by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright July 8, 2009
All Rights Reserved.

           When Adrian Lynne directed Michael Douglas and Glenn Close in the 1987 blockbuster “Fatal Attraction,” he never imagined that writer James Deardon’s artistic screenplay would imitate reality so closely.  While Douglas survived his run-in with a borderline personality, former Tennessee Titan quarterback Steve McNair did not.  Found July 6, with four 9mm gunshot wounds to the head and torso, the press couldn’t imagine that his sweet looking 20-year-old Iranian mistress, Dave & Busters’ waitress Sahel Kazemi, could complete a murder-suicide.  While McNair, a married man with four young boys, kept the affair under wraps, he never imagined he was playing with loaded gun—jumping into bed with a dangerous borderline. When police confirmed that the murder weapon found underneath Kazemi’s body was purchased by her two days before for $100, the case was closed.

            Nashville Police Chief Ronal W. Serpas spelled out his findings at a July 8 press conference, confirming that the all five bullet-casings matched Kaxemi’s gun, concluding all evidence points toward a murder-suicide.  Serpas indicated that Kazemi, who had been dating McNair for six months, found out that he was cheating on her.  Last Thursday, June 30, Kazemi was arrested for DUI while driving her Cadillac Escalade, a gift from McNair.  “She told friend her life was so messed up that she was going to end it all,” said Serpas, confirming that gunpowder residue from the murder weapon was found on Kazemi’s hands.  “She believed her relationship with Mr. McNair was unraveling.  There is evidence she was spinning out of control,” establishing a clear motive for murder.  McNair’s murder raises disturbing questions about mental instability of some individuals having extramarital affairs.

            Vast majorities of people have affairs without committing acts of violence, certainly not murder.  O.J. Simpson’s 1995 trial and alleged June 12, 1994 slashing murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman raised awareness about the potentially fatal outcome of domestic abuse.  McNair might have had some inkling about the Kazemi’s mental instability, especially after her arrest for DUI.  She reportedly told a co-worker at Dave & Busters the day before the murder that she wanted to kill herself.  “My life is a ball of [expletive], and I should just end it,” Kazemi said the night of the murder, leaving work at 10:07 p.m., eventually rendezvousing with McNair at his downtown Nashville condo.  He reportedly returned to the condo at 1:30 a.m-2:00 a.m.  Forensic evidence indicates she murdered McNair sometime later in his sleep.

            Serpas dismissed speculation that McNair and Kazemi were murdered mafia-style, only simulating murder-suicide.  Too much direct and collateral evidence indicates Kazemi possessed the weapon, had the motive and performed the act sometime in the night while McNair slept.  “There is no reason to believe Mr. McNair was murdered by anyone other than Ms. Kazemi,” Serpas told the press conference. While suicide is rarely seen as murder, the late-great American psychiatrist from Topeka, Kansas, Karl Menninger, M.D., called suicide “murder of the self.”  To Menninger, suicide was every bit as violent as homicide, despite the fact the target of the aggression was the self.  Certain groups of patients known as “borderlines” are more prone toward self-destructive acts but can, under pressure from intense envy and jealousy, commit violence and possibly murder.

                Borderlines come in all shapes and sizes.  What distinguishes this dangerous personality is they act “as if” normal, when, in fact, they’re seething with rage.  Often abused as children, sexually or physically, borderlines typically act out their rage with disturbed sexual relationships, an appealing trap to otherwise naïve men.  Glenn Close’s 1987 portrayal reveals the most extreme features, frequently disguised by what the late psychiatrist Hervey Clecklely, M.D. called the “mask of sanity,” in his classic 1988 book on the psychopathic personality.  While no one knows for sure Kazemi’s history, she was obviously filled with enough rage to pump McNair full of lead in his sleep.  As Menninger points out, turning the murder weapon on herself was a logical consequence of uncontrollable rage, revealing for the borderline the fine line between suicide and homicide.

            Recent or past high profile affairs by elected officials often involve borderline personalities, where rage and killer instincts masquerade as sexual passion.  Before successful men or women destroy themselves, they should get a bit of history before jumping into bed with any Tom, Dick or Harriet.  Professional athletes, entertainers, politicians, corporate executives and other well-heeled individuals are often exposed to borderlines seeking attention, wealth and thrill-seeking.  Rich and married with four childen, McNair fell into the borderline trap, falling for a go-nowhere, do nothing wannabe, looking for the glitz and willing to sacrifice her body to get it.  Those with money living in the fast lane would be well-advised to beware of the borderline before it’s too late.  McNair’s case unfortunately tells an old story and gives an old lesson that should have been learned.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

©1999-2002 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.