Woman’s arraignment delayed

A Ladera Ranch woman accused of hatching a murder-for-profit scheme against a wealthy Newport Beach single father in 1994 is scheduled to be arraigned with her accused accomplice Thursday.

Nanette Ann Packard McNeal, formerly Nanette Ann Johnston, 43, is expected to enter a plea along with Eric Andrew Naposki, 42, on charges the two killed Bill McLaughlin in 1994. Packard McNeal, who is now married, was scheduled to enter a plea Monday, but her attorney rescheduled it for Thursday. She will appear in court with her then-boyfriend Naposki, who is also scheduled to enter a plea after his extradition from Connecticut two weeks ago.

Prosecutors said one 1994 evening Naposki walked into McLaughlin’s Newport Beach home and shot him six times. Police said Packard McNeal provided him with a house key and a schedule of when McLaughlin would be home.

Authorities said Packard McNeal had been dating McLaughlin for at least a year after meeting him through a personal ad she put in the paper, stating she knew how to take care of a man who took care of her, and indeed, McLaughlin financially provided for her, prosecutors said.

What McLaughlin didn’t know, authorities contend, is Packard McNeal also had a relationship behind his back with Naposki, a former professional football player-turned-bouncer. After taking out a $1-million life insurance policy on the wealthy McLaughlin, police said Packard McNeal convinced Naposki to kill him. Prosecutors said McLaughlin had a clause in his will that gave Packard McNeal $150,000 and allowed her to stay in his home for a year rent free should he die. More than a year after McLaughlin’s killing, Packard McNeal pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $500,000 from McLaughlin before and after his death, transferring money from his accounts to hers and covering it up as business expenses at his job.

If convicted, Packard McNeal and Naposki each face life without parole.