The wife of a California doctor accused of pushing her family off a cliff last year spoke publicly for the first time Thursday, reportedly pleading with her husband in a San Mateo courthouse to let her return home.
Dharmesh Patel, 42, of Pasadena, was indicted on three charges in January 2023. first degree attempted murder The suspect allegedly crashed himself, his wife, and their two children, then ages 4 and 7, into a Tesla down Devil’s Slide near California Highway 1.
“I do not want to see Mr. Dharmesh prosecuted on any charges,” Neha Patel reportedly said in court on Thursday via Zoom. San Francisco Chronicle. “I am petitioning the court to allow him to make a mental health transition.”
Neha Patel asked the court to require her husband to receive mental health treatment rather than a prison sentence, and provided testimony about her husband’s character before the near-fatal accident. She said the two met in 1999 and had been married for 16 years as of Friday. She described Dharmesh as a “talented member of society” and a “best friend,” according to the Chronicle.
Doctor accused of ‘deliberately’ pushing family off cliff seeks mental health treatment instead of prison
This undated photo provided by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office shows Dharmesh Patel. Patel, the driver of a car that plunged off a dangerous cliff in northern California and seriously injured himself, his wife and two young children, has been charged with attempted murder. (San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, via Associated Press)
“I was drawn to him because he was one of the most down-to-earth, humble people I’ve ever met,” she said, according to the Chronicle. “Dharmesh has always been loyal to me both as a boyfriend and as her husband.”
Neha and her two children were injured and hospitalized after the accident. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaff previously told FOX News Digital that Neha told first responders immediately after the crash, “He tried to kill us,” and “He was intentional.” “I swerved the car,” he apparently said.
Dharmesh Patel: Son of California doctor who allegedly pushed his family off a cliff was ‘not injured’ after fall
California doctor Dharmesh Patel is accused of pushing himself, his wife and two children off a cliff on January 2nd. (KTVU)
First responders arrived at the scene on January 2nd. white tesla About 80 meters down the cliff, they realized the victims were still moving inside the car.
Rescuers used the Jaws of Life tool to pull the two children out of the car and were able to pull Mr Patel and his wife out of the car window.
California man intentionally drives Tesla off cliff with another adult and two children inside: authorities
Eyewitness accounts and video footage of the Tom Lantos Tunnel, where Patel drove through before the accident, appear to indicate that: Tesla starts running straight Mr Wagstaff previously explained that he was able to drive over the cliff without applying the brakes or attempting to swerve to safety.
A Tesla driver accused of driving his car off a cliff in Northern California, killing his wife and two young children, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and domestic violence charges. (Sergeant Brian Moore/San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office)
Dr. Yang Zhang testified Thursday that Patel suffers from paranoia and has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. At one point, Patel reportedly believed the mailman was out to get her and that her children would be sex trafficked. The Mayo Clinic describes schizoaffective disorder as “a mental health disorder characterized by a combination of symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations and delusions, and symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression and mania.”
In her testimony, Neha said the condition was “treatable.”
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“I want members of the court to know that the health and safety of their families is of paramount importance,” she said.
In this image provided by Cal Fire San Mateo, paramedics from the Santa Cruz unit respond to the scene after a fall from a cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Northern California. It’s from the video. devil’s slide. (California Fire San Mateo – Santa Cruz Unit)
Neha opened her testimony by saying that the children were suffering without their father.
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“Seeing my children constantly in pain is one of the hardest things I’ve had to endure,” she told the judge, according to the Chronicle. “When I put my children to bed at night, I am reminded of my own loneliness. I really miss my best friend. I really miss my life partner.”
She continued. “We need him in our lives. It’s been over a year and a half since my children and I have seen or spoken to Dharmesh. … We are not a family without him.”
