FILE -In this Thursday, April 6, 2000 file photo, Space shuttle Atlantis mission commander James Halsell Jr. speaks to reporters at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla, about a problem with... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE -In this Thursday, April 6, 2000 file photo, Space shuttle Atlantis mission commander James Halsell Jr. speaks to reporters at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla, about a problem with... (Associated Press) 
 
 TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — The Latest on the arrest of a former NASA astronaut following a wreck that killed two people (all times local): 
 
 11:30 a.m. 
 
 Two people injured in a wreck in which a former astronaut is charged with murder remain hospitalized in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 
 
 A spokesman at DCH Regional Medical Center, Brad Fisher, says 37-year-old Pernell James is listed in good condition and will be discharged from the hospital on Tuesday. 
 
 A woman who was injured in the wreck is in worse shape. Fisher says 25-year-old Shontel Latriva Cutts is listed in fair condition. 
 
 The two Brent residents were hurt in a wreck that killed 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrick Parler early Monday. The relationship between the four isn't clear. 
 
 Former astronaut James Halsell Jr. of Huntsville is free on bond after being charged with murder in the crash. Halsell flew on the space shuttle during five missions and helped lead NASA's return to flight program after the shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. 
 
 10:10 a.m. 
 
 A former astronaut is free on bond after being charged with murder in a wreck that killed two girls in Alabama. 
 
 A spokesman for the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office, Lt. Andy Norris, says 59-year-old James Halsell Jr. of Huntsville is free on $150,000 bond. 
 
 Norris says Halsell was released about 6:30 p.m. Monday, nearly 16 hours after the crash that killed 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrick Parler of Brent earlier that day. 
 
 State troopers say the children died in a two-car crash, and a preliminary investigation indicates alcohol and speed may have been factors. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:12 a.m. 
 
 A former astronaut who flew five missions and helped lead NASA back into space after the space shuttle Columbia disaster is charged with murder after an early morning wreck that killed two girls in Alabama, state troopers said. 
 
 James Halsell Jr., 59, of Huntsville was arrested after a crash killed 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrick Parler of Brent early Monday, said a statement from Reginal King, a spokesman for Alabama state troopers. 
 
 Troopers said a Chrysler 300 driven by Halsell collided with a Ford Fiesta in which the girls were passengers. Both victims were ejected from the vehicle and died. 
 
 Two adults who were in the car suffered injuries and were hospitalized. 
 
 A preliminary investigation indicated alcohol and speed may have been factors in the crash, said the statement by King. The wreck happened at 2:50 a.m. on U.S. 82, a rural highway east of Tuscaloosa. 
 
 Court records weren't available Tuesday to show whether Halsell, a retired Air Force colonel, has a lawyer. A message left at a home telephone number wasn't immediately returned. 
 
 An online biography by NASA said Halsell went to work in the aerospace industry in 2006 after a career that included five shuttle flights starting in July 1994. 
 
 Selected as an astronaut in 1990, Halsell spent more than 1,250 hours in space. The Louisiana native and one-time test pilot commanded three shuttle flights and served as pilot on two others, according to the space agency. 
 
 Halsell led NASA's return-to-flight planning team for the space shuttle after Columbia disintegrated during re-entry in 2003. 
 
 Following his retirement from NASA a decade ago, Halsell worked for ATK Launch Systems, Utah, according to his NASA biography. ||||| Two sisters were killed early today, and their parents injured, in what authorities said appears to possibly be a DUI-related crash. 
 
 Alabama State Troopers identified the fatality victims as Niomi Deona James, 11, and Jayla Latrice Parler, 13. The driver of the vehicle that struck them has been charged with murder. 
 
 The accident happened at 2:50 a.m. on U.S. 82 near the 65 mile marker, 10 miles east of Tuscaloosa, said Senior Trooper Reginal King. 
 
 Niomi and Jayla, both of Brent, were passengers in a 2015 Ford Fiesta. The Fiesta was struck by a 2015 Chrysler 300 driven by 59-year-old James Halsell Jr. of Huntsville. 
 
 UPDATE: Retired NASA astronaut charged with murder in DUI crash that killed 2 young sisters 
 
 King said neither of the girls were wearing seatbelts and were thrown from the vehicle. Niomi was pronounced dead on the scene. Jayla was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center where she was also pronounced dead. 
 
 The driver of the Ford, 37-year-old Pernell Deon James and another passenger, 25-year-old Shontel Latriva Cutts, were also taken to the hospital for their injuries. Authorities said James was the father of both girls, who were half sisters. 
 
 King said Halsell was arrested and charged with murder after the preliminary investigation showed that alcohol and speed may have been factors in the crash. King said Halsell is in the Tuscaloosa County Jail. 
 
 The investigation is ongoing, and more information will be released as it becomes available. ||||| Jeffrey Morris Brasher was heading in to work. Austin, his son, was headed home after a night of partying with friends. At 4:10 a.m. on Saturday morning, the trucks they were driving collided head-on. 
 
 Jeffrey, a 50-year-old independent bread distributor, was killed instantly, police said. Austin, 22, was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he fought for his life for nearly five hours before succumbing to his injuries. 
 
 According to relatives and friends of the Brashers, Saturday’s accident has left the tight-knit communities of Fayette and Bankston, Alabama, reeling. Signs have been hung throughout the area, asking passersby to pray for the Brashers as they recover from an unimaginable loss. 
 
 “You really just cannot imagine it,” Pamela Brasher Dennis, Jeff’s sister and Austin’s aunt, tells PEOPLE. “There are no words that can be said. Everybody’s life changed on Saturday morning. No one’s life will be the same after this.” 
 
