MOBILE, ALABAMA: A neurosurgeon was convicted of killing a medical student in Mobile, Alamba, during a drunken high-speed crash. Jonathan Pishoi Nakhla, 38, was convicted on reckless murder charges on Tuesday, March 21, after a verdict against him was announced since the juror's discussion on Monday afternoon.
According to authorities, Samantha Thomas, a student at the University of South Alabama School of Medicine, was riding with Nakhla in his 2018 Audi R8 Spyder convertible on August 1, 2020. The neurosurgeon who was drunk at the time drove the vehicle at a speed of 138 miles per hour and crashed it at 12.40 am. The car flipped several times and the student died instantly in the high-speed crash. Nakhla's vehicle landed upside down in a ditch after it struck a guardrail, reported Law and Crime.
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Nakhla's lawyer believes toxicology report to be 'dubious'
The responding officers did not look into another driver, according to defense lawyer Dennis Knizley who said that Nakhla was cut off while failing to use a signal and he had to swerve at the time. The defense argued that the officers were keen on publicity. In the body camera footage, an officer allegedly told "We’ve got a high-profile case here, boys."
The lawyer denied the prosecutor's claim of Nakhla speeding and argued that Nakhla was not going as fast as the claim. The toxicology report testing the defendant's BAC was a "dubious" one, he said and added, "There is no fame, there is no glory, when you investigate a case and there turns out not to be a crime."
Lauren Walsh, the Mobile County Assistant District Attorney, explained that for similar behavior as the neurosurgeon, anyone would have been charged by her office. She said, "It is insulting to me and insulting to you as jurors for him to say that."
Nakhla believed 'he was above the law'
To get out of tickets, Nakhla who bragged about his speedy driving reportedly told about him using a badge and ID card which he received as a volunteer police surgeon. Witnesses were presented by prosecutors as they said the defendant was intoxicated before the crash.
"There was a running theme. The defendant believed he was above the law," said Walsh. The 'black box' in the vehicle indicated that before it finally stopped, the car was going 138 miles per hour, testified a former state trooper who is an accident reconstruction expert. The speed limit on the service road where the incident took place was 45 miles per hour.
According to the defense, the accident still would have taken place as he said, "Johnny Nakhla had no chance, and nor would anybody else driving the speed limit." However, Walsh said that Nakhla "turned his car into a weapon. It is a miracle no one else was hurt," according to Law and Crime.
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