Police Conclude Girlfriend Murdered McNair
By LYNN ZINSER
Published: July 8, 2009
NYT
Nashville police said Wednesday they have concluded that former N.F.L. quarterback Steve McNair was murdered last Saturday by his girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, who then used the same gun to kill herself.
Police chief Ronal Serpas said at a news conference that he believed McNair was asleep on the sofa at his condominium when Kazemi fired four shots, two to his head and two to his chest. He said she then sat down next to him and killed herself with a single shot to the head. Serpas said the conclusion was based on evidence at the crime scene and forensic tests that showed all five bullets came from Kazemi’s gun and showed gunpowder residue on her hands.
Serpas said associates of Kazemi’s told investigators she was distraught in the days before her death. Kazemi apparently believed McNair was having a relationship with another woman and told a co-worker at Dave & Buster’s restaurant Friday night that she was considering suicide.
“She told friends her life was so messed up that she was going to end it all,” Serpas said.
McNair, 36, is survived by his wife Mechelle, who has not commented on McNair’s killing, and four sons. He played 12 seasons in the N.F.L. and remained an icon in Nashville, having arrived when the Titans franchise moved there from Houston in 1997. The Titans opened LP Field for two days for fans to pay tribute to McNair.
Since the shootings early Saturday morning — which the police believe happened between 1 and 1:45 a.m. — police have slowly painted the picture of an affair between McNair and Kazemi that turned toward tragedy.
Kazemi, a 20-year-old Iranian immigrant, began dating McNair about six months ago after they met at the restaurant where she works. They had vacationed together and on Thursday, McNair was in the car he had bought for Kazemi when she was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
It was after McNair posted her bail that she bought a handgun from an acquaintance.
“She believed her relationship with Mr. McNair was unraveling,” Serpas said. “There is evidence she was spinning out of control.”
Serpas said Kazemi’s friends said she had apparently seen another woman recently leaving the condo McNair leased with a friend and followed her. She also had financial problems, including a roommate who was going to move out and leave her with a bigger rent payment.
McNair had returned to his condo early Saturday morning, where he was killed. His friend Wayne Neely discovered the bodies and called another friend, Robert Gaddy, who then called 911. Serpas said Neely’s reaction and the 45-minute delay in reporting the murder were “not unheard of” because people panic in such situations. The police questioned Neely but said he did nothing to alter the crime scene other than picking up a single bullet casing.
Serpas said investigators believed McNair was asleep because evidence showed he did not move or react before the first shot.
A memorial for McNair is scheduled for Nashville’s Mount Zion Baptist Church on Thursday and another will be Saturday at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. His funeral will be on Saturday in Hattiesburg.
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Ex-NFL QB Steve McNair found shot to death ( (Read 3,484 times)
