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ORLANDO, Florida - Former Nasa astronaut Lisa Nowak will claim she was insane when she stalked and attacked a romantic rival during the unraveling of a love triangle with a fellow ex-astronaut, her lawyer said in court papers released on Tuesday.
Nowak claims she is competent to stand trial but that she was suffering from mental disorders when she allegedly armed herself with a knife, pepper spray, a wig and trench coat and raced from Houston to Orlando, Florida to meet Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman's plane at the airport, the papers said.
Police have said she told them she wore diapers in her car so she wouldn't have to make as many stops along the way.
Nowak is scheduled to stand trial on September 24 on charges of attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary. Both Shipman and Nowak had been dating then-astronaut Bill Oefelein.
Following the alleged attack, Nasa fired Oefelein and Nowak. Both had flown on the space shuttle.
Nowak alleges she suffered from psychiatric problems including obsessive compulsive disorder, a partner relational problem, a major depressive disorder leading to weight loss equaling 15 per cent of her body mass and a brief psychiatric disorder which produced a mixed manic and depressive-like state.
The notice also claims she had problems with her primary support group including marital separation, an inability to confide in her family and problems with her social environment, including an inadequate social support system and an inability to confide in social contacts.
Judge Marc Lubet had granted Nowak's lawyer extra time to enter an insanity defence. According to the court papers, the psychiatric reports were placed under seal at the judge's order.
Nowak publicly apologized to Shipman last week and said she had been "shocked and overwhelmed" at the media coverage of the case.
- REUTERS
