Absolutely not Emily Andrews: You couldn't even get her to sit through a football game, even if it was the Super Bowl, she-- she didn't have any interest. And maybe he liked the fact that she really just took him for just being a normal guy. She didn't treat him like he was this huge celebrity, which he was kinda used to getting.
Emily Andrews: And they hung out around Christmas time for the first time, and then I remember in January I dropped her off at his house, and after that it was just kind of like they had really, really started to like each other, and they were dating. It wasn't just, you know, hang out every now and then.
They were dating. Lester Holt: There's dating and having fun, and there's dating, "I'm serious and I'm falling in love. Emily Andrews: I mean, she fell in love with him, if that's what you're asking. She was crazy about him. Remember, Jenni was 19 at the time. Sixteen years younger than McNair. Lester Holt: The age difference didn't make a difference to her? Emily Andrews: No, we joked about it, but it wasn't anything that she was worried about, or that bothered her, or anything like that.
Emily Andrews: She, she told me right away, she knew right away. But she was-- she was under the impression that they were going through a divorce. Neighbors told us that they saw McNair so often at Emily and Jenni's apartment, they thought he might move in. That was in February-- two months after the couple met. Lester Holt: He made no effort to-- to hide publicly that they were in Lester Holt: If-- if-- if I ran into them at a restaurant, I would think that's a boyfriend and girlfriend?
Emily Andrews: Yeah, yeah. We went out to bars together, we went to clubs where people knew who he was, and people saw that they were dating. And we had been out before without him and someone had came up to her and said, "You're Steve McNair's girlfriend, aren't you? Which leads to an obvious question: if everybody seemed to know, did McNair's wife know? Mechelle McNair has not spoken publicly since the murder.
She has reportedly told friends she didn't know about Kazemi, which is not the same as saying she did not know her husband was seeing other women. Sara Dorsey: Nashville is a very small town. I can't believe that Mechelle McNair didn't know what Steve was up to. Lester Holt: is there an unspoken acceptance among the families of athletes? Eddie George: It could be. I don't know. I'm pretty sure it's not. I'm pretty sure-- if someone is married to an athlete they know what's out there.
By the spring of , Steve and Jenni had been an item for five months. She was spending more time at his downtown apartment. Emily Andrews: It was a small bachelor pad pretty much. I mean, there weren't pictures on the wall. Lester Holt: Was it your impression, and was it Jenni's impression, that this was Steve's full time residence? Emily Andrews: No. Neither of us believed that. We knew it was kind of-- his place to get away. Lester Holt: Is this where they hooked up?
In May, Jenni turned Steve helped her buy a present she'd always dreamed of: a black Cadillac Escalade. Emily Andrews: He put the down payment on the car. And she wanted to make monthly payments. But it was under both of their names. Lester Holt: That had to be a pretty good chunka change.
Shortly after that, Emily decided to move back home to Pittsburgh. Shortly before she left, she says, she bumped into steve at one of his favorite bars. By this time, he and Jenni had been an item for about six months. Emily Andrews: And I pulled him aside and told him watch after her. And you know, don't hurt her, and that's my best friend, and if you really love her, then really, you know, do a good job at loving her.
And he looked at me in the eyes, and he told me, "Emily, I love her, and I'll take care of her for you. They stopped for lunch at Dave and Buster's. Vera Mosely: She asked me, can I talk to you? She put the drinks on the table. I said, sure. So she sit down in front of me and the very first thing this young lady asked me was have I ever been in love? She went on to tell me she's dating a guy and they had been dating for 8 months and she said she was dating Steve McNair. Why would Jenni Kazemi sit down in the middle of her shift and share her personal life with a total stranger?
Vera Mosely : And she said, we have been on all kind of trips and vacations and she said lately he act like he don't wanna spend time with me. It's like the relationship is ending. Kazemi's roommate, Emily Andrews, had moved back to Pittsburgh a few days earlier. She says Jenni seemed convinced Steve was going leave his wife for her.
Emily Andrews: From what she had told me, his divorce was supposed to be finalized-- within weeks. Lester Holt: Of course, Emily, it all comes out now that there's no record of any divorce proceedings between the two of them.
Emily Andrews: I know. He clearly told her that to keep her around. Lester Holt: Had you heard that he had a reputation for fooling around? Emily Andrews: Yeah. I had heard that. I heard that-- he went out more than he said that he did. And hung out with girls. Police later learned that, in fact, Steve had been seeing another woman for about a month. In this audio-only interview, she told police she met steve in early May Investigator: What did he tell you about his marriage?
Leah Ignagni: He said that they were in the process of divorcing. They had been for the last two years Ignagni: He said that he loved me and he was gonna make everything work so he could be with me Leah Ignani, 25, told police she didn't believe it.
