Chilling reason California doctor Dharmesh Patel, 42, 'tried to kill his wife and two children' by driving their Tesla off 250ft Devil Slide's cliff

The California doctor accused of purposefully driving his Tesla off a 250ft Devil Slide's cliff thought he was protecting his family, a psychologist testified.   

Dharmesh Patel, 42, was experiencing a psychotic episode and feared his two kids would be sex trafficked, Dr. Mark Patterson, an expert witness called by Patel's attorney said on Wednesday. 

'It was paranoid and kind of delusional thinking that he acted on at the time to protect his family from a worse fate,' Patterson told the court. 

'He was concerned that his children were at risk of being kidnapped, possibly for sexual molestation. … There were concerns surrounding the explosion of fentanyl in this country and the war in Ukraine.' 

Patel, who remains in Redwood City jail, pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder after his white 2021 Tesla Model Y veered off the Pacific Coast Highway south of San Francisco and plunged from the precipice on January 2, 2023, with his wife, his then-four-year-old son and then-seven-year-old daughter in the car. 

Dharmesh Patel, 42, accused of purposefully driving his Tesla off a 250ft Devil Slide's cliff thought he was protecting his family, a psychologist testified

The Pasadena radiologist's children, aged four and seven at the time, and wife Neha Patel, 41, were in the car, and an official said it was an 'absolute miracle' that they made it out alive

Patel was experiencing a psychotic episode and feared his two kids would be sex trafficked, Dr. Mark Patterson, an expert witness called by Patel's attorney said on Wednesday

Patterson was the first witness to be called on Wednesday morning, as reported by San Francisco Chronicle. 

He diagnosed Patel with major depressive disorder with a single episode of psychotic features and anxious distress after meeting him a dozen times. 

The psychologist said Patel's psychosis peaked in the days before the car crash, adding that he had been hearing footsteps and thought he was followed.

Patterson said he believed the 42-year-old is qualified for treatment under the mental health diversion law, as he said, 'I see him as someone who is very motivated and amenable to treatment. 

He stopped having delusions while being held without bail at the San Mateo County jail, Patterson testified, adding, 'he still feels a lot of remorse.' 

Patterson's psychosis took center stage at the Wednesday hearing, as the charges against him would be dropped if he is granted diversion and completes two years of treatment.

Dr. James Armontrout, the defense's second witness, diagnosed Patel with 'major depressive disorder with psychotic features that is currently in remission.'

He also said Patel met the requirements for a mental health diversion, which he and his legal team applied in July last year. 

The case will be back in court on May 2, where San Mateo County prosecutors are expected to call their witness. 

Judge Susan Jakubowski will determine if Patel has a mental illness contributing to the alleged murder, and where he presents a public safety threat by the end of the hearing. 

The diversion is part of a new statewide program in California that is focused on preventing defendants with mental illness from being incarcerated.

The illness must be treatable within the duration of the diversion which would be two years in Patel's case since he is facing felony charges.

Neha Patel, the doctor's wife, told investigators after the crash that her husband was depressed and that he had stated his intention to plummet the group.

Neha Patel (pictured) told investigators after the crash that her husband was depressed and that he had stated his intention to plummet the group

Dharmesh Patel (pictured in February 2023) stands in an orange jumpsuit in a San Mateo County courtroom 

Court records show Neha, 41, told a California Highway Patrol officer that, 'He's a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off.'

Witnesses backed that story up and said that they did not see the car attempt to stop as it flew off the cliffside and down on to a rocky beach.

Patel survived with only minor injuries to his leg and foot while Neha had more serious injuries from the crash.

The couple's seven-year-old child was seriously injured and their four-year-old made it out with just bruises. Both children were released from the hospital within weeks. 

The radiologist had initially claimed that he was not guilty and that his Tesla had been experiencing tire issues on the day of the crash. 

He said he had stopped three times at gas stations to put air in the tires and that the tire pressure light had turned on just before they went off the cliff.

The wreckage of the Tesla is pictured at the bottom of the cliff 

In June last year, the doctor was banned from practicing medicine after being called 'an alarming danger to the public,' by the medical board. 

Regulators argued that the ban was necessary because Patel had an 'impairment of cognitive abilities needed to safely practice medicine.'

In a statement issued to the Mercury News, the medical board said Patel could not practice 'under any circumstances' with the case still open. 

'The prohibition on practicing medicine will continue until the order is modified by the court or the criminal case against him concludes,' the statement read.

Despite Neha's insistence that her husband intentionally drove their family off a cliff, Patel's defense attorney said that she did not want her husband prosecuted. 

The lawyer's statements were rebuffed by Wagstaffe who said that Neha's statements following the crash support the attempted murder charges. 

'She said very simply this was not an accident. We do believe the evidence establishes the necessary intent to kill,' Wagstaffe told the San Francisco Chronicle. 

An attorney representing Neha said she is expected to address the court next month.