Trial begins for ex-NFL player Eric Naposki and lover, accused of killing Calif. millionaire William McLaughlin
(CBS/AP) NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Testimony begins this week in the trial of former NFL linebacker Eric Naposki and his then-lover, who are accused of killing an Orange County millionaire for his money almost 18 years ago.
Nanette Packard and Naposki, who played with the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots, are each charged with murder for the 1994 shooting death of William Francis McLaughlin, a businessman with an estimated $55 million dollar fortune.
McLaughlin, 55, whose company invented a device that filters plasma from blood, was shot to death by an intruder in his home in the gated community of Balboa Coves in Newport Beach, reports the Orange County Register.
Packard, McLaughlin's girlfriend at the time, was set to collect $1 million in life insurance in the event of McLaughlin's death. She was also accused of stealing nearly $500,000 from McLaughlin before and after his death and pleaded guilty to that crime in 1996. She was sentenced to one year in jail.
Authorities say Naposki, who was romantically involved with Packard, entered McLaughlin's home using a key given to him by Packard on Dec. 15, 1994 and shot the man six times.
Packard at the time denied that she or Naposki were involved in the shooting and she has maintained her innocence. Both Naposki and Packard have pleaded not guilty.
The pair is charged with special circumstances murder for financial gain, which could mean sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Orange County Register.
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