 Investigators in Alabama say alcohol played a considerable role in Saturday’s horrific head-on crash. But relatives tell PEOPLE Jeff was not a drinker. 
 
 • Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. 
 
 “Austin did drink and was coming home from partying when they crashed,” says Monica Marie Aker, one of Austin’s cousins. “To know that they collided head-on is one of the hardest things to comprehend. Our whole community is just devastated by this.” 
 
 Aker tells PEOPLE that Saturday’s fatal crash caps what has been a tumultuous year for the family. She says that Austin’s mother, Pamela, has been battling cancer and that his sister, Jennifer, only just recovered from a recent car accident she had been involved in. 
 
 “It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” Aker says. “It is hard to know they are gone … thousands of people loved them.” 
 
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 Dennis says that a joint funeral is planned for this Wednesday afternoon. Wakes for the father and son will be held Tuesday evening, with large crowds expected for both. 
 
 “We are just so blessed,” Dennis starts. “Yes, we are struggling but we have been covered in prayer. People from all over the country have been reaching out to express their support. It has really helped us as we try to make sense out of the senseless.” 
 
 A Loving Dad, a Popular Son 
 
 Dennis tells PEOPLE Jeffrey and Austin were “very close.” The two could often be seen together on the local golf course, trying to improve their handicaps. Jeff, she says, was known throughout the community for his volunteerism, serving as the public address announcer for the local middle school’s football games. 
 
 “He loved being a husband and father,” Dennis says. “We need to hold on tight to our faith. We love Austin and Jeff and our family will never be the same. We want everyone to hug and spend time with their families. Love your family every day. Don’t let anything go unsaid. You never know what tomorrow will bring.” 
 
 Aker described Jeff as “the kind of guy who, if you needed something, you’d go to him because he would help. He wanted to make you smile and his kids were his number one priority.” 
 
 Austin, according to Aker, was known as “the life of the party.” 
 
 “In high school, he was quiet, but everyone knew who he was,” Aker says. “He was the little guy driving the big truck. He was very well-liked and could really get along with anybody.” 
 
 Aker says that part of her is relieved her cousin didn’t survive Saturday’s accident. 
 
 “My worst fear was that Austin would make it through and then kill himself because he wouldn’t have been able to deal with killing his father,” she explains. “It would have destroyed him.” ||||| An Ohio mother and her 21-month-old daughter are dead after they were run over by a teen allegedly racing another car in Florida. 
 
 Jessica Raubenolt, 24, was pushing her daughter Lillia in a stroller across the street on Wednesday when a Ford Mustang slammed into them, according to police. 
 
 Mother and daughter were rushed to Tampa General Hospital, where Jessica was pronounced dead. Lillia was put on life support but late Thursday she passed away. 
 
 The driver of the 2018 Mustang was 18-year-old Cameron Herrin, the Tampa Police Department said in a press release Wednesday. 
 
 Herrin’s older brother, Tristan, 20, was a passenger in the vehicle. A gold Nissan driven by 17-year-old was seen racing alongside them, according to the department. 
 
 “Witnesses said that at times the cars were side by side, and at other times they switched places and switched lanes,” the police said. 
 
 Jessica Raubenolt holding her daughter Lillia 
 
 Raubenolt was crossing legally at the intersection, police told The Tampa Bay Times. 
 
 Raunbenolt, who lived in Ohio, was in Tampa visiting her uncle as her husband, David Raubenolt, was waiting to obtain his certification as a single-engine airplane pilot, according to the newspaper. 
 
 They were staying with her uncle, John Reisinger, who spoke to the Times before Lillia’s death about the three men involved and expressed words of forgiveness. 
 
 “We’re praying for those young boys and their families,” Reisinger said. “We hope something good will come of this foolish accident. That’s what Jessie would want.” 
 
 Cameron and Tristan Herrin Tampa Police Department (3) 
 
 The two drivers, Herrin and the 17-year-old were charged with street racing, vehicular homicide, and reckless driving resulting in serious bodily injury, police said in their release. On Thursday, following the announcement of Lillia’s passing, Tampa police tweeted the charges against them “will be enhanced” as her death will be taken into account. 
 
 • Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. 
 
 Both were let out of jail on bail after they posted $10,000 each, according to the Times. 
 
 Herrin’s brother Tristan, the passenger, is facing one misdemeanor count of racing. He was released from jail the same day of the incident after posting $500. 
 
 There is no attorney listed for any of them, according to the Associated Press.
– A retired NASA astronaut who flew on five space shuttle missions has been charged with murder after an early-morning car crash in Alabama took the lives of two young half-sisters, per AL.com. A 2015 Chrysler allegedly being driven by James Halsell Jr., 59, smashed into a Ford Fiesta at around 2:50am Monday just east of Tuscaloosa; 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrice Parler, neither of whom was wearing a seatbelt, were ejected from the vehicle, police say. Niomi died at the scene of the accident, while Jayla died later at a local hospital. The driver of the Fiesta, 37-year-old Pernell Deon James (officials say he's the girls' dad), and another passenger, 25-year-old Shontel Latriva Cutts, were also injured in the wreck. The AP notes that James was said to be in good condition and ready for release Tuesday from a Tuscaloosa hospital, while Cutts remains in fair condition. Meanwhile, state troopers say an initial examination of the crash suggests speed and alcohol may have both been factors. Halsell has been charged with murder, and a spokesman for the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office says he was released on $150,000 bond Monday evening. Per his NASA bio page, Halsell's stint with NASA started in 1990 and notched him more than 1,250 hours in space, including as the pilot on two space shuttle trips and commander on three others. After the 2003 Columbia disaster that killed all seven crew members, Halsell was the leader of the space shuttle program's "return-to-flight" planning initiative. He retired from the space agency in 2006.