Former Astronaut Pleads Guilty in Traffic Deaths of 2 Girls

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) – A former NASA space shuttle commander indicted on reckless murder charges in the traffic deaths of two girls in Alabama has pleaded guilty to reduced charges nearly five years after the crash. One-time astronaut James Halsell Jr. of Huntsville pleaded guilty to two manslaughter and two assault charges during a hearing Thursday. Relatives of the victims wore shirts with images of 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrick Parler. The girls were killed when a car driven by Halsell slammed into one driven by their father in rural Tuscaloosa County. A prosecutor says Halsell will spend four years in prison without early release followed by 10 years on probation.

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