Eric Naposki

Eric Andrew Naposki, Ex-NFL Linebacker, Draws a Penalty: Life in Prison for 1994 Murder

In the days leading up to today's sentencing hearing, Eric Andrew Naposki told anyone who would listen he did not murder a wealthy Newport Beach businessman in 1994--and plenty of media outlets obliged the former NFL linebacker.But it was justice, prosecutor Matt Murphy and the family of the late Bi ... More >>

Nanette Ann Packard Gets Life Without Parole for '94 Murder of Boyfriend William McLaughlin

The former girlfriend of a wealthy Newport Beach man was sentenced today to life in state prison without the possibility of parole for the 1994 cold case shooting-murder of him that has also been pinned on a former NFL linebacker. Nanette Ann Packard (formerly Johnston), 46, of Ladera Ranch, was f ... More >>

Friday's Dateline NBC Targets Newport Beach Murder By Ex-NFL Linebacker

The good folks at Dateline NBC have announced plans to air their "mystery" Friday night about the ex-National Football League (NFL) player convicted last year for the cold-case ambush murder of an ultra-wealthy businessman in Newport Beach.I covered the trials of Eric Naposki--the big mouth, former ... More >>

What We Learned, Jan. 21-Jan. 27

​A random collection of this week's randomness randomly tagged with random observations of what we learned from it.JAN. 21: Orange County's Democratic establishment is thrown into a tizzy as Julio Perez, formerly of the Orange County Labor Federation, handily gets more votes than his 69th Assembly ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Nanette Packard Guilty of 1994 Newport Beach Murder of Wealthy Businessman

​Accused murderer Nanette Ann Packard entered a hushed Santa Ana courtroom this afternoon from her holding cell and, if her frown and slouching shoulders were any indication, didn't believe she'd be receiving happy news.Packard's instincts were right. During a hearing that lasted nine minutes, an ... More >>

Eric Naposki Murder Sentencing Delayed

​Former New England Patriot's linebacker Eric Naposki, now a convicted murderer, took a break from his seemingly continual jailhouse network TV interviews to appear today in court, where he asked that his punishment be delayed until May 18.Naposki entered Superior Court Judge William Froeberg's co ... More >>

Orange County Courthouse Quote of the Day!

Pool photograph by Paul Bersebach/OC RegisterPackard: But I'm "a good mom"​"He was perfect for Nanette. He was very rich. Why was he so perfect? He was gone three days a week. What better person to cheat on? You've got no eyes watching you and you can cheat on him over and over and over again."--O ... More >>

Nanette Packard: Ready for Her Close-Up?

[Moxley Confidential] The criminal defendant hopes to convince a jury she's a greedy slut—but not a murderer

What We Learned

The Year on Navel Gazing and Beyond!

Eric Naposki: "Not One Bit" of Evidence Proves I Am A Murderer

Naposki: I wear size 14 boots!​If all you knew about the sensational 1994 murder of a wealthy Newport Beach businessman was based on what you heard last night on CBS "48 Hours," you might sympathize with the convicted killer in the case: ex-NFL linebacker Eric Naposki. Dressed in street cloth ... More >>

CBS "48 Hours Mystery" on Saturday Features OC Murder By Ex-NFL Linebacker Eric Naposki

Pool photo by The Orange County RegisterNaposki​For all of you wondering what a murderous, ex-NFL buffoon sounds like should tune into CBS's "48 Hours Mystery" on Saturday night.The hour long show will focus on Eric Naposki--a former Indianapolis Colt and New England Patriot turned dirt poor Orang ... More >>

OC's Scariest People 2011

Celebrating the Day of the Dead with some of the county's worst offenders

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Eric Naposki's Rocky Murder Picture Show

[Moxley Confidential] Ex-NFL player hoped a crime-scene photo would save him from a homicide conviction

Frank Mickadeit Wants To Hurt Somebody Tonight

R.Scott Moxley / OC WeeklyHere's the leaner, meaner Frank Mickadeit​On July 15, Frank Mickadeit, Orange County's best-dressed journalist, took what must have been painful action. He stripped off his natty business attire, hung it inside a locker and donned something similar to my daily outfit: a t ... More >>

[UPDATED with Unusual Defense:] Emily and Father Russell Ford, OC Homicides Nos. 12 and 13: Her Ex-Husband Held

​UPDATED, JULY 15, 12:30 P.M.: 36-year-old Robert Allan Lehmann is due at Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach today for a preliminary hearing tied to the murder counts he faces for allegedly executing his former wife and father-in-law in May.It will be lonely at the defense table as a judge las ... More >>

[BREAKING with More Coverage:] Eric Naposki GUILTY of Murder!

