Gaddy: McNair Not Getting Divorce

((HT: Tennessean/Jim Wyatt))

Steve McNair and his wife were selling their Nashville home to buy another one, not to prepare for a divorce, said the longtime friend who called 911 after McNair's bloodied body was found Saturday.
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Robert Gaddy ((pictured, thanks Tennessean/Bill Steber)) said talk that the former Titans quarterback and his wife, Mechelle, were splitting is off base.

"People need to quit talking about what they don't know. Mac never said anything to me about he was going to get a divorce, and ever since this has all happened everybody is trying to paint a certain picture and they need to talk about what they know," Gaddy said Tuesday. He has been friends with McNair for nearly 20 years, dating to their playing days in college.

Gaddy said the McNairs' house in the Green Hills section of Nashville is on the market because they were moving somewhere else together. A local real estate agent said he showed another house to the McNairs more than six months ago.

"People can have all the theories they want, but we haven't even put my man to rest yet or put him in the ground," Gaddy said. "Show some respect for the family. It's crazy.''

Gaddy also defended another friend's decision not to immediately call police after first arriving at the crime scene on Saturday. "The man just panicked," Gaddy said of Wayne Neely, who rented the condominium with McNair.

McNair was shot twice in the head and twice in the chest and died early Saturday. Sahel Kazemi, the 20-year-old woman McNair had been dating, died of a single gunshot wound to the head, and a semi-automatic pistol was found on the floor under her body.

Police aren't classifying the deaths as a murder-suicide, though state medical examiner Bruce Levy has said it's a likely scenario based on the evidence.

Police say Neely called Gaddy after he discovered the bodies around 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Gaddy called 911 around 1:35 p.m.

Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron said Monday that detectives were concerned about the length of time it took for police to be called.

Aaron said police do not believe the bodies were moved. When asked if other evidence may have been moved, he said he couldn't comment.

Gaddy said he called police within 60 seconds of walking in the room and seeing the bodies.

He said Neely reacted like others might have. In a panic, Neely called Gaddy three more times while he was en route to the condominium, Gaddy said.

"You have to understand, it freaked me out so, with Wayne being the person he is. He saw (the bodies) and didn't know what to do. He was nervous about it,'' Gaddy said. "Maybe he should have called 911 first, and I wish he had, because then I wouldn't have seen what I saw. Because that is not how I want to remember my best friend.

"Wayne thought he was doing the best thing. A lot of people don't think so, but at the time and the moment, who can question what anyone would have done in that circumstance?''

Police and emergency officials have declined to release the tape of Gaddy's 911 call, citing the ongoing investigation.

Gaddy was questioned by police on Saturday. He said Tuesday that he doesn't know what's going on with the investigation.

He was not with McNair on Friday night. He said he knows very little about Kazemi, whom police say McNair had been dating for several months.

"I told (detectives) what I knew about the young lady, which wasn't much," Gaddy said. "I just want to know the truth. I just can't fathom what went through that young lady's head.''

When asked if he'd ever met Kazemi, Gaddy replied:

"I am not talking about that young lady. I have a best friend's wife I am more concerned with than that. Don't ask me nothing like that, because I care not to comment.''

Gaddy, a former player for the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League, said he and McNair remained in close contact, last talking the Tuesday before the slayings.

Kazemi's family members have said the 20-year-old told them McNair had plans to leave his wife, something Gaddy disputes.

The McNair home is on the market.

Sean Simons, an agent with Shirley Zeitlin & Co. Realtors, said he showed Steve and Mechelle McNair a home on Two Rivers Road in Franklin at the end of 2008.

"Steve was there, so was Mechelle and the boys,'' Simons said. "It had 9 acres, too. … Their agent said they were looking at two other properties but I never heard back after that. But they looked happy. Everyone was out there together.''
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Mechelle McNair has not spoken publicly about the death.

Kazemi's family has said she believed McNair was in the process of divorcing his wife when they met at her job at an Opry Mills restaurant several months ago and began dating. There is no record of a divorce filing for the McNairs.

Gaddy said if they had plans to divorce, he would have known.

"That's one thing that I can get straightened out," he said. "Steve and Mechelle both put that house for sale. He was getting ready to sell that house, and they were going to buy another house. They have been house-hunting for some time now. ... Steve and Mechelle were fine.''

Gaddy, however, said he isn't. He said he hasn't slept since Saturday's discovery, his mind filled with guilt and an image he believes will haunt him forever.

