Space shuttle commander indicted for traffic deaths

A retired NASA astronaut James Donald Halsell, Jr., 59, of Huntsville, Alabama, charged with 2 counts of Murder by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA, Formerly Alabama State Troopers Office) is shown in this photo released by Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office on June 7, 2016. (Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office/Reuters)

Mission Commander James Halsell (center right) waves as he leads the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis to the launch pad May 19. Left to right behind Halsell are Pilot Scott Horowitz, Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Vladimirovich Usachev, Jeffery Williams and James Voss. The crew is expected to spend ten days in space on a mission to the International Space Station. Not shown are Mary Ellen Weber and Susan Helms. JLS/WS - RTR4EVX

STS-101 Commander James Halsell (L) and STS-98 Commander Ken Cockrell (R) pause for a photo while looking over the recently installed MEDS in Atlantis' cockpit at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States in April 1999. Courtesy NASA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY - RTSGGEA

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The ASSOCIATED PRESS

September 1, 2016 - 6:43 am

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A grand jury in Alabama has indicted a former space shuttle commander in the traffic deaths of two girls earlier this year.

A prosecutor said Thursday that a grand jury in Tuscaloosa indicted James Halsell of Huntsville on charges of reckless murder and assault.

The former NASA astronaut turns 60 on Friday.

Halsell was arrested in June after a wreck killed 11-year-old Niomi James and 13-year-old Jayla Parler. Police reports show investigators believe alcohol and speed could be factors.

The girls’ relatives filed lawsuits blaming the former astronaut for the deaths. Halsell’s attorneys have filed a document saying the driver of the other car failed to yield and contributed to the wreck.

Halsell flew on five space shuttle flights before going to work in the aerospace industry in 2006.

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