about 130 mph at the collision, with the accelerator fully depressed and no braking. They said she steered steadily enough to follow the curve of the road. Deputy District Attorney Brittany Vannoy said Linton “chose to drive at 130 miles per hour” and “chose to drive through that red light.” Graphic crash video and photos of burned bodies prompted some victims’ relatives to leave the courtroom. A witness who tried to give the 11-month-old CPR described the baby as limp, with blood coming from his neck. Linton gasped and sobbed during that testimony; the judge sent the jury out and told her to compose herself.

The defense says Linton had a history of seizures and mental-health problems, including bipolar disorder, and was not taking prescribed medication. Prosecutors have argued the vehicle data and video show she remained in control of the car.

Linton, a nurse from Houston who had been working in Los Angeles, left work that afternoon intending to quit, prosecutors said. She was hospitalized with moderate injuries after the crash.

Sources: New York Post; KTLA; NBC Los Angeles; ABC7 Los Angeles; Los Angeles Times; MyNewsLA; LA Magazine.