I know what it is. It is what it is. Ignani: Because my girlfriends called it the trap house Police say Jenni staked out McNair's downtown apartment one day, and followed a woman she saw leaving.
On July 1, she called Emily. Emily Andrews: She had found some used feminine products in his bathroom of his condo. I guess the Wednesday before the 4th of July. Lester Holt: This is the Wednesday before the murder? She asked me for my advice. And I couldn't really give her any, because I've never been in that situation.
But she kind of-- we ended the conversation as her just saying, "I really don't know what to do. Just hours later, in the early morning hours of July 2, a Nashville police officer pulled over the black Escalade - Jenni's dream car. She was doing 54in a mile an hour zone. Steve McNair was in the passenger seat, apparently drunk. The dashboard cam of the patrol car shows Jenni stepping out in a short dress and platform heels.
The officer puts her through a sobriety test. She tells him she isn't drunk-- but she is high. Moments later, McNair and another man exit the passenger side of the vehicle.
Then they get in separate cabs and leave. In the patrol car, under arrest for DUI, Jenni seems surprised. Jenni Kazemi : Can I call him? Officer : I talked with him and he didn't want to come back to the car. Jenni Kazemi: Yeah…. Officer : He chose to take a taxi and leave, so…. Lester Holt: When you heard later that he left the scene where she was arrested in a taxi Emily Andrews: I was mad. I mean, you s-- if you see the footage, she's in the back seat just broken hearted and confused.
And she's never been-- she's never been arrested behind, probably scared out of her life, and he just-- he left her there. Multiple witnesses later told police Jenni was mad too. But Emily says Jenni didn't seem upset later that day, after McNair bailed her out of jail.
Emily Andrews: And she called me and said, "You'll never believe what happened. You know, you-- you drive like a maniac. Emily Andrews: She didn't appear. If she-- if she was upset, she hid it. And yet, text messages revealed months after the shootings paint a different picture. July 3rd, the day after the DUI, the day before the shooting Jenny texted Steve:.
Mcnair responded: "everything gonna be ok. I'm here if you need me. Police say, at about 5 p. Adrian Gilliam was on parole after serving time for second degree murder and attempted robbery. A convicted felon, he could go to prison just for owning a gun. Emily Andrews: I can't even imagine her buying a gun. I can't imagine her knowing how to shoot a gun. The same night, police say, Jenni "remarked to an associate, 'my life is a ball of s And I should just end it.
She was on her computer until about 11 p. She called Emily's cell sometime that night, but Emily missed the call. Emily Andrews: She could have been calling me to tell me something, you know, a stupid story about work. Or she could have been calling me to ask for help.
Because-- maybe she was in a situation where she knew she couldn't control herself anymore. I'll never know. Jenni's sister says she did speak to Jenni that night, and while she seemed concerned about money-- she did not seem angry or upset.
A security camera caught Steve McNair at a video game store. It turned out to be the last picture of him ever taken. At pm, Kazemi texted McNair: "I'm going to the condo in a minute.
He replied that he was at home, putting his children to bed. Steve McNair arrived at his apartment between and 2 a.
When police arrived, they found McNair sprawled on the sofa, shot twice in the chest and twice in the head. At his feet, Sahel "Jenny" Kazemi, shot once in the head. Nashville police offered a simple explanation for what happened to Steve McNair: that Sahel Kazemi, afraid that McNair was breaking up with her, upset that he had left her in a patrol car, saddled with high payments on that escalade, snapped.
But people who were close to Kazemi say no way. She was very capable of moving on. Lester Holt: You don't think she shot him? Emily Andrews: I don't think-- it's that simple. Lester Holt: What-- what else could it have been? Emily Andrews: I think-- there was just someone else involved. I don't think she was capable of just doing this by herself. Kazemi's family declined repeated requests for an interview-- but they told us off camera they were percent convinced that she didn't kill McNair or herself.
Apparently, this man convinced them. His name is Vincent Hill. He is a former Nashville police officer. Hill contacted Kazemi's sister soon after the shootings.
Lester Holt: And what did you basically tell her? Vincent Hill: That the conclusion that the police were giving was more than likely not what happened. Hill says the way McNair was shot-- twice in the chest and once in each temple-- took too much skill and calculation for someone who'd apparently never fired a gun before. Vincent Hill: That's more on the lines of execution than a troubled girlfriend. Lester Holt: That doesn't make sense to you?
Nashville police offered a simple explanation for what happened to Steve McNair: that Sahel Kazemi, afraid that McNair was breaking up with her, upset that he had left her in a patrol car, saddled with high payments on that escalade snapped. Holt: Do you accept the official version of what happened?
