Ex-cop disputes McNair murder findings

Posted: Friday, June 11, 2010 6:28 pm
By: By LUCAS JOHNSON II, Associated Press Writer

NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville Police are sticking to their findings in the murder-suicide of ex-NFL player Steve McNair despite a request for a new investigation of the case, the department’s spokesman said.
The 36-year-old quarterback who spent most of his career with the Tennessee Titans was shot to death July 4, 2009, by his mistress, 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, who then killed herself.
Today, a three-member team from the Davidson County grand jury was expected to review a complaint filed by Vincent Hill, who’s asking that a new investigation of McNair’s death be opened.
Hill, a former Nashville police officer, has disputed investigators’ findings in McNair’s death and even wrote a book presenting his own theory of the crime.
However, Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron told The Associated Press the current investigation should stand as it is.
“The Nashville Police Department, with no reservation, stands by its investigation into this matter, which determined after an examination of all the evidence that McNair was murdered by Kazemi, who then killed herself,” he said.
Hill didn’t immediately return a call to the AP seeking comment. But he recently told The Tennessean that police made multiple errors in their investigation and didn’t properly research conflicting alibis in the case.
On a website advertising his book, Hill suggests Adrian Gilliam Jr. may have been the shooter. Police said Gilliam sold Kazemi the gun that she used to kill McNair.
Gilliam was sentenced last year to 21⁄2 years behind bars in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Text messages revealed before the sentencing show Gilliam was pursuing Kazemi romantically. Last year, CBS News reported the two exchanged more than 200 calls in the weeks before the murder-suicide, including 49 texts and calls the day before.
Following Gilliam’s sentencing hearing, Aaron said Gilliam lied to police during an initial interview at his La Vergne home.
His fiancee was present, and he did not want her to know about his romantic interest in Kazemi, Aaron said.
Aaron said at the time that Gilliam was never a suspect in the deaths because there was no evidence he was involved.
Susan Niland, a spokeswoman for Nashville’s District Attorney General’s office, said Thursday afternoon that Hill had not contacted her office about his concerns.
Hill resigned from Nashville police in 2006 with a disciplinary action pending.
He was accused of disobeying orders.

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