A Pasadena radiologist was hearing footsteps and suffering from delusions about the nation’s fentanyl crisis, the war in Ukraine and the possibility of his children being kidnapped the day his family’s Tesla plunged off Highway 1 last year near Devil’s Slide, a psychologist testified Wednesday.
Dharmesh Patel’s mental state took center stage at a hearing Wednesday to determine whether the doctor will be admitted into a mental health diversion program, rather than face trial on multiple attempted murder charges, in the January 2023 crash. If a judge grants Patel’s request, the charges against him could be dismissed over the next couple years, after he completes a court-ordered treatment program.
On Wednesday, a clinical and forensic psychologist said Patel was a good candidate for the diversion program, because he was a low risk for harming anyone else after showing strong progress over the last year.
“I see him as someone who is very motivated and amenable to treatment,” said the psychologist, Mark Patterson, who was called to the stand by Patel’s attorney. The clinician added that it was “clear to me he has a good capacity” to respond to treatment.
Prosecutors say Patel intentionally tried to kill his wife and their two small children by driving off a 250-foot cliff onto a rocky beach outside Half Moon Bay. Patel suffered injuries to his leg and foot, while his wife suffered more severe injuries. Their 7-year-old child was seriously injured; their 4-year-old only suffered bruises.
Patel later pleaded not guilty, claiming the family’s Tesla had been experiencing tire issues that may have caused the crash. He allegedly told investigators that he stopped three times at gas stations that day to put air in his left-rear tire while driving to the Devil’s Slide area. He added that the car’s tire-pressure sensor light had turned on beforehand, authorities say.
He has since been held without bail at the San Mateo County jail.
Patel’s mental state has been a central issue in the case ever since the crash, with his wife initially telling first responders that Patel’s wife told investigators that her husband was “depressed,” and that “he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off.” Investigators also said the Tesla’s self-driving features did “not appear to be a contributing factor” in the incident.
Ultimately, the radiologist appeared to be experiencing a single expression of major depressive disorder on the day of the crash, along with psychotic features and anxious distress, Patterson testified Wednesday. In the days before the crash, Patel grew increasingly delusional and overwhelmed about headlines from around the world, such as the war in Ukraine and the nation’s fentanyl crisis, the psychologist said.
Patel’s greatest delusions revolved around the risk of his children being kidnapped and molested, which appeared to be tied in some say to his concerns over the accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the psychologist added.
Patterson’s diagnosis came after the psychologist conducted 18 tests and spoke to Patel, along with the radiologist’s brother and sister.
Patel, the psychologist added, “still feels a lot of remorse” over the crash. But he shows few — if any — lingering signs of such depression, Patterson testified. And he stopped having delusions, even after being taken off anti-psychotic medication while being held without bail at the San Mateo County jail.
San Mateo County prosecutors on Wednesday questioned Patterson about why he did not interview Patel’s wife before completing his report. They also questioned whether the radiologist’s illness more closely resembled schizoaffective disorder, a chronic condition similar to schizophrenia.
The prosecutors were expected to continue questioning Patterson on Wednesday afternoon.
State legislators in 2018 established the mental health diversion program as a way for eligible defendants to see their cases dismissed if they successfully complete a rigorous and lengthy treatment program.
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To be eligible for the program, defendants must be diagnosed with a mental illness that has a direct connection to their alleged crime. The mental illness also must be treatable within the duration of the diversion program, which is two years for felony cases and one year for misdemeanor cases.
People accused of serious felonies, such as murder, are ineligible for the program. However, the charges that Patel faces — which include attempted murder — are eligible.
Even if Patel does win entry into the program, it’s unclear whether he will be able to practice medicine anytime soon. Last year, a judge granted a request by the Medical Board of California to bar Patel from practicing medicine while he awaits trial on the charges, with the agency arguing that Patel represented “an alarming danger to the public” in light of an “impairment of cognitive abilities needed to safely practice medicine.”
The medical board has said Patel will continue to be barred from practicing medicine “until the order is modified by the court or the criminal case against him concludes.”