A man accused of intentionally driving his family off a San Mateo County cliff pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Dharmesh Patel, 41, limped noticeably to the microphone set up in the San Mateo County courtroom as he entered his not guilty plea to the three premeditated attempted murder charges. The judge then issued a no contact order to prevent Patel from contacting his wife or children.
Patel, a radiologist from Pasadena, was driving a Tesla with his wife and two children inside when the car plunged about 250 feet off a cliff at Devil’s Slide in early January.
Patel, his wife and their 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son were seriously injured in the crash but survived.
Days later, Patel was arrested after investigators determined eyewitnesses and nearby surveillance cameras showed him deliberately veering off the cliff.
The district attorney's office will not discuss any possible motive.
"We have collected some evidence but the investigation will go on and we think it will establish the motive in this case," Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean Gallagher said.
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Defense attorney Josh Bentley shook up the courtroom Thursday by declaring the central witness, Patel's wife, did not want her husband prosecuted.
"Our belief is that regardless of whether she is cooperative, we believe we have sufficient evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt," Gallagher said.
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Legal analyst Dean Johnson is not so sure. He said what happened inside the car is very important.
"I wouldn’t say crucial but if you can't get the testimony of the spouse, if you can’t get the testimony of the children and you don’t have an internal video, you’ve got a very tough case," Johnson said. "You’ve got a purely circumstantial case."
Patel is scheduled to return to court for the start of the preliminary hearing March 20.
If convicted on the three attempted murder chargers, Patel could get life in prison.