"All I do is picture what I saw and what could have transpired to cause it, and all I think about is what I could have done to prevent it,'' he said.

"I am constantly beating myself up, thinking what I could have done. I wasn't there for my man."

McNair Shooting: Tuesday Update

((HT: Tennessean/Howard, Schrade, Echegaray, Smietana))

Here's your highlights from the Tuesday analysis on the McNair murder and Kazemi shooting from Saturday:

Kazemi's family is struggling with the news that she bought the gun, and the likelihood of an announcement that Kazemi's death was a suicide.

During a recent interview, her nephew Farzin Abdi said that Kazemi had not owned a gun. He had suggested to Kazemi that — if she felt unsafe when she was alone — she purchase a gun when she turned 21.

"I hope they find the truth," Abdi said. "I just don't know if this is everything as they say."

Metro Police Department Spokesman Don Aaron said detectives were concerned about the length of time it took McNair's friend to call police once he discovered the bodies. Wayne Neeley, who rented the condo with McNair, got there before 1 p.m. Saturday, but police weren't called until another friend arrived at 1:35 p.m.

McNair and Kazemi had been dead for several hours by the time their bodies were found, police said. Aaron said they did not believe the bodies were moved. When asked if other evidence may have been moved, he said he couldn't comment.

Police and emergency communications officials have declined to release the tape of that 911 call, citing the ongoing investigation.

On Monday afternoon, the condo had been processed by detectives, but inside it still looked like a crime scene. The building's owner allowed The Tennessean to view the apartment once police released the unit to him.

What was left of the couch was bloodstained, but much of it had been cut up during the evidence- gathering process. A large bloodstain remained on the carpet in front of the couch.

Two pieces of drywall behind the couch had been cut out for processing at the crime lab. Penciled near the missing chunks of wall were the words "strike mark #1," "strike mark #2" and "stain #1" marking apparent bullet holes and a bloodstain.

Fingerprint dust could be seen on doors throughout the apartment, including the refrigerator.

About a dozen liquor bottles sat in a corner on the kitchen counter. Attached to the counter was a piece of paper taped like a pocket with a $20 bill sticking out. Written on the note were the words "Never Broke."

The dwelling did not have any photographs or other personal touches. It had the depersonalized feel of a vacation spot timeshare. There was a Christmas tin sitting near the kitchen, addressed to Wayne and Steve. A pile of men's white sneakers lay in the corner of the kitchen. The sound of radio music could be heard from an upstairs bedroom.

Mechelle McNair has not spoken publicly about the death. Steve McNair had four sons.

Kazemi's family has said she believed McNair was in the process of divorcing his wife when they met at her job at Dave & Buster's several months ago and began dating. There is no record of divorce filings for the couple.

Bishop Joseph Walker, the pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, said he had no indication there was trouble in the McNairs' marriage. When they came to service, they came together. They had not been to see him for counseling.

"Obviously, it's very devastating for Mechelle and their children, and devastating to our church, because of the man we know Steve to be," Walker said.

The circumstances, Walker said, are not for us to judge.

"People forget that there were two lives lost here, that two families are affected," Walker said. "It's not time to demonize anyone."

McNair, who led the Tennessee Titans to their only Super Bowl appearance in 1999, had two arrests in Nashville. He was arrested on a DUI charge in 2003 that was later dismissed, and in 2007, he was arrested on an owner-operator DUI because his brother was charged with drinking and driving in his car while McNair was a passenger.

There was no cause to arrest McNair when he was a passenger during Kazemi's DUI stop on July 2 because Kazemi was a co-owner of the Cadillac Escalade and bore the responsibility, Aaron said.

Kazemi was driving 54 mph in a 30-mph zone and was stopped at Broadway near 12th Avenue, according to court records. She told police she was not drunk, but high. She later said it had been eight hours since she had drunk any alcohol. The court records don't mention that McNair and a second passenger were in the car.

Although McNair was an owner, police did follow procedure when they released McNair, said Nashville criminal defense lawyer Nathan Moore.

"Absolutely, they did the right thing," Moore said of the officers' letting McNair take a cab. "He had no legal obligation keeping her from driving the SUV. It was registered in both their names."

Officer Shawn Taylor, who stopped Kazemi, also was the officer who arrested McNair in 2003. The charges were dismissed and expunged.

Taylor, however, was disciplined six years ago for violating department rules by repeatedly asking McNair to take a breath test after he refused. Police also said Taylor violated departmental rules then by taking home copies of DUI arrest tapes, including one of McNair.

