Court of Revenge

The trial of Lisa Novak has begun

At the end of last week, the trial of perhaps the most famous female astronaut at the moment, Lisa Novak, began. True, it was not her merits in space exploration that brought her fame, but her eccentric act: a jealous woman traveled 1,600 kilometers in a car in order to “sort out” NASA engineer Colleen Shipman, her rival in the fight for the heart of another astronaut, Bill Oefelein.

The details of the incident are so cinematic that, apparently, Hollywood will not handle the matter. Police detained Novak in February in an Orlando airport parking lot, hammer in hand, trying to open the door of a car in which Shipman had locked herself. According to the investigation, Novak, having learned about the correspondence between her lover and Shipman, wanted to personally sort things out with her. To do this, she traveled 1,600 kilometers by car from Houston to Orlando. According to local media reports, Novak, who did not want to be recognized, put on a wig and dark glasses, and in order to get to her opponent faster, she even covered the entire distance in a diaper. Having reached her “destination,” she ambushed Shipman in the parking lot and sprayed her in the face with a gas canister, and when she tried to hide in the car, she took out a hammer and began hitting the car. The police, who detained the angry woman, found a rich arsenal in her car: an air pistol, a steel mallet, rubber gloves, a knife, part of a rubber hose and large garbage bags.

Lisa Novak was charged with attempted kidnapping and robbery with a weapon. However, after her arrest, she was released on bail of $25,000 on the condition that she not approach Shipman. Lawyer Novak stated in court that the evidence on which the accusation was based was obtained illegally and asked to be removed from the case file.

According to police, items found in the car indicate that Novak was going to kidnap her rival and cause her serious harm. “There was intent to cause serious injury or death,” RIA Novosti reports the words of police spokesman Barb Jones. However, according to the lawyer of the ex-astronaut, who was fired from NASA after a loud scandal, Donald Lykkebak, the search of her car was carried out illegally, so the protocol should be removed from the case file. Defense lawyer Novak also stated that his client’s testimony, on which the prosecution is based, was obtained illegally. According to him, Novak was not read her constitutional rights, was not allowed to sleep, was not allowed to make phone calls, and was interrogated without a lawyer, despite the fact that she three times expressed a desire to call one. However, Detective William Becton, who interrogated Novak, denied her defense attorney's claims in court. In addition, Becton himself even complained that he could not properly interrogate the detainee: she, according to him, constantly confused him. “I understood that I was dealing with a person smarter and more educated than me. It was very difficult for me to get any information from her,” RIA Novosti quotes the detective as saying.

In court, Novak complained about the bracelet she had to wear on her ankle to remain visible to police. She claims that the bracelet makes it inconvenient for her to exercise, which is necessary to stay in good shape as she continues to serve in the US Navy, and also complains that she spends too much because of the bracelet, which requires changing the batteries every 12 --15 hours, --$105 every week. Apparently, that’s why Novak decided to apologize to her rival. “I know it was very difficult for Colleen Shipman and I would like her to know how much I regret that I may have frightened her in any way and the public bullying that we all later suffered,” - she said. However, according to CNN, Shipman asked the court not to remove Novak's bracelet because she is "still afraid."

Kirill MELNIKOV