McNair's mistress knew gun seller for weeks
FILE - This combo shows Steve McNair,left,in a 2003 season file photo and Sahel Kazemi is shown in this undated booking file photo from the Davidson County Sheriff. (AP Photo/File)
By LUCAS L. JOHNSON II
The Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 20, 2009) — Ex-NFL quarterback Steve McNair’s mistress exchanged messages for weeks with the man who sold her the gun she used to kill McNair and herself, police said Tuesday.
The findings came a day after investigators released 50 text messages between McNair and Sahel Kazemi they say supports their conclusion of a murder-suicide because she was desperate over money and feared their relationship was ending.
Police spokesman Don Aaron said Kazemi also was in contact weeks before the July 4 killings with Adrian Gilliam, who pleaded guilty to gun charges for selling the weapon to her.
Aaron declined to say more about the exchange of messages, first reported by CBS News, because Gilliam was awaiting sentencing in December. Police say Kazemi bought the gun from Gilliam the night of July 3, and used it hours later.
“The Police Department has been aware that their relationship was more than we were initially led to believe,” Aaron told The Associated Press.
According to the CBS report, Gilliam and Kazemi exchanged more than 200 calls more than three weeks before the murder-suicide, including 49 texts and calls the day before.
Police also said Kazemi texted McNair on July 3 to say she was so stressed she might have a breakdown and asked for $2,000 to pay bills. Texts show McNair had someone transfer the money.
Aaron repeated Tuesday that there’s no reason to believe the case should be reopened.
“Given the totality of the evidence as we know it now … the conclusion of the murder-suicide classification has not changed,” he said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.