​UPDATE, JULY 14, 6:25 P.M.: The Weekly's R. Scott Moxley was in the courtroom this afternoon as the guilty verdict was read in former NFL player Eric Naposki's special circumstances murder trial.Check back for Moxley's latest trial coverage. In the meantime, take a look at his story, "Eric, Get Y ... More >>

[GUILTY!] Eric Naposki's Verdict Shines Spotlight on Newport Beach Police Department Heroics

OC Register media pool photoProsecutor Matt Murphy nabs another murderer​In most respects, today was a typical day in Orange County: Surfers hit Pacific Ocean waves under a cloudless sky. Shoppers crammed into South Coast Plaza. The notorious 55 freeway wrecked people's schedules. Excited tourists ... More >>

Eric Naposki's Murder Defense Botched Chance Today To Exonerate The Ex-NFL Linebacker

OC Register media pool photoDefense lawyer Gary Pohlson has one last chance to explain away Naposki lies​On the same day that a prosecutor questioned why a supposedly innocent murder suspect decided to engage in "mind f-ing the police" who were attempting to solve the crime, a defense lawyer for t ... More >>

Eric Naposki's Murder Prosecutor Slams Defense Lawyer Tactics

OC Register media pool photoNaposki: Thinks the case against him is laughable​"He's got the suit. He's got the hair. He's got the watch and the shoes. He's a master in his style . . . [He] sounds great but there's absolutely no substance . . . Maybe that works in New York."That was Matt Murphy, a ... More >>

Eric Naposki's Murder Alibi Defies Einstein's Space-Time Continuum

OC Register media pool photoNaposki has a surprise for Albert Einstein​Nobody alive saw Eric Naposki enter William McLaughlin's Newport Beach house, fire six hollow-tip bullets into the wealthy businessman's torso and flee the murder scene on Dec. 15, 1994. Nobody found McLaughlin's blood spatters ... More >>

Eric Naposki Defense Puts Gun in Co-Conspirator's Hands

OC Register media pool photoAngelo MacDonald​To divert juror attention away from their client as a cold-blooded murderer, Eric Naposki's defense team today summoned a witness who testified that he saw Naposki's alleged co-conspirator, Nanette Johnston, practice shooting firearms in the months befo ... More >>

What Happened to Eric Naposki's Gun?

[Moxley Confidential] The question of the missing weapon comes pretty close to a Columbo moment in the Naposki murder trial

Eric Naposki Lawyer Slams Police For Arresting an Innocent Man

OC Register media pool photoMacDonald blames shoddy police work for his client's arrest​In a 64-minute opening statement, Eric Naposki's defense lawyer told an Orange County jury that "common sense" proves the former NFL player could not have gunned down a Newport Beach millionaire because evidenc ... More >>

William McLaughlin's Killer Was Dead Serious, OC Coroner Says

Naposki booking photo​Whoever killed Newport Beach millionaire William Francis McLaughlin definitely wanted him dead, according to testimony today in the trial of Eric Naposki, a former NFL player accused of murdering McLaughlin in a plot with the victim's fiancee.Just after 9 p.m. on Dec. 15, 199 ... More >>

Eric Naposki Murder Trial Gets Brutal and Then A Funny Man Takes The Witness Stand

Angelo MacDonald​You've probably never heard of Kevin Ross Johnston, but this guy should be a witness in every murder trial.Why?Not because Johnston--a tall, natty, silver-bearded fellow with a quick, hearty laugh--has any known criminal expertise. Well, sure, there are those speeding tickets and ... More >>

Eric Naposki Defense Hints At Better Shooter Suspects

Johnston and Naposki at the time of the murder​In his best chance so far to dominate Judge William Froeberg's Santa Ana courtroom on behalf of murder defendant Eric Naposki, New York-based defense lawyer Angelo MacDonald spent nearly five hours today working diligently to undermine the prosecution ... More >>

Accused Killer Eric Naposki Finally Gets a Positive Plug in Day 4 of his Murder Trial

OC Register pool photoNaposki​It took four days of trial, but a witness finally made positive comments about accused killer Eric Naposki, the former professional football player, who is charged with gunning down a Newport Beach businessman in a 1994 plot to steal part of the man's estimate $15 mil ... More >>

Eric Naposki Murder Trial Wins Laughter in Day 2

OC Register pool photoA tame second quarter for Eric Naposki​I wish I could have yesterday back in the case of the People of California versus Eric Naposki, and not just because of mid-morning indigestion from a rubbery courthouse cafeteria blueberry muffin.On Monday, the trial's opening day, Napo ... More >>

Key Fact May Doom Eric Naposki in Newport Beach Murder Trial

Oops. The killer left this key at the crime scene​In Day 3 of Eric Naposki's murder trial, jurors learned several damning, pro-prosecution facts, but the ex-NFL player still managed to deliver a big, confident wink at his girlfriend who was in the public seating section of Judge William Froeberg's ... More >>

Eric Naposki Killed Bill, DA Tells OC Jury

H. Lorren Au Jr. / Orange County RegisterLosing first quarter for Eric Naposki?​Eric Naposki, a onetime star professional football player, couldn't hide his contempt this afternoon during the prosecution's opening statement that ended with a confident prediction that jurors will hold him "accounta ... More >>

Eric Naposki, Ex-NFL Player, Will Face Jury For Murder

Naposki: Suit up, boy. It's game time!​One-time linebacker for the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, Eric Naposki had been hoping that an Orange County judge would dismiss the murder case against him and an ex-girlfriend in the gun slaying of a wealthy Newport Beach businessman.Defense ... More >>

Defense In Murder Case Against Ex-NFL Player Cries 'Illegal Procedure!'

[Moxley Confidential] Was the cold-case homicide of William McLaughlin cold for so long that exculpatory evidence disappeared?

Sunday News Notes

News highlights include:Relax, sir. It's only .000034 percent of your wealth.​Is OC's Biggest Billionaire Stingy?Two of Donald L. Bren's children are expected to take their father to court this week in Los Angeles in hopes of winning $800,000 in retroactive monthly child support payments because, ... More >>

[Moxley Confidential] A Former NFL Player and His Girlfriend Stand Accused of a 1994 Murder