Former NASA astronaut walks free after serving prison sentence for manslaughter
A former NASA astronaut has been released from prison after serving time for manslaughter.
Turns out, NASA astronauts have made news for more than just their missions.
Some interns have done some questionable things like stealing rocks from the moon for wildly inappropriate reasons.
Others have experienced dramatic ordeals like being stuck aboard the International Space Station for nearly a year.
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But this story goes far more sinister.
James 'Jim' Halsell Jr. was a respected five-time shuttle NASA astronaut and was once celebrated for his achievements in space.
The 68-year-old was a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and earned multiple master of science degrees in engineering, management and space operations.
In 1991, Halsell officially became an astronaut and logged over 1,250 hours in space.
But in June 2016, his legacy took a tragic turn.
While driving a rental car in the middle of the night near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Halsell rear-ended another vehicle, causing it to flip multiple times.
The collision injured two and killed two sisters, 13-year-old Jayla Parler and 11-year-old Naomi James. The girls were from Houston, TX and were visiting their father in Bibb County, according to sources.
The wreck happened on Highway 82 and caused the victims' car to cross a median and flip twice.
One sister died at the scene, the other at the hospital.
Originally charged with reckless murder, Halsell pleaded guilty in 2021 to 'two counts of manslaughter and two counts of first-degree assault,' as per The New York Times.
During a search after the accident, state troopers found an empty bottle of wine and an empty package of sleeping pills in Halsell’s hotel room.
Court documents also revealed that Halsell admitted to drinking three glasses of wine before getting behind the wheel.
At the time, Halsell was already on probation for a DUI conviction in Los Angeles. In court, Halsell's lawyer said he expressed deep remorse and accepted responsibility for the crash. Halsell was sentenced to four years in prison and 10 years probation.
On Monday, nearly four years to the day he walked in, the retired Air Force officer walked out of the Alabama Department of Corrections-North Alabama Community Based Facility in Decatur with his belongings.
Under the terms of his sentence, Halsell will now serve 10 years on probation.
Many of the victims' families felt the sentence was too lenient as Pernell James, the girls' father, said the sentence should've been to 'the max.'
“They didn’t even get a chance to live,” James said. “They had a chance to be anything they wanted, and it got taken away.”