California doctor who allegedly drove family off cliff in Tesla pleads not guilty

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A California doctor accused of deliberately driving his family off a 250-foot cliff in their Tesla has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges.

Dharmesh Patel, of Pasadena, faces three counts of attempted murder after allegedly driving his wife and two children off Devil’s Slide cliff in northern California in January.

“He is charged with three counts of pre-meditated and deliberate attempted murder,” said San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean Gallagher. “We believe the evidence will show him intentionally driving his family off a cliff with the intent to kill them.”

Mr Patel entered his not-guilty plea when he appeared in a Redwood City courthouse on Thursday.

Prosecutors say that there is evidence that there were no skid marks or signs of breaking before 41-year-old Mr Patel drove the car off the cliff.

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe also says that video cameras near the Tom Lantos Tunnels showed the Tesla exiting a tunnel before going over the cliff.

“We don’t know the motive, that is the big question right now. But we will continue to look into that, why he would do this,” Mr Wagstaffe told KRON.

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Firefighters at the scene had to cut the family, including the suspect’s 41-year-old wife, 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, out of the wrecked Tesla.

Before the incident, Mr Patel worked as a doctor at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills neighbourhood north of Los Angeles.

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If convicted on the three attempted murder charges with special circumstances, Mr Patel could get a life sentence in prison.

The judge agreed with a prosecution request to order Mr Patel to have no contact with his family.

“We think it is prudent for the victims and the integrity of the case there be no contact between them and the defendant,” said Mr Gallagher.

During the hearing, one witness in the case asked for charges not to be dropped against Mr Patel, who will appear again in court on 20 March.