Til Death Do Them Part: What's Your Opinion?

Source: Lucas L. Johnson Ii, Associated Press Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Former NFL star Steve McNair was shot dead in his sleep last week by a 20-year-old girlfriend distraught about mounting financial problems and her belief that he was seeing someone else, police said Wednesday. Sahel Kazemi "was spinning out of control" when she shot McNair four times as he dozed on a sofa early Saturday, then turned the gun on herself, Police Chief Ronal Serpas said.

Interviews with friends revealed that she was making payments on two cars, her rent was doubling and she suspected the married McNair was having a second affair with another young woman. She told a friend on Friday that "My life is a ball of s--- and I should end it," Serpas said. Police earlier had labeled McNair's death a homicide, but waited for further tests and the revelations about Kazemi's personal problems before concluding that she pulled the trigger of a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol in a condominium McNair rented with a friend.

McNair, 36, a quarterback for the Tennessee Titans most of his career, met Kazemi six months ago at a sports cafe where she was a waitress and his family often ate. She seemed happy and eager to build a life with him, but something went wrong. "We do know that she was clearly sending a message during the last five to seven days of her life that things were going bad quickly," Serpas said, though there was no indication she told anyone she planned to harm McNair.

Serpas said detectives learned that Kazemi recently found out about another young woman she thought McNair was romantically involved with and had even followed that woman home, though she did not confront her.
Serpas said police believe McNair was asleep when he was killed because there were no defensive wounds. After shooting McNair in the head, Kazemi apparently shot him twice in the chest before shooting him again in the head.

Before shooting herself, she sat next to his body and "tried to stage it so she would fall in his lap," Serpas said. She did, but her body slid to the floor and ended up at McNair's feet. The gun was found underneath her.
Kazemi's family told reporters that the woman was so confident McNair was divorcing his wife of 12 years that she was preparing to sell her furniture and move in with him. But associate Mike Mu, who has worked with McNair's charitable association for years, said earlier Wednesday that McNair's wife, Mechelle McNair, "didn't know who this girl is." No records of divorce proceedings have surfaced. The McNairs have four children.

Two days before the shooting, police stopped Kazemi driving a Cadillac Escalade sport utility vehicle that McNair had given her for her birthday in May. According to an arrest affidavit, Kazemi had bloodshot eyes and alcohol on her breath. She refused a breath test and told an officer "she was not drunk, she was high." She was charged with DUI. McNair was with her but not charged. He later made her bail. Police are awaiting toxicology reports on both bodies.

Serpas said that even though both her name and McNair's were on the Cadillac's title, she was apparently responsible for making payments. She was also making payments on another car after she couldn't sell it.
Kazemi had no history of violence, but "on the last several days of her life it's obvious that she made some very poor decisions," Serpas said.

Mechelle McNair has not spoken publicly since the shooting. Bishop Joseph W. Walker III of Mount Zion Baptist Church, which the McNairs have attended since moving to Nashville in 1997, said Wednesday that she is doing as well as can be expected. "Her faith is what's sustaining her now," he said. "We haven't talked about the circumstances of his death. She is processing it in a private way. It's obviously devastating on so many levels."

A memorial service is set for Thursday night in Nashville, with the funeral Saturday in his native Mississippi.
The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback was being remembered Wednesday at the stadium where he played much of his career. The Tennessee Titans opened LP Field for fans to watch video highlights of McNair's 13-year NFL career and look at photos of the quarterback. There was also a book for them to write messages that will be given to the family.

McNair was known as "Air McNair" for his passing prowess at Alcorn State in Mississippi. In 2000, he helped lead the Titans to the Super Bowl, where they ended up a yard short of a touchdown on the last play of the game when they trailed by seven points. He spent the last two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before retiring from the NFL last year.
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Associated Press Writers Travis Loller, Joe Edwards, Kristin M. Hall and Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.

7 SIGNS OF A CHEATER

The following is a guide to help you determine if your mate is cheating on you. After reading this list you may find there is some area of concern. Do not confront the cheater because this will only cause them to clean up their act, become more careful not to get caught, and make it more difficult for you to catch them. You may not have enough proof to make your case. I would urge you to seek professional help.

1. At the beginning of an affair the mate that is cheating is more attentive to his/her spouse. This is due to guilt that the cheater may be feeling at the time.

2. After the affair has been going on for a while, the person cheating seems to find fault with the person he/she may be living with to try to justify the affair in their mind. They may become physically or verbally abusive. Saying things such as: "You never do anything right", "You can't make me happy any more", "I don't know why I'm still with you", "Why don't you leave", "You're getting fat", "What's this you've cooked for me, it's horrible", "You haven't done anything all day, what are you good for", "I love you, I'm just not in-love with you any more", "You can't give me what I want any more", "I need some time to myself", "I don't care about you any more", "You are hopeless", "I hate you". All of these quotes does not mean that your spouse/partner is having an affair, please use this as a guide only. Intuition (gut feeling) that something is not right usually is a sign you may have a cheating problem.

3. Cheating spouses/partners may lose interest in the activities in the home. They don’t show interest in the livelihood of you or the children that live in the home. Sometimes they no longer have any desires to do any fix-ups to the home (i.e. lawn care, house repairs, etc.).

4. Cheaters my have a change in sex life (i.e. more sex, less sex) as well as unexplained sexual requests. If you have never watched pornographic material before and now all of a sudden you are asked to perform what is on the tape, this may be a sign that your spouse/partnr is engaging in this type of activities with someone else.

5. The cheater has a definite change in attitude towards everyone in the home, especially the mate (i.e. “if he/she did not act the way they do, well then maybe I would not do the things I do”). You may start to get blamed for things more often.

6. The finances begin to change. If someone wants to play they have to pay! Keep an eye on the cheater's spending habits ( i.e. check book records, bank account balances, credit card bills, etc.). This will tell you whether their spending more money than usual. Or in some cases, extra money may appear for the female cheater.

7. Grooming habits will change. They may start to wear cologne/perfume or a different fragrance, get haircuts/hairdos more frequently, or start to dress differently by purchasing more revealing/youthful/designer clothing other than their normal style of fashions. Normally, if your spouse/partner has nothing to hide, they will share their purchases with you and explain what a "great deal" they got on those items!

BONUS: The cheater may purchase a sports car without discussing it with you, attend the night clubs more frequently, stay in the bathroom longer (he/she may be texting), hiding their cell phone, answering the home phone more frequently than usual especially on the first ring.

When In Doubt, Check It Out!