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James Halsell, Jr. May Lose License Pending Trial

James Halsell

A former astronaut accused of killing two young sisters in a DUI crash this summer is fighting for the right to drive while he awaits trial.

State attorneys had initially agreed in September to let James Halsell Jr. keep his Alabama driver’s license while the case is pending. But they changed their position after learning Halsell had been on probation for causing a drunken driving crash in Palmdale, California, in April 2014.

During a court hearing yesterday, state attorneys argued those two crashes show Halsell is a threat to public safety.

The Huntsville man is awaiting trial on reckless murder charges after a wreck in June killed 11-year-old Niomi James and 13-year-old Jayla Parle about 10 miles east of Tuscaloosa.

Halsell's attorneys say their client has remained sober since the crash.

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