Court Papers List Several Mental Health Disorders

Former National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut and Navy Captain Lisa Nowak and her legal defense team have filed notice with the court a temporary insanity defense could be presented, when her trial begins in September on charges of attempted kidnapping to intent to inflict bodily harm, with burglary with a weapon and battery. 

As ANN reported, Nowak was arrested in Orlando, FL in February on charges of attempted kidnapping, attempted vehicle burglary with battery, destruction of evidence and battery.

Nowak, a married mother of three, allegedly drove 900 miles from Houston to Orlando to confront Colleen Shipman whom she believed a rival for the affections of fellow astronaut Navy Commander William Oefelein. Nowak and Oefelein trained together as first-time shuttle fliers last year, but flew separate missions.

Both have been dismissed from NASA.

The sealed notice was filed in the Orange County Circuit Court Monday and unsealed Tuesday, according to CNN.

The notice listed several metal health diagnoses in support of the defense strategy including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, insomnia and a brief psychotic disorder. She is said to have lost 15 percent of her body weight just before her arrest from suffering from these disorders.

Compounding these disorders, court papers say, was family and marital problems, lack of support and problems forming relationships.

Nowak has said she only wanted to scare Shipman and denied any intent to harm her.

"The past six months have been very difficult for me, my family and others close to me," Nowak said last week.

"I know that it also must have been very hard for Colleen Shipman, and I would like her to know how very sorry I am about having frightened her in any way and about the subsequent public harassment that has besieged all of us," she said.

Dr. Richard Pesikoff and Dr. George S. Leventon, two psychiatrists from Texas, are scheduled to testify for the defense according to court papers.

If convicted, Nowak faces a potential sentence of life in prison.

Last July she flew aboard the Discovery on STS-114, NASA's second return-to-flight mission following the loss of the shuttle Columbia. Nowak was responsible for operating the remote arm as the crew performed several EVAs to complete assembly and maintenance work on the ISS.

FMI: www.navy.mil, www.occourts.org, www.nasa.gov