Ex-Astronaut To Pursue Insanity Defense
Lisa Nowak's Attorney Cites ''Brief Psychotic Disorder" During Her Alleged Assault On Romantic Rival
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Play CBS Video Video An Insane Rocket Scientist?
Julie Chen speaks with legal analyst Mickey Sherman about astronaut Lisa Nowak's plan to plead temporary insanity to charges of attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault.
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Ex-Astronaut In Court
A judge hears testimony to remove evidence against former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak, who is accused of planning an attack on her romantic rival. Kelly Cobiella reports.
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Lisa Nowak: I'm Sorry
Former astronaut Lisa Nowak, who drove 900 miles to attack a romantic rival, apologized to her victim and is seeking dismissal of evidence in the case against her. Kelly Cobiella reports.
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Former astronaut Lisa Nowak, shown here on Aug. 24, 2007, entering an Orange County courtroom, will pursue an insanity defense on charges that she attempted to kidnap and assault a romantic rival, according to a court document released Aug. 28, 2007. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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Astronaut Arrested
Charged with attempted murder in alleged kidnap attempt of romantic rival in love triangle with another astronaut.
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Nowak suffered from major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, insomnia and "brief psychotic disorder with marked stressors," defense attorney Donald Lykkebak wrote. He said the already-petite woman had also recently lost 15 percent of her body weight and struggled with "marital separation."
In the court document, Lykkebak also indicates that Nowak may suffer from Asperger's Disorder.
"This notice does not challenge competence to stand trial, but only raises insanity at the time of the offense," he wrote.
Nowak, 44, was charged with attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault after allegedly driving nearly 1,000 miles from Houston to Orlando to confront Colleen Shipman, the girlfriend of a former space shuttle pilot Nowak had been involved with.
Nowak, who was dismissed from the astronaut corps a month after her arrest, has pleaded not guilty. Her trial is set for September.
Lykkebak wrote that two Texas psychiatrists would testify that Nowak was legally insane at the time of the alleged attack.
Circuit Court Judge Marc L. Lubet unsealed the notice of intent to rely on the insanity defense on Tuesday. Florida law requires such a notice before trial to let prosecutors prepare.
Danielle Tavernier, a spokeswoman for the state attorney's office, said prosecutors would address the issue in court and declined further comment.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Asp. is on the autism spectrum and is in fact a high functing form of autism which would affect her more socially than anything.
Poor reporting - try google to get some background info before dropping names of conditions around
But, if she wants to plead insanity, why not throw her in an asylum and be done with the entire subject?
InMo: If they can''t take the time to edit out repeated words, what makes you think they take the time to do research?
Lisa Nowak has nothing to lose by pleading insainty. The facts may not be in dispute at the time of her trial.
I suspect that there will be a plea bargin on the eve of the trial and she will serve little time. The big question is what happens to her Naval pension.
Lisa Nowak will retain her pension, go on total disability. Her pension will continue to add up based on her current salary. Her disability benefits should aproximate 60% of her current salary. If the plan is decent, there will be some sort of indexing for inflation, both of the disability benefits and the pension accumulation.
If she''s unlucky, it might be possible that her whole program could be forfeited. Give her a break. It was probably the first time in her life she was possessed by lust.
IMNHO, she will have no pension. She''s violated the UCMJ and will lose rank and be discharged with dishonor. Good riddance.
Actually, NASA fights Bush whenever they can. They''re pretty middle of the road, science nerds. They cringe when buttfu...I mean President Bush claims space for America G . Personally, I think more than a few would select him to be the first Mars astronaut...Let him f-up another planet for a while. We''re all booked up with our own f-ups.
For example it says "Asperger syndrome is characterized by poor social interactions, obsessions, odd speech patterns, and other peculiar mannerisms. Other characteristics of AS include motor delays, clumsiness, limited interests, and peculiar preoccupations.
I would think she couldn''t function as an astronaut with moter delays or clumsiness!
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/brain/asperger.html
For once, I agree with the plea. There is something wrong with her mentally, that led to some seriously bad decision-making, like letting it get out about wearing Astro-Luvs.
They have to be ''taught'' how to be social. They have to be taught how to have simple, polite conversations with people and respect personal space and boundaries. They think and communicate in concrete terms. They call it as they see it. (at times I wonder if the ''rest of us'' aren''t the ones with the problem. We''ve become too sensitive to the quirks and idiocracies in others. Everyone has to come from the same cookie cutter....or so it seems.) These people may or may not be aware that they are being shunned...and most of the time couldn''t care less. In many cases, simply telling them they have been rude or abrupt is shocking to them. They don''t intend to injure or hurt feelings, they just see things as they see them. Idioms and colorful uses of language will stump them.
She needs medical intervention, but she also needs to deal with the conseqences of her behavior. If she was suffering from all those disorders, someone dropped the ball on her treatment long before she flipped all the way out.
LOL!!!
"Nowak suffered from major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, insomnia and "brief psychotic disorder with marked stressors,"
Yeah yeah yeah, we heard that line of BS too many times already- depression, insomnia etc do not make people drive cross-country with a kidnap plan, diapers, weapons etc. This is one nut case who needs to be locked up.
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!
it will be very difficult to proove that when she was intelligent enough to be in the space program. She would come better saying that the radiation from the sun and the space time continiuum affected her as she was flying obliquous with the ozone layer as entering the atmosphere during the burning stage.... duahhhhhh. Or she can get MIss Caroline to defend her.
who the heck were we sending to space? are nasa''s doctors doing their physicals?
next - britney spears, lindsay lohan, paris hilton, and bragelina in space. Or a g*ay nazi like Keith Olbermann??? lol.
And what have the losers posting on this board have accomplished? Bunche of whinners!
Are they whiners or winners?
Maybe they''re wieners.
If they''re Australian, they could be whingers.
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by azmka
August 29, 2007 6:12 PM PDT
- RingADing3:
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Reply to this comment
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See all 30 CommentsYou had the honor of voting for Bush twice.
I on the other hand made a regretful dishonorable choice and voted for that freedom hating, money loving, domestic spy twice myself.
At least I''ve learned, you have not. As well I know how to spell, you do not. bunche whinners? Waht the **** is that?