John Pappalardo and Angelo MacDonald featured in new true crime novel Wealthy Men Only
Pappalardo & Pappalardo’s managing partner John Pappalardo and experienced trial attorney Angelo MacDonald are featured in Stella Sand’s latest true crime novel Wealthy Men Only: The True Story of a Lonely Millionaire, a Gorgeous Younger Woman, and the Love Triangle that Ended in Murder.
In Wealthy Men Only, Stella Sands – author of five other crime books including The Dating Game Killer and Murder at Yale – details the murder of Bill McLaughlin and the trial that followed more than 15 years later. McLaughlin was killed by six gunshot wounds to the chest on December 15, 1994, in his home in Newport Beach, California.
The Orange County Prosecutor’s Office accused Nanette Johnston and Eric Naposki of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of murder for financial gain. Johnston met McLaughlin after placing an advertisement for “Wealthy Men Only,” inspiring the title of Stella Sand’s recently-published book. Naposki, a former NFL player, was Johnston’s romantic interest.
Naposki reached out to John Pappalardo shortly after his arrest in 2009. Naposki and John Pappalardo were childhood friends and had kept up their friendship over the years.
Pappalardo & Pappalardo’s Angelo MacDonald represented Naposki in the trial, which concluded in the summer of 2011. Naposki was convicted of the murder, but he maintains his innocence and is currently appealing his conviction and sentence. Evidence presented against Naposki at trial was largely circumstantial, and the gun used to kill McLaughlin has never been recovered.
Wealthy Men Only is published by St. Martin’s True Crime and is available for purchase on Amazon.com.