The wife of the California doctor accused of intentionally driving a Tesla off a cliff with his family inside last year begged prosecutors to drop his attempted murder charges during courtroom testimony Thursday.
Dharmesh Patel was reportedly emotional as he listened to his wife, Neha Patel, reflect on the horrific crash for the first time in a Redwood City court and how their young son asked her, “When’s Daddy coming home?”
“We need him in our lives and it has been over a year and a half since my children or I have seen or spoken to Dharmesh,” Neha Patel said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“We are not a family without him.”
Dharmesh Patel faces three counts of attempted murder after he allegedly drove the family’s Tesla off a 250-foot cliff in an attempted murder-suicide on a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway known as Devil’s Slide on January 2, 2023.
Patel sustained “serious lower body injuries” while Neha Patel and their then-7-year-old daughter suffered severe injuries during the harrowing plunge.
Their then-4-year-old son was treated for minor injuries.
Patel pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder and two enhancements — for the injuries to his wife and daughter, Patch reported.
He had claimed his Tesla Model Y experienced tire issues when he drove it off the cliff.
Witnesses, however, said Patel’s Tesla didn’t show signs of slowing down before the accident as a police report ruled out a potential vehicle malfunction.
Neha Patel also told the court of her children’s heartbreak over each birthday and holiday they experience without their father.
“When is Daddy coming home? He’s taking so long and I miss him,” she recalled her now-5-year-old son telling her.
A psychologist testified last week that Dharmesh Patel suffered from psychosis and had delusions about his children being kidnapped and molested before the crash, according to the Orange County Register.
The outlet added that the delusions were also sparked by the nation’s fentanyl crisis and the war in Ukraine.
Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles, hopes to qualify for a two-year mental health diversion program instead of facing a trial, which could result in a life sentence in prison.
During the hearing, psychologist Mark Patterson noted the father was a “very motivated” candidate for the program and “amenable to treatment.”
Last year, Neha Patel told investigators that her husband was suicidal and intentionally drove off the road, but pleaded for authorities not to prosecute the father.
“He’s depressed. He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposefully drove off,” Neha told rescuers at the time.
Neha Patel, however, claimed in Thursday’s testimony that her husband has “never had an episode” in their 25 years together, according to the SF Chronicle.
“Now that we understand and know he has a treatable condition, things will be different,” she said. “I want members of the court to know the health and safety of my family is of paramount importance.”
In 2018, California introduced the pre-trial diversion program for defendants who were diagnosed with a mental disorder.
If Patel were to receive care and complete the two-year program, his criminal charges would be dismissed and his arrest record destroyed.
