Alabama judge will allow jurors to hear how police found empty wine bottle in motel room of former NASA astronaut facing trial over crash that killed two sisters aged 11 and 13
A judge has ruled Alabama prosecutors can use evidence collected by police after a former NASA astronaut crashed into another car while driving on a rural road more than four years ago, killing two girls.
Jurors can hear that one-time space shuttle pilot James Halsell told police about drinking wine at a motel hours before the crash in June 2016, and prosecutors can use evidence found in the room during a search, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Allen W. May Jr. wrote in an order.
Halsell, of Huntsville, was arrested after a car crash killed two sisters, 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and Jayla Latrick Parler, 13, near Tuscaloosa. The girls´ father, who was driving a car that was rear-ended by one driven by Halsell, and a female passenger were injured.
The district attorney's office had previously told how an empty 750 millilitre wine bottle was found in his motel room along with a wrapper, corkscrew, wine cup and empty pack of sleeping medication, The Tuscaloosa News reports.
Prosecutors can not use anything from an earlier glimpse of the motel room by state trooper who briefly opened the door and looked inside, the judge said.
Charged with reckless murder, Halsell was set to go on trial this year before the coronavirus pandemic erupted.
No trial date is currently set, but Judge May ruled August 31 on an attempt by the defense to exclude some evidence against Halsell, 63.
James Halsell, of Huntsville, was arrested after a car crash killed two sisters, 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrick Parler, near Tuscaloosa
The girls' father, who was driving a car that was rear-ended by one driven by Halsell
Authorities contend Halsell was under the influence of alcohol, but the defense has blamed the wreck on sleeping medication.
Halsell, who is free on bond, flew five shuttle missions before retiring from NASA in 2006. He went to work in the aerospace industry after leaving the agency.
The crash happened about 2.50am on June 6, 2016, on a highway that Halsell mistook for Interstate 20/59, authorities have said.
Atlantis mission commander James Halsell Jr., left, speaks to reporters at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral in 2000. A Tuscaloosa County judge ruled Alabama prosecutors can use evidence collected by police after the former NASA astronaut crashed into another car while driving on a rural road more than four years ago, killing two girls, right
In this June 7, 2016, file photo, cars pass charred ground, remnants at the scene of a fatal traffic accident involving former NASA astronaut James Halsell Jr., in rural Tuscaloosa County
Documents show Halsell told authorities he had been driving to Louisiana to pick up his son.
Troopers said at the time that a Chrysler 300 driven by Halsell collided with a Ford Fiesta in which the girls were riding.
The girls, who were not wearing seat-belts, were thrown from the vehicle. Niomi was pronounced dead at the scene and Jayla later died at a local hospital.
The girls' father told investigators he was driving about 65 mph on U.S. 82 when a car traveling 'at a very high rate of speed' struck his Ford Fiesta from the rear, crushing the Ford and sending it tumbling across the road, court documents state.
An online biography by NASA said Halsell's career with the space agency included five shuttle flights starting in 1994. He spent more than 1,250 hours in space, serving as commander on three shuttle missions and pilot on two others.
After the space shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003, Halsell helped lead NASA's return-to-flight effort. He retired in 2006 and worked for at least two aerospace companies afterward, including ATK Launch Systems, Utah, according to his NASA biography.
In November Halsell's lawyer said he was having an adverse reaction to the medication Ambien when he crashed.
Space shuttle Columbia crew members depart their crew quarters for the launching pad. Commander James Halsell is front right
