MURFREESBORO, TN – Eighteen years and one month ago, the city of Murfreesboro was shaken by a senseless act of violence on Memorial Boulevard. Across from what was then Jones Carwash (now Smith Brothers), a routine closing shift at O’Charley’s turned into a nightmare when an armed intruder stormed the restaurant. The suspect fatally shot the manager, Nader Bahmanziari, stole the night’s cash receipts, and fled on foot. The harrowing ordeal, including the fatal confrontation in the manager’s office, was partially captured on a recorded 911 call.
On February 3, 2008, Murfreesboro Police arrived at the scene to find traumatized employees and a critically wounded Bahmanziari. Paramedics rushed the local father and husband to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, where he tragically passed away during the early morning hours of February 4, 2008. As detectives processed the restaurant, patrol officers scoured the parking lot for clues. Their quick work led them to a vehicle that didn’t belong to any staff members—a discovery that became a pivotal break in the case…
Detective James Abbott, part of the MPD team that worked the case, noted that because the car was left behind, the shooter likely fled on foot. While an initial search in the dark yielded no results, the break of dawn brought new focus to the exterior of the property. Starting near a roll of duct tape found along the back fence, investigators followed a trail of dropped cash leading to an abandoned home on North Maple Street, situated directly behind the business…..