A man accused of driving his family off a cliff in a Tesla may have been experiencing a psychotic break, according to doctors who testified at his trial this week.
Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist from Pasadena, California , is facing three attempted murder charges after his vehicle went over Devil’s Slide, near San Francisco, with his wife and two children inside last January.
Mr Patel, 42, has pleaded not guilty and asked to be admitted to a mental health programme. If the judge grants the request, the charges would be dropped and he would be freed after completing the treatment programme.
At his trial on Thursday, two doctors testifying for the defence said that Mr Patel was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the crash, in which he believed that his children might be sex trafficked, according to local outlets.
His delusions related to concerns about Jeffrey Epstein, The Mercury News reports. Epstein, who died by suicide in jail , was accused of running a sex-trafficking ring of underage girls.