There's no indication McNair was given a pass in the Thursday traffic stop though, Aaron said.

"The officer even said to Ms. Kazemi that if the Escalade was registered solely to McNair, he would likely have been in the same situation as she," Aaron said.

A public visitation for McNair is set for 3:45-6:45 p.m. Thursday at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Whites Creek. A memorial service is at 7 p.m. Kazemi's family is still looking for a funeral home.

FOSG Heather Cook has a look at the Jeff Fisher press conference from Monday and catches up with Steve brothers, Fred and Tim, as they reflect on the family's loss and Steve's son Junior's senior season in high school...
((HT: WDAM-TV/Hattiesburg))

Monday PM Update: Kazemi Gun Bought After Traffic Stop

Metro PD Public Information Officer Don Aaron held his daily briefing in the Steve McNair murder case late Monday afternoon eastern time.

The following came out of the presser:

-- Metro PD believes Sahel Kazemi purchased the gun found at the crime scene. It was purchased Thursday night after the traffic stop from a "private individual." It was a semi-automatic pistol of an unknown caliber.

-- The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations is still performing the ballistics test. Testing is not complete on ballistics or gun shot residue.

-- The investigation in to classifying the death of Sahel Kazemi is still incomplete.

-- Metro believes five shots were fired. Four in to McNair and one in to Kazemi. Metro also believes that the bodies were not moved, but Aaron stopped shot when asked if there had been any other items moved at the crime scene. Metro has a good idea as to the timetable and order of discharge of the bullets from Kazemi's gun. Aaron offered no further details on the scene.

-- State Medical Examiner Bruce Levy released information on the shooting. Three of the shots that entered McNair were from "more than three feet away." The fourth entered at the temple. The bullet that entered Kazemi was a "contact shot" meaning the gun was in direct contact with her skull.

-- Kazemi's ex-boyfriend, Keith Norfleet, was questioned. He was deemed cooperative by Metro, and was allowed to go home.

Police: Kazemi Bought Gun At McNair Crime Scene

((HT: Tennessean/Howard))

The gun recovered at the scene of the deaths of Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi ((pictured, thanks Tennessean/Facebook)) was purchased by Kazemi recently, Metro police have confirmed.

Kazemi, 20, died Saturday of a single gunshot to the head alongside former Titans quarterback McNair, who had two gunshots to the head and two to the chest. The gun was found under Kazemi’s body.

“We believe the pistol recovered from the apartment was purchased by Kazemi,” Metro spokesman Don Aaron said.

Police said the possibility of a murder-suicide is still on the table, but there are several other theories of the crime still possible.

Kazemi’s ex-boyfriend, Keith Norfleet, was questioned for several hours by police yesterday. Aaron said he is not a suspect, and there are still no suspects being actively pursued.

“He was cooperative during questioning, then he went on his way,” Aaron said.

Norfleet told The Tennessean on Saturday that he went to police headquarters on his own Saturday, looking for answers on whether the woman he broke up with five months prior was the one who died alongside McNair. He was not questioned that night, but asked to leave his contact information, Aaron said.

“We know Norfleet was a former boyfriend of Kazemi’s, and he obviously had his opinion of the relationship between she and McNair,” Aaron said. “He was a person who needed to be interviewed in detail.”

Aaron said the testing to see if gunshot residue was present on Kazemi’s hands has not yet been completed.

Federal law prohibits anyone under 21 from purchasing a handgun from a licensed dealer.

Kazemi did not have a carry permit; Tennessee requires a person to be 21 to have carry permit.

Correction: Federal law requires a person to be 21 to buy a gun from a licensed dealer. The law was misstated in a previous version.

Sunday Afternoon Update: McNair Murder

((HT: ESPN))

Another round with Bob Holtzman of the four-letter (after the Metro Nashville Police Department presser with Don Aaron) revealing a few details involving the murder of Steve McNair and the shooting death of Sahel Kazemi...


McNair, 36, was shot four times, twice in the head and twice in the chest, by a semiautomatic pistol, Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said during a news conference.

The woman, Sahel Kazemi, was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head and the pistol was found under her body, Aaron said.

Aaron said the two had been in a "dating relationship for past several months."

Asked if the deaths could have been caused by a lover's quarrel, Aaron said, "That's a very important part of the investigation as we work to ultimately classify Miss Kazemi's death."

Police said they need to do more interviews with friends of Kazemi and McNair before they rule on whether her death was a suicide, Aaron said.