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Jonathan Nakhla, a Mobile Infirmary neurosurgeon, was convicted on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, on reckless murder charges in the death of 24-year-old University of South Alabama medical student Samantha Thomas.
Jonathan Nakhla was on trial for allegedly killing his co-passenger, Samantha Thomas, in a high-speed crash on August 1, 2020. During the trial, prosecutors told the jurors that on the night of the deadly crash, Nakhla, who was extremely intoxicated, was speeding, resulting in the car flipping over several times before landing in a ditch.
As per Fox News, the jury reportedly reached a unanimous guilty verdict after a three-week trial.
Jonathan Nakhla was reportedly caught speeding multiple times even before the crash
As per Law and Crime, detailing the incident to the jurors, prosecutors said that, on August 1, 2020, Jonathan Nakhla had a lot to drink before getting behind the wheel with the victim. He was going 138 miles per hour in his 2018 Audi R8 Spyder convertible down an Interstate 65 service road when he lost control of the vehicle.
The car was found turned over in a ditch after flipping several times and striking a guardrail. Authorities said the crash resulted in the death of the victim, who died instantly at the scene.
In an attempt to undermine the prosecutor's case that hinged on the suspect driving under the influence, Nakhla’s Defense team told the jurors that their client had a lot of coffee after having a few drinks before driving on the night of the crash.
They further argued that the crash was a result of their client trying to avoid crashing into a man who cut them off while failing to use a signal.
Defense attorney Dennis Knizley went on to suggest that authorities were focused on falsely convicting their client for an accidental death due to Nakhla’s high-profile stature in the community.
However, prosecutors said that the suspect had a history of using his influence to get out of traffic tickets after he was reportedly caught speeding multiple times before the crash. Mobile County Assistant District Attorney Lauren Walsh said:
“There was a running theme. The defendant believed he was above the law.”
After the verdict, Defense attorney Dennis Knizley said he was disappointed by the juror's decision to convict their client for an accidental death.
“We thought we made the case that the car turned in front of him without a blinker, with only a split second – I literally mean less than half a second to make the decision."
Knizley noted that the jury was mostly focused on their client being inebriated at the time of the accident, which led them to disregard the “causation issue.”
“I think the horrific nature of the injury and the death and the speed of 138 miles an hour, and you put alcohol in there, it was just difficult for the jury to take into consideration the causation issue.”
As per Alabama.Com, Jonathan Nakhla is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20, when he will most likely face a term of 20 to 99 years in state prison.
