NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A convicted murderer who sold a gun to Steve McNair's mistress that she used to kill the ex-NFL quarterback and herself was pursuing the young woman romantically.

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Thirty-three-year-old Adrian Gilliam was sentenced to 21/2 years in prison on Friday for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Metropolitan Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said after the hearing that text messages between Gilliam and 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi showed there was "a desired relationship" with Kazemi.

"The messages that he sent to her clearly indicate he wants to be around her," Aaron said. "He was pursuing her."

In October, CBS News reported Gilliam and Kazemi exchanged more than 200 calls more than three weeks before the murder-suicide, including 49 texts and calls the day before.

Police released a few texts retrieved from Kazemi's phone and one shows Gilliam asking if they're going