DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 16 (UPI) -- A judge halted court proceedings in the case of former astronaut Lisa Nowak pending the decision of an appeals court in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The judge signed a ruling Tuesday ordering Nowak's trial to be postponed until the Fifth District Court of Appeals decides whether to uphold a lower court's order that Nowak's statements to police and evidence retrieved from her car cannot be used in the trial, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Wednesday.
Prosecutors are attempting to overturn Orange Circuit Court Judge Marc Lubet's November court order that Nowak's statements to an Orlando police detective after her arrest in February 2007 are inadmissible because the detective failed to inform the former astronaut of her constitutional rights. The judge also ruled that the detective didn't properly obtain permission to search the suspect's car, which was parked at a motel near Orlando International Airport.
Nowak is accused of driving from Houston to Orlando to attack Colleen Shipman, a woman she considered a rival for the affections of fellow astronaut Bill Oefelein. She is charged with attempted kidnapping and burglary with assault and battery, WESH-TV, Orlando, reported.
