Police confirm murder-suicide in Steve McNair case

By Kate Howard • THE TENNESSEAN • July 8, 2009 UPDATED 2:50 P.M. Police have ruled that the killings of Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi are a murder suicide. Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas said the police believe Steve McNair was asleep when Kazemi shot him on the sofa and that she then sat next to him and shot herself. Serpas also said police believe that Kazemi had communicated with friends days before she was ready to 'end it all' and that she had learned that McNair was involved with another woman days before the murder. Police also believe Kazemi purchased the gun in the parking lot of Dave & Busters, where she worked. REPORTED EARLIER A state medical examiner has said that preliminary testing from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation points to the likely conclusion of murder-suicide in the deaths of Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi. Feng Li, the assistant medical examiner who conducted the autopsies, said he will wait for the investigation to be closed before he completes Kazemi’s death certificate to reflect that she died of suicide. “The results were very consistent in supporting our decision,” Li said. Gunshot residue and ballistics testing are also consistent with a ruling of murder-suicide, Li said. “With the lab tests to be obtained combined with the autopsy findings, we will put a final opinion on the death certificate,” Li said. Kazemi and McNair were found shot to death in a condo off Second Avenue on the afternoon of July 4. A semi-automatic pistol was found under Kazemi’s body. Metro police said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms traced the gun purchase back to Kazemi through a private person. Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas is scheduled to discuss the results of the ballistics and gunshot residue testing at a 2:45 press conference. The Tennessean plans to covers this press conference live on Tennessean.com.