Wednesday, February 07, 2007

The Wrong Stuff

From Military.com:

ORLANDO, Florida - An American astronaut accused of trying to kidnap a romantic rival for a space shuttle pilot's affections will remain in jail because authorities planned to charge her with attempted first-degree murder.

Orange County jail spokesman Allen Moore said Orlando police were in the process of adding the more serious charge that Navy Capt. Lisa Marie Nowak, 43, tried to kill Colleen Shipman, who she believed was romantically involved with fellow astronaut, Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein.

[snip]

Nowak drove 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) from her home in Houston to Orlando International Airport, donned a disguise and was armed with a BB gun and pepper spray when she confronted Shipman, police said. During the drive, she wore diapers - as astronauts do during launch and re-entry - so she would not have to stop to go to the bathroom.

[snip]

Nowak raced from Houston to Orlando. Dressed in a wig and a trench coat, she waited for Shipman's plane to land and then boarded the same airport shuttle bus Shipman took to get to her car, police said. Shipman told police she noticed someone following her, hurried inside the car and locked the doors, according to the arrest affidavit.

Nowak rapped on the window, tried to open the car door and asked for a ride. Shipman refused but rolled down the car window a few inches when Nowak started crying. Nowak then sprayed a chemical into Shipman's car, the affidavit said. Shipman drove to the parking lot booth and police were called.

An officer reported following Nowak and watching her throw away a bag containing the wig and BB gun. Police also found a steel mallet, a 4-inch (10-centimeter) folding knife, rubber tubing, $600 and garbage bags inside a bag Nowak was carrying when she was arrested, authorities said.

I love this story. OMG, this woman is CRAZY! This is an educated woman and she's reduced herself to a Jerry Springer Show trailer park stereotype. Unbelieveable.

What was she going to do with the rubber tubing and garbage bags? Suck out the other woman's blood? Gas her? Creepy.

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5 comments:

Luke Cage said...

LMAO!!! This was some funny shit! Dude must have put it down on her something fierce!

A Army Of (Cl)One said...

can't decide if this was sad or funny.
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Ummm Funny. I liked the diper part the best. Poor women.

Jardena said...

I can think of things she could have done with rubber tubing, but it would have required things she didn't have in the car. I agree, this lady has serious mental health issues. It is funny, but it's mainly sad. It's too bad her friends and family didn't try to get her help. Though it's entirely possible that getting mental health help will end your space carrer. I hope they figure out that she's nuts, get her some therapy and meds, then help her figure out her life.

Michelle Pessoa said...

The thing that's not funny about this case is it can be used against other women down the road. I'm sure somebody somewhere is going to say that she wasn't properly screened because she's a woman and they want women in the program.

Jardena said...

You're probably right, they'll decide that women are too delicate to take the stress. Maybe, if we're handing out unfair policies, we should only allowed married people, very happily and secure married people. Or maybe people who are sworn to be completely single. Didn't help her at all that there was a single man, who, in his 40's, was probably a bit of a playboy and probably didn't mind encouraging the interest of an attractive co-worker. A lot of people failed here, not just Nowak. Her friends, her family, her co-workers.

I know the cases aren't really similar, but it reminds me of the Andrea Yates case. Telling a mentally ill woman to suck it up and deal with it has never been a very successful policy.