The wife of the doctor charged with three counts of attempted murder for driving off a cliff with his family in the car doesn’t want him to face charges.
Dharmesh Patel, 40, is accused of intentionally driving his Tesla over a California cliff on Jan. 2 with his wife Neha, 41, and their two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy inside.
Patel appeared in court with his attorney Josh Bentley who said Neha did not want her husband to face prosecution, PEOPLE reported.
Patel also pleaded not guilty during the hearing.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe previously told PEOPLE that Neha allegedly told paramedics after the vehicle plunged down the 250-foot cliff with her family inside that “he [Dharmesh] intentionally tried to kill us.”
“She made that statement when asked, ‘What happened? What happened?'” Wagstaffe said. “‘He intentionally tried to kill us.’ … We have multiple people who heard her say that,” adding that she didn’t go into detail and was quickly taken to receive medical aid.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean Gallagher said prosecutors plan to proceed with the case.
“Regardless of whether she is cooperative, we believe we have sufficient evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said, according to KNTV.
“We have collected some evidence, but the investigation will go on, and we think it will establish the motive in this case,” Gallagher said, KNTV reported.
The crash occurred on the Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County along the famous Highway 1, which spans over California’s coastline. The Devil’s Slide has been the site of several fatalities over the past five decades.
Patel and his wife were both injured in the crash, and only one of their children had to be hospitalized due to injuries.
Patel was charged after authorities spoke to “two separate drivers behind him who watched what occurred and were able to provide information about lack of brake lights,” Wagstaffe added.
There’s also video footage that shows the vehicle taking “a sharp right turn down and over the edge and down the cliff.”
The Tesla is currently being examined by the California Highway Patrol’s Major Accident Investigation Team [MAIT].
