As more information emerges about astronaut Lisa Nowak it seems to me that her counsel will be advising her to plead temporary insanity to the charges of kidnapping and attempted murder of Colleen Shipman.
Nowak's history speaks volumes. A US Navy Captain (colonel) who qualified for and was then selected to crew a shuttle launch. A 43-year old married mother of three. She drove 1,000 miles, say 12-hours, sitting on a diaper so she wouldn't have to stop to pee, to confront the woman she considered a rival for another astronaut. An obsession with a naval Commander with whom she had no romantic connection.
Nowak is how you define "over achiever." She's probably been wound up like a clock for a while and it sure sounds like she went over the edge. The question, however, is whether she was criminally liable for her acts. For criminal law questions, insanity is a defence but only a narrow type of insanity. Acting irrationally isn't enough.
However this turns out it's a Greek tragedy in one act.
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