Steve McNair’s death is back in the conversation after the Discovery ID series True Crime with Aphrodite Jones revisited the case. Nashville police ruled in July 2009 that Sahel Kazemi shot the former Tennessee Titans quarterback and then herself on July 4, 2009. Police cited Sahel’s money problems, a recent DUI arrest and her belief that Steve was seeing other women.
The ruling has been questioned over the years by friends and family, according to news coverage of the case. They say Sahel was not depressed, was not short of money because Steve helped support her, and had never fired a gun. Police have said she bought the handgun just hours before the shooting from a man with a prior murder conviction, and that man’s account of how he knew her did not line up at first. Some of Steve’s relatives and friends have also said they wanted police to look closer at the crime scene.
Questions have also been raised about Steve’s estate. He had no will, and associates have claimed that his wife, Mechelle, took control of his estate after his death. Those are claims from people close to the family, not findings by investigators. We did not find a public response from Mechelle to the claims, and Nashville police have continued to stand by the murder suicide ruling.
For now the official finding has not changed. Whether the case is ever reopened is up to police, and plenty of people who loved Steve are still hoping for more answers.
