Former NFL player accused of murder set to appear in court

June 17, 2011

A man accused in the 1994 death of a wealthy Newport Beach businessman is set to appear in court Monday, records show.

Eric Naposki, 44, a former NFL linebacker, is charged with the murder of Bill McLaughlin, the husband of Nanette Ann Packard, whom Naposki was dating.

McLaughlin started dating Packard in 1991 and was financially supporting her, while she also started a relationship with Naposki, a bouncer at the Thunderbird Nightclub, according to an Orange County district attorney's office news release.

On Dec. 15, 1994, prosecutors allege Naposki entered McLaughlin's house with a key Packard gave him and shot McLaughlin six times.

Packard had a $1-million life insurance policy on McLaughlin, and stood to receive $150,000 and free rent for a year in his beachfront home, according to the statement.

Naposki is charged with murder with a sentence enhancement for murder for gain. If convicted, he faces life in state prison without the possibility of parole, the release said.

Packard is facing the same charges, according to court records. She is expected back in court for a pretrial hearing July 8.

— Lauren Williams

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