NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former NFL star Steve McNair most likely died as a result of a murder-suicide, according to the medical examiner assigned to the case.
“Based on the scene investigation, police interviews, autopsy results and the preliminary lab studies, this is pointed to the direction of murder-suicide,” Dr. Feng Li told CNN.
The 36-year-old McNair, who led the Tennessee Titans to the 2000 Super Bowl, was found dead Saturday at his condominium in downtown Nashville, Tenn. The quarterback was shot twice in both the head and chest.
Sahel Kazemi, 20, a woman that the married McNair was reportedly dating for several months, was found lying nearby with a single gunshot to the head.
Earlier this week, authorities revealed that Kazemi had purchased the gun found at the scene just two days before the shooting. That was also the same day that she was arrested by Nashville police on a DUI charge. The 2007 Escalade that Kazemi was driving was registered to her and McNair. The four-time Pro Bowler was a passenger and allowed to leave by taxi following the arrest.
Officials had previously confirmed that McNair was the victim of a homicide, but they were hestitant to rule whether Kazemi was slain or committed suicide until examining ballistic and gunpowder residue tests.
Li said that all of the evidence gathered points to Kazemi having killed McNair before turning the gun on herself.
“I’ll say greater than 95 percent,” Li said of the likelihood of his theory. “It’s almost an assured thing. We have to be convinced otherwise.”
It is believed that McNair met Kazemi while she was working as a waitress at the restaurant Dave & Busters, but details about their relationship remain fuzzy.
McNair’s wife, Mechelle, whom he married in 1997, has yet to comment on her husband’s death. She and her husband were parents to four children, all sons.
While McNair’s funeral details are still pending, a pair of public memorials have been scheduled. The first will be held Thursday in Nashville at Mount Zion Baptist Church.
A second memorial service is taking place on Saturday on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, Miss.
