The body of former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher has been exhumed from a New York cemetery at the request of his family, who hope to learn more about why Belcher fatally shot his longtime girlfriend Kasandra Perkins and then himself more than a year ago.
An attorney for the family tells the Kansas City Star they hope an examination of his brain could reveal clues to why Belcher committed the murder-suicide. At least one researcher thinks it could be linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), caused by repeated head injuries and linked to depression, dementia, confusion, memory loss, aggression and even suicide in many former NFL players
On December 1, 2012, Belcher shot the 22-year-old Perkins 9 times at the home they shared in Kansas City and then drove to the Chiefs’ practice facility where he fatally shot himself in front of the team’s then-head coach Romeo Crennel and then-General Manager Scott Pioli. The couple had a 3-month old daughter.