New England Patriots

Ladera Ranch: Wholesome Community or Den of Crime?

In keeping with its fine tradition of serving as a civic booster for Orange County, the Orange County Register recently discussed the safety of Ladera Ranch in spite of the master-planned community's recent troubles. Blasting the words "Very Safe" in the headline, the Feb. 26 article offered assuran ... More >>

Bruce Rollinson, Mater Dei High Football Coach, Looks for a Quarterbacking Milestone

Sports Illustrated has turned its illustrated sporty to Bruce Rollinson, the longtime Mater Dei High School's football coach who is poised to become the first field general to accomplish quite a feat.Here's a hint: it involves two former Monarchs named Matt.

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 >>

[UPDATED with Brain Doctor's Plea:] Junior Seau, Legendary NFL Linebacker, Apparently Commits Suicide

UPDATE, MAY 4, 8:03 A.M.: If San Diego Chargers great Junior Seau suffered from a brain injury that contributed to his suicide, he could have been saved, according to a Newport Beach psychiatrist who has conducted three clinical studies with 115 active and former NFL players.And Dr. Daniel G. Amen h ... 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 >>

3hree Things: On Super Bowl XLVI Gear

Watch out for 3hree Things every Tuesday, where Riley Breckenridge, drummer of Orange County's favorite local alt-rock band Thrice, gives his take on life in Southern California as an OC native.​It's a hockey goalie's mask. Or a maple leaf. Or a bee (kinda). The Super Bowl. Have you hear ... 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 >>

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 >>

Eric Naposki's Rocky Murder Picture Show

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

[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 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 >>

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 >>

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 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?

Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife

But not your WiFi! In 2010, the Internet was the medium by which we all went what the fuck?

The Orange County Interwebs Horror Show Gets Sporty

​The Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles, the Santa Ana Drags, Huntington Beach surfers, Santa Cruz surfers and OC-bred quarterbacks Matt Leinart, Colt Brennan and Mark Sanchez wind up in this week's especially sporty compilation of things said about or from Orange County on the Interwebs.

Ten Most WTF Music Stories of 2010

​We twittered, shared and reposted all these stories ad nauseum in 2010--for a good reason. This year, trashy viral videos made more of an impact than the Grammys, and Antoine Dodson was more memorable than Beatles songs finally getting on iTunes. So the line  blurring of talent and fame is m ... More >>

Rick LeBlanc of Rick's Atomic Cafe Goes On the Line, Part Recipe!

Photo by Todd BarnesRick and his Friday​Here is the last part of our On the Line feature with Rick LeBlanc of Rick's Atomic Cafe in Costa Mesa. In this installment, he shares his vegetarian taco recipe. And, for the record: we do not hold it against him that he roots for the New England Patriots, ... More >>

Rick LeBlanc of Rick's Atomic Cafe Goes On the Line, Part Two!

Photo by Todd Barnes​We interviewed Rick LeBlanc of Rick's Atomic Cafe yesterday, the man who's bringing a bit of organic, New England class to the office drones around John Wayne Airport; after the jump, the rest of the story!

Matt Leinart and Colt Brennan, Among Mater Dei's Best QBs, Cut by NFL Teams on Same Day

Inside the athletic complex at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana is an exhibit that pays tribute to quarterbacks John Huarte, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 1964 for Notre Dame, Matt Leinart, who won the 2004 Heisman as a junior at USC, and Colt Brennan, a 2007 Heisman finalist for Hawaii ... More >>

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

Patriot Day vs. Patriots' Day Smackdown

Since 2002, September 11 has been celebrated as Patriot Day to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Patriot Day is a catchier title than what the day was originally called, the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks o ... More >>

Savoir-Faire

The Night Marchers

Diary of a Mad County

Jan. 10-Jan. 16

Silver and Black Like Me

Rams? Lambs! Orange County is Raider Nation. Dont believe it? Ask a Raider fan

Junior High School Cheerleaders Ready to Horck?!

Ready? okay!

Bring Back the Scabs!

Of dope and frat boys and girls named Stacy

Diary of a Mad County