Andrews: I think there was just someone else involved. Holt: And what did you basically tell her? Neeley: I saw a male on the couch and I thought he was sleeping, I swear. Investigator: You saw two people laying on the couch Neeley: No, no, no.
One was on the couch and one was on the floor. Investigator: What was the fall out between you and Steve? When did that happen? Gaddy: That was really not a fall out. I mean—Every—Every so often we always Alright, we started this business venture together, alright? Investigator: The restaurant? I wanted to do something else and he got upset about it. There may be more to that story. Although Gaddy declined our interview requests—he denied stealing anything.
Vincent Hill: Whoever planned this—planned it perfectly. Hill also doubted another part of the official story, that Sahel Kazemi bought a gun from a convicted felon she barely knew—and who barely knew her. Adrian Gilliam: I sold it to uh, some young lady. Gilliam claimed the whole thing started when she approached him about getting rid of her car.
And through talking to her about selling the car, she eventually asked me about a gun. You and I just met, you know, 20, 30 minutes ago. Hey, Lester, nice to meet ya. Adrian Gilliam: It was—within a three week timeframe. Gilliam admitted he first met Kazemi three weeks before the shootings, outside a nightclub and that there was more to their relationship than car and gun sales. Adrian Gilliam: We used to text frequently, all the time. I mean, she was flirting with me. And trying to lure me in She flirted with me all the time.
Investigator: So the original story you told us when we first met with you about you first met her when she got in contact with you about selling the car. But Hill wonders, was he lying to cover up something much more sinister?
His gun ends up at the crime scene. You know, this whole thing is more than a coincidence. Hill: This was perfectly planned. This wasn't a spur of the moment murder suicide. Adrian Gilliam, the ex-con whose gun was used in the shootings, lied to police about how he ended up selling a gun to Sahel Kazemi. Why would you sell that girl a gun? Adrian Gilliam: Man, I was just-- financially strapped, brother.
In fact, Gilliam and Kazemi had known each other for weeks. He said they weren't lovers, but exchanged hundreds of texts and phone calls. Investigator: Did-- did she ever bring up-- Steve McNair's name during the time you Adrian Gilliam: No, never. I never knew she dated Steve McNair man. Or did he? Gilliam's phone records revealed he was one of the last people to speak with Shahel Kazemi.
At a. You never been to that condo? There's just one problem. Hill: His alibi was shot during the time of the murders. Vincent Hill asks a provocative question: What if Adrian Gilliam is lying about the gun sale itself? What if the gun never changed hands? Hill: The fact is, to this day, the only person that has had that gun in their possession until July 4th is Adrian Gilliam.
In other words, hill says, Gilliam could be the shooter. Maybe he was jealous Or maybe the motive was money. And yet, police documents show Mcnair had only seven dollars in his wallet when he died. Hill: here's a guy, Adrian Gilliam, who's got a few robbery charges. Gilliam, who is now serving two and a half years in prison for possession of the gun that killed Steve McNair , declined our request for an interview, but told police he had nothing to do with the shooting.
Vincent Hill spent nearly a year on his own investigation Looking for someone in authority to listen to him. Finally, on June 11, he got his hearing. Hill: Today I will be presenting a case to the grand jury to attempt to get the murder investigation of Steve McNair and Jenni Kazemi reopen. It seemed like something I could do, but more importantly it sounded like something I "wanted" to do. That's when I changed career paths and started attending Broadcast Center.
Why did you decide to attend Broadcast Center? I knew the reputation of the Broadcast Center was stellar in placing students in the industry.
I knew if I changed career paths, I had to get a job soon. I actually ended up getting a job in Miami, Florida before I even finished the entire Broadcast Center program. My first program director said he hired me only because of the reputation of the school, so it was one of the defining moments in my career. What did you get from your Broadcast Center education that serves you on a daily basis? My experience taught me that there are tons of talented people, so I had to be more dedicated than the others to succeed.
The school built my confidence and taught me the basics skills to excel. What did you get from Broadcast Center that you were not expecting? A network of pro's in the business. Many of the teachers who taught me about broadcasting are now my friends. People like Larry Connors and Rick Wallace to name just a few have continued to make an impact on my career long after I completed the program. Everybody is talented in their own way. The people making the top money are often just a 'little' more dedicated than those who quit before reaching the top.
I love the quote.. I think I have the best job in the country. I am doing the news, having fun, giving my opinions, and getting paid well for it! It's hard to beat that combination. Do you still get butterflies before the lights go on? The butterflies are now gone, but the voice exercise continue. Guy Phillips taught me some facial warm-ups when I was a rookie that I continue to this day. What advice would you give BC students or those considering attending Broadcast Center?
The road to being a success can be long and hard, but if you stay in the race longer than everyone else It was tough making it in the early days, but it does pay off. Work harder, work smarter, and do the things the failures fail to do.
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