In May 2009, Naposki was arrested in Connecticut and charged with the murder of millionaire investor Bill McLaughlin in December 1994 in Newport Beach, California. The murder was committed in league with Nanette Johnston, McLaughlin's live-in girlfriend and Naposki's secret lover, so that she could collect McLaughlin's life insurance. In July 2011, Naposki was convicted of first degree murder and in August 2012, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
He led the team in sacks and tackles for two years, with the team going 17-3 during his tenure at linebacker position. Naposki also played safety, tight end and running back in goal line situations. He was named All County in 1982, and All State in 1983 and graduated from Eastchester in 1984.[citation needed]
He was offered partial scholarships by New Hampshire, New Haven and Buffalo, but decided to attend the University of Connecticut (UConn) on a full football scholarship. At the time, UConn played as a Division I-AA in the now defunct Yankee Conference. However, midway through his third year at UConn, he quit the football team over a disagreement with his coach, Tom Jackson.[citation needed]
Naposki, who had NFL aspirations, decided to forgo his scholarship and withdrew from the university. He returned to UConn to complete his degree in 1987, although he left again for two years to pursue the NFL and received his degree in physical education in 1991. [citation needed]
Professional career
After missing his senior year at Connecticut due to family obligations, he attended the New England Patriots' free agent tryout camp in April, 1988. He ended up making the team as a backup linebacker and played in 4 games.[1]
On March 1, 1989, he signed as a Plan B free agent with the Dallas Cowboys.[2] He was released on August 15.[3] On August 18, he was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts.[4] He played in one game before being released. On September 6, he was signed by the New England Patriots.[5] He played in one game before being released.[6]
On March 25, 1990, he signed as a free agent with the New York Jets.[7] On August 29, he was waived with an injury settlement.[8]
Millionaire investor William "Bill" McLaughlin was shot to death in his Newport Beach home on December 15, 1994. The murder was committed by Naposki in concert with Nanette Ann Johnston, McLaughlin's live-in girlfriend and Naposki's secret lover, so that she could collect $2.5 million (equivalent to $4.9 million in 2022) from McLaughlin's life insurance and savings.[11][12] The case went unsolved for 15 years before Naposki and Johnston were charged in California in 2009.[11]
At his July 2011 trial, witnesses testified that Johnston, also known in court documents as Nanette Packard McNeal (her married names), was a young woman with two small children who seduced McLaughlin, who was a quarter century her senior, after the wealthy health care entrepreneur had gone through a contentious divorce with his first wife of 24 years. Johnston met McLaughlin after placing a magazine ad seeking the companionship of a wealthy man.[13]
Johnston began living with McLaughlin in his luxury home in a tight-knit gated community in Newport Beach, and managing his personal financial affairs.[14]
On July 14, 2011, an Orange County jury found Naposki guilty of first-degree murder. The panel also found true a special circumstance allegation that Naposki committed the murder for financial gain and that he personally discharged a firearm, which would have made him eligible for the death penalty, although ultimately the state did not seek the death penalty. The jury heard during more than three weeks of testimony, which included 28 witnesses and more than 240 exhibits, that Naposki had conspired with Nanette Johnston, McLaughlin's live-in girlfriend and Naposki's secret lover, to murder McLaughlin for financial gain.[14]
Naposki was scheduled to be sentenced on October 21, 2011; however, on that date sentencing was delayed until 2012.[15] On August 10, 2012, Naposki received the maximum sentence of life imprisonment without parole at his hearing before Superior Court Judge William R. Froeberg.[16][17]
In January 2012, an Orange County jury found Johnston (Packard McNeal) guilty of first-degree murder.[18][19] In May 2012, she was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.[16]
In September 2014, an appellate lawyer working for Naposki told a three-justice appellate panel of Division Three of the California Courts of Appeal that there were four errors in the trial, including: the government's 15-year delay in filing charges; faulty jury instructions; biased jury; and improperly excluded evidence.[citation needed]
On September 12, 2014, the court rejected the appeal, with Justice William Rylaarsdam's 18-page opinion–backed by colleagues Raymond Ikola and David Thompson–analyzed and rejected each point, saying they found "no prejudicial error." The panel noted: authorities charged Naposki and Johnston (Packard McNeal) after an Orange County district attorney's office (OCDA) cold case detective discovered new incriminating evidence; a female juror describing the ex-football player as "creepy" did not merit her removal; that Judge William Froeberg did not err by blocking a police officer from answering a question about Naposki's facial expressions during a post-murder interview; and Froeberg did not err by refusing to give a defense-proposed jury instruction on the elements murder for financial gain.[citation needed]
Naposki has always maintained his innocence[20] and is currently appealing his conviction. Naposki was convicted on strictly circumstantial evidence, as no weapon was ever found. There was no DNA, no fingerprints, no eyewitnesses and no surveillance tape. Naposki's defense contends that the fifteen-year delay in charging resulted in the loss of exculpatory evidence which backed up his alibi (which was found valid by the DA in 1995, before it was discovered that the club where he worked as a bouncer was only a few hundred yards from the murder scene).[citation needed]
The TV series American Greed showed an episode about the murder in January 2017. The CBS TV series 48 Hours aired, on 29 October 2011, the episode titled "Murder in the O.C." The Oxygen TV series Dateline Secrets Uncovered aired an episode titled “Deadly Trust” about the case in 2019. On 24 September 2021, ABC 20/20 aired an episode titled "Millionaire's Mistake".[citation needed] His Case is also featured on the Season 3, Episode 4, titled "SoCal Killers", from the Show, Deadly Sins.
