SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – The man accused of driving his Tesla over a cliff with his family in the car, has pled not guilty to all the charges.
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Dharmesh Patel, 41, has also been instructed not to contact his wife.
Patel is denying he tried to kill his family when their car plunged in a 250 feet drop off a cliff off Highway 1 called the Devil’s Slide at the beginning of last month.
The question at the center of the case is whether or not Patel drove off the cliff on purpose.
"What makes this case additionally challenging for the prosecution is it's not just Patel who is the victim here, but it is also her innocent children," said legal analyst Steve Clark, former Santa Clara County District Attorney.
The identities of Patel's wife, 41, daughter, 7, and son, 4, have not been released. All three survived the crash with serious injuries. Patel's wife is still in the hospital.
Initially, a judge denied the prosecutor's request that Patel not have contact with his wife, but a no contact order was issued on Thursday. The case is being tried in San Mateo County.
"No contact orders are frequently utilized by prosecutors in domestic violence cases to keep a defendant from trying to unduly influence a victim’s testimony," said Clark.
Defense attorneys argue that a witness, presumably Patel’s wife, doesn’t want the case prosecuted.
"The D.A.'s office will try to compel Mrs. Patel to testify in court against her husband," said Clark. "And whether or not she does that could make or break this case."
Patel is facing three attempted murder charges and is currently being held without bail.
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