Astronaut Granted Bail on Attempted Murder Charge

Feb 06, 07:40 PM

Current Headlines: ORLANDO, Fla. _ A NASA astronaut who drove from Houston to Central Florida _ reportedly armed with a BB gun and wearing diapers _ was charged Tuesday with attempted first-degree murder in an alleged plot to kidnap and harm a rival in a possible love triangle.

Officials said Lisa Nowak, arraigned earlier in the day on lesser charges, was formally charged with attempted murder Tuesday afternoon.

Last summer, she triumphantly lifted off from the space center on a shuttle mission. Tuesday, she stood before a judge and wore shackles and a blue prisoner uniform.

Her lawyer said she simply "made a mistake" and he would stage a vigorous defense. Conviction on the attempted murder charge could bring a sentence of life in prison.

Orange County Judge Mike Murphy set bail of $10,000 on the attempted murder charge, in addition to the $15,500 bail he ordered Tuesday morning. She also must wear a location monitoring device.

In a new affidavit, filed in the case Tuesday afternoon, a police officer said Nowak managed to obtain the travel itinerary of her apparent rival, Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman, and possessed a handwritten map to Shipman's home.

"Nowak said that she just wanted to talk to the victim," said Barbara Jones, a spokeswoman for the Orlando Police Department. "But everything we found associated with it puts it in a different perspective than `I just want to talk to you.'"

Even before Tuesday afternoon's developments, Nowak was charged with attempted kidnapping, attempted vehicle burglary with battery, destruction of evidence and battery.

According to police affidavits, Nowak drove 900 miles from Houston to Orlando. Then, she donned a wig and a trench coat and was armed with a BB gun, pepper spray and other equipment when she confronted Shipman around 3:45 a.m. Monday at Orlando International Airport's Blue Satellite Parking Lot.

The BB gun was loaded and ready to fire, with the safety disengaged, according to a police report.

"Somebody looked at the details based on the facts that she had a steel mallet, a brand new 4-inch knife and rubber tubing," Jones said. "They decided that the additional charge should be added."

Nowak believed that Shipman, stationed at Patrick Air Force Base near the Kennedy Space Center, was a rival for the affections of Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein, according to the affidavit.

A police report quoted Nowak as saying that she and Oefelein were involved in a relationship that "was categorized as more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship."

The ambiguity of that statement left open the possibility that neither Oefelein nor Shipman were fully aware of Nowak's feelings.

In a petition for an injunction against Nowak, filed Monday in Titusville, Fla., Shipman said she did not know Nowak before the incident and describes her as "acquaintance of boyfriend."

On the other hand, Shipman said she had endured "stalking" for about two months _ apparently by a person unknown to her before early Monday.

When Nowak appeared during her first hearing Tuesday morning, she kept her head bowed and rarely spoke.

At that time, Murphy said Nowak could be released on $15,500 bond. But, he said, she must wear a GPS monitoring device that would alert authorities if she approached the space center or ranged anywhere else east of Orange County.

Asked if she understood the conditions, Nowak said simply: "Yes."

The only reaction she seemed to exhibit came when a prosecutor said that Nowak apparently meant to "kidnap and perhaps injure the victim." At that, Nowak shook her head to indicate disagreement with the statement.

Still, the core question remained unanswered: What could make a person qualified for spaceflight last summer apparently snap so completely seven months later?

The 43-year-old Nowak is married and has three children _ a 14-year-old son and twin 5-year-old daughters. Her husband, Richard, works for NASA as a flight controller.

In a December 2003 interview published by Parenthood.com, Nowak spoke of the pressures of being an astronaut, a wife and a mother.

"Being away from home is the hardest part," Nowak said during that interview.

She acknowledged the risks of her profession and said: "Yet, we all take everyday risks that we don't think about a lot, such as driving in a car."

According to the affidavit, Shipman told police that she spotted Nowak stalking her, heard "running footsteps" as Shipman entered her car and became particularly alarmed when Nowak slapped on the window and attempted to open the door.

"Can you help me please?" Nowak allegedly asked Shipman. "My boyfriend was supposed to pick me up and he is not here."

Shipman told police that she refused, but opened her window about two inches after Nowak began to cry. At that point, Shipman said, Nowak sprayed her with a chemical substance, apparently pepper spray.

Shipman drove hurriedly away and sought help from police officers.

Within a few minutes, officers detained Nowak, who matched a description provided by Shipman.

Police said they also found a wig and a trench coat used as a disguise, a folding knife with a 4-inch blade, six Latex gloves, at least three feet of rubber tubing and several large garbage bags.

Nowak reportedly told officers that she wore adult diapers during the long drive from Houston so she wouldn't have to stop to use bathrooms. Two soiled diapers were found in her car, police said.

Shuttle astronauts wear similar diapers during launches and landings.

They said Nowak denied that she was attempting to kidnap or kill Shipman, saying she only wanted to speak to and "scare" the other woman.

Asked about the alleged use of pepper spray, Nowak reportedly told officers: "That was stupid."

Summarizing the case, a police affidavit said:

"The facts that Mrs. Nowak drove approximately 900 miles, urinated in diapers so that she did not need to stop, stayed at a hotel where she paid in cash and used a false name and address to register, stealthily followed her victim while in disguise and possessed multiple deadly weapons as the time she confronted the victim ... gives this investigator probable cause to believe that Mrs. Nowak intended to murder Mrs. Shipman."

Nowak was born in Washington, D.C., and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy.

A Naval pilot, she became an astronaut in 1996. Her first and only shuttle flight was aboard Discovery, which lifted off from the space center this past July Fourth, visited the International Space Station and landed at the space center on July 17.

"When I was growing up, I remember when I was about 5 years old the moon landing and watching those astronauts, and I thought that was very exciting," she said during a NASA prelaunch interview.

"As I was growing up, I watched the development of the space shuttle program and particularly when they started including women in the program. It started to look like something that I really could do."

She said her hobbies include bicycling, running, gourmet cooking, crossword puzzles and African violets.

Oefelein, 41, flew into space in December, during last year's final shuttle mission. It also was his first flight and also serviced the space station. He has two children but apparently is divorced. A call Tuesday afternoon to his home phone was not answered.

Though they were assigned to different missions, Nowak and Oefelein frequently trained together.

Ken Warren, a spokesman at Patrick Air Force Base, said Shipman is assigned to the 45th Launch Support Squadron as an engineer and has been there since May 2005.

The 45th squadron participates in inspecting, processing, testing and launching flight hardware, rockets and satellites _ but not shuttles _ that are launched from Cape Canaveral.

During Tuesday morning's hearing at the Orange County Jail Booking and Releasing Center, Nowak's lawyer, Donald Lykkebak, said his client wanted to return to Houston.

"Her position in Texas is enough to ensure she will remain ...," he said. "We have someone here who is 43 years of age, has an exemplary record. At times like this, one's good works must count for something."

Also at the hearing were astronauts Chris Ferguson and Steve Lindsey, who commanded Nowak's shuttle mission last July and now runs the astronaut office.

"We're here representing NASA and our primary concern is Lisa's health and well being, to make sure that she's safe, to make sure that we get her through this and get her back to a safe place with her family," Lindsey said.

"This is a private, personal matter, a legal matter that she and her family have to deal with," he said. "We're down here supporting her like we would any employee at NASA. We're a close family, and we try to take care of our own."

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(McClatchy Newspapers correspondents Jacob Goldstein, Larry Lebowitz, Phil Long and Myriam Marquez and researcher Megan Waters contributed to this report.)

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