Steve McNair Shot to Death

By TChris, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:03:11 PM EST
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Steve McNair, quarterback for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans and briefly for the Baltimore Ravens before his recent retirement, was shot to death today inside a condominium in downtown Nashville. A 20-year-old woman, Sahel Kazemi, was found dead next to McNair. She died of a single gunshot to the head.

Details of the deaths are unclear. McNair rented the condo with his friend, Wayne Neeley, who found the bodies. Neely described Kazemi as a "friend" of McNair. The Tennessean describes the deaths as a "murder-suicide" and reports that McNair had been dating Kazemi for a few months. It also reports that a pistol was found next to Kazemi's body, although Neeley (according to the AP) said that "the gun was not 'readily apparent' when police first arrived."

[more ...]

Nashville police have not ruled out the possibility that a third party was involved, but they do not regard anyone (including McNair's wife) as a murder suspect and are not actively looking for a suspect.

Despite "well-publicized charges of driving under the influence and gun possession, which were dropped" and the fact that he was apparently having an affair, McNair is remembered not just as an excellent quarterback but as a good guy, in part because of the assistance he provided to Hurricane Katrina victims. McNair's skill and longevity laid to rest the stereotypes that accounted for the apparent unwillingness of team owners and managers to draft black quarterbacks.

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Steve McNair Shot to Death | 15 comments (15 topical)

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It looks like murder/suicide (5.00 / 2) (#8)
by anon com on Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 02:14:28 AM EST

Here's how it looks to me:

-She was his mistress. It is understandable that the authorities dance around it but it seems rather obvious that they were together. Frankly, McNair wasn't all too smart about it either. Registering an expensive car in both their names? She was arrested in that car for DUI, which McNair was riding shotgun in and later posted bail for her.

Also, her ex-boyfriend claims she told him that she was dating McNair and goes even further to say that McNair made her believe that they would be together, as in, he would divorce his wife to be with her. Take that with a grain of salt but definitely worth chewing on as it provides motive.

Finally, she was 20, he was 36. How many 20 year olds do you know have "friends" that are 36 (and are rich), buying them things and bailing them out of jail, and the relationship isn't sexual?

-The condo was locked when McNair's friend found the bodies. A third-party would have to steal a pair of keys, or have a pair already, to lock the door behind his or herself. The closest this could be was her ex-boyfriend or his wife had a spare set of keys.

-McNair was shot multiple times whereas she was shot once. This automatically rules McNair out as the shooter and provides circumstantial evidence that she killed herself with a single shot.

Pull all of these together, I would not be surprised if following her DUI arrest, McNair realized she was more trouble than she was worth to him and tried to get out of their little tryst. She, believing that McNair was going to divorce his wife and bank roll her life from there on out, snapped. Think about it. According to her ex, she thought she was going to be with McNair "forever" with a presumably comfortable lifestyle to boot. Take that away and all she's got is an expensive car she can't afford with a waitress job at Dave & Busters.

I guess we will know soon enough (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by Anne on Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 10:11:12 AM EST

the sordid details of these deaths; I'm not just sad to learn of the deaths themselves, but sad that McNair's professional life is going to have this unsavory addendum to it.

I'm a Baltimore Ravens fan. Those of you who are fans of teams that always seem to have a good-to-great QB may not completely get how thrilled we were, and how energized we were, to have McNair lead our team to a 13-3 season his first year here. Yeah, he played a pretty bad game in that first playoff game against the Colts, but still, it was a great ride. We were able to see the possibilities that waited for us if we could get a young, gifted QB to lead the team.

Looking back, I wonder if it wasn't that fun season with McNair that started the wheels in motion, with a little help from the fates, to the young and gifted Joe Flacco.

McNair was a true team player, who never whined about his injuries, was humble about his talent, and loved the game.

I have no idea what was going on in his personal life, but am sad that whatever was happening appears to have led to his death, and that it puts an ugly shadow on what was a stellar career.

: Damn well said. (none / 0) (#16)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Jul 06, 2009 at 01:43:05 PM EST

The latest (none / 0) (#1)
by CoralGables on Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:07:46 PM EST

that I heard just now was that McNair was shot multiple times. This may not turn out to be the norm for a murder/suicide at the hands of the male.

If the (none / 0) (#2)
by weltec2 on Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:18:55 PM EST

"pistol was found next to Kazemi's body" wouldn't that point to her as the shooter?

I would think (none / 0) (#3)
by CoralGables on Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:26:03 PM EST

your two primary suspects, without knowing any other details, are Kazemi or her ex-boyfriend.


: Multiple gunshots (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by gyrfalcon on Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 08:07:48 AM EST

equals a build-up of over-the-top rage at the betrayer. The ex-boyfriend would have the serious rage at the girl for betraying him, not at McNair. Unless somebody was after McNair for some other reason entirely and the girl was shot as a witness, suspects would be murder-suicide by the girl or double homicide by McNair's wife.

: Those would be the usual suspects. (none / 0) (#9)
by Fabian on Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 06:07:15 AM EST

Let's see if any of them can't be found.

What about (none / 0) (#4)
by weltec2 on Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:46:34 PM EST

McNair's wife?

Not that they are known for truth telling (none / 0) (#5)
by CoralGables on Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 12:08:19 AM EST

but the police have ruled her out. Guess you could add in McNair's friend that owned the condo with him.


Would the wife leave their children (none / 0) (#6)
by nycstray on Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 12:18:54 AM EST

orphans?


Would it be (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by CoralGables on Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 12:45:39 AM EST

sexist to suggest a woman wouldn't, but a man would? :)


Yes. (none / 0) (#11)
by TChris on Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 09:45:26 AM EST

: Agreed (none / 0) (#14)
by CoralGables on Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 11:00:23 AM EST

Hmmm. (none / 0) (#15)
by Fabian on Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 12:27:13 PM EST

I'll have to see if any story picks that up.

"Man shoots ex-wife/girlfriend/SO, leaves children orphans!"

Naw. I think the whole "orphaned children" meme is just another "Think of the children!" wail.

There's a lot of people who suffer when someone is killed or kills themselves. It's more than just "the children!". We should definitely make sure the children are cared for - as well as everyone else.