As of March 11, 2020, the organization "Innocence Rights of Orange County" had begun a review of Naposki's case and conviction with an emphasis on the analysis of circumstantial evidence and the dealings of the Orange County prosecutors who brought the charges to a grand jury almost 15 years after the fact, with special emphasis on lost records from the initial investigation that might have cleared Naposki.[citation needed][21]
Related Research Articles
William Raymond Smith III was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft, where he played for the entirety of his career. Smith was shot and killed during an altercation after an alcohol related traffic crash.
Paul Lucian Pasqualoni is an American football coach for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). He most recently was the defensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers.
Donté Lamar Stallworth is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) is a female-only California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison located in Chowchilla, California. It is across the road from Valley State Prison. CCWF is the second largest female correctional facility in the United States, and houses the only State of California death row for women.
Thomas Michael Cousineau is an American former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. He played college football for Ohio State University, and twice earned All-American honors. He was the first overall pick of the 1979 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the CFL's Montreal Alouettes and the NFL's Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers.
Kenneth Wayne Sims is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons during the 1980s. He played college football at Texas, where he was a two-time consensus All-American. Sims was the first overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the New England Patriots including the season they went to Super Bowl XX.
Robert Joseph Carpenter III is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He also played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins, the Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots.
Eugene Lockhart, Jr. is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. He played college football at the University of Houston and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1984 NFL Draft.
Floyd Reese was an American professional football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). From 1994 to 2006, he held the position of general manager of the Tennessee Titans. Reese then served as an analyst on ESPN's NFL Live, and as a writer on ESPN.com before joining the New England Patriots as a senior football advisor.
On April 10, 2007, the National Football League (NFL) introduced a new conduct policy to help control on and off-field behavior by its players and preserve the league's public image. The policy, introduced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, implements a tougher, new personal-conduct policy, and under conditions of the previous policy handed down two of the harshest suspensions in NFL history for off-field misdeeds. Each player that has been suspended must reapply for reinstatement. The policy only applies to the player's personal lives and image in the public spotlight. The NFL conducts separate investigations for drug and alcohol abuse and performance enhancement.
Anthony Wayne Smith is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League and convicted murderer. He was drafted by the Raiders 11th overall in the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football in Arizona and Alabama.
George DeLeone was an American football coach.
Qualin Dont'a Hightower is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the inside linebackers coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in the NFL for nine seasons with the Patriots. Hightower played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, receiving consensus All-American honors and winning two BCS National Championships. Selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft by the Patriots, he was named to two Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowl titles.
Eastchester High School is located in Westchester County, New York in the town of Eastchester. A part of the Eastchester Union Free School District, it is a former U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon school with approximately 1009 students. Graduates have gained acceptance to schools such as Bucknell University, Johns Hopkins University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Cornell University, Notre Dame, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, New York University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Harvard University, Columbia University, and Stanford University. Eastchester High School is accredited by the New York State Board of Regents and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Kyle Van Noy is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. Van Noy played college football at BYU. He was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions, with whom he spent his first three seasons. Van Noy played his next four seasons for the New England Patriots, where he won Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl LIII. Following a year as a member of the Miami Dolphins, he rejoined New England in 2021. Van Noy signed with the Los Angeles Chargers the following season.
Odin Leonardo John Lloyd was a semi-professional American football player who was murdered by Aaron Hernandez, a former tight end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League, in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, on June 17, 2013. Lloyd's death made international headlines following Hernandez's association with the investigation as a suspect. Lloyd had been a linebacker for a New England Football League (NEFL) semi-professional football team, the Boston Bandits, since 2007.
Ralph Donnell Coleman is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at North Carolina A&T University.
Ilia Jarostchuk is a former American football linebacker who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Phoenix Cardinals, and New England Patriots. He played college football at New Hampshire.
Brian Belichick is an American football coach who is the safeties coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He joined the organization as a scouting assistant in 2016, and worked as a coaching assistant from 2017 to 2019 before being promoted to safeties coach prior to the 2020 season.
Olakunle Fatukasi is an American football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
