What's Next for Lisa Nowak?

Sept. 5, 2007 — -- Lisa Nowak has apologized, had her ankle bracelet removed and let her attorney tell the court she was temporarily insane the night her romantic rival Colleen Shipman was attacked in the parking lot of an Orlando airport. Is a plea bargain next?

Legal analysts around the country were stunned when Nowak stood in front of microphones outside a courtroom in Orlando last month and apologized to Shipman. Or did she apologize?

"The past six months have been very difficult for me, my family and others close to me. I know that it must have been very hard for Colleen Shipman, and I would like her to know how very sorry I am about having frightened her in any way and the subsequent public harassment that has besieged all of us," Nowak said.

Was that an apology or an admission of guilt?

Shipman's attorney, Kepler Funk, has doubt.

"Sounds like an admission to me," Funk said after the staged media event ended outside the courtroom.

Lawyer Chris Tritico, who has defended many high-profile clients, including convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, said Nowak might have had an ulterior motive for making that statement.

"I thought the apology was just a setup for a plea bargain," he said. "I would bet they are engaged in active negotiations now, and the defense is trying to cut off the argument the prosecution will make at sentencing that you never apologized, and use that to get a lesser sentence."

But a plea deal could be risky. Nowak is accused of attempted kidnapping and attempted burglary with assault, punishable by life in prison.

Tritico thinks Nowak's attorney, Don Lykkebak, has a good shot at taking his chances with a jury, rather than agreeing to a plea bargain that would stipulate jail time for Nowak.

"She has no prior record. I wouldn't agree to anything. I can't imagine a jury putting this woman in jail, even if they find her guilty," Tritico said

Lykkebak filed documents with Florida's Orange County Court stating his intent to pursue a mental health defense on Nowak's behalf.

'"Even the most naive observer should recognize that Lisa Nowak's behavior on Feb. 5 was uncharacteristic and unpredicted for such an accomplished person with no criminal record or history of violence," Lykkebak told ABC News. "We look forward to completing the hearing on our pending motions that Lisa Nowak's constitutional rights were abused during interrogation and the search of her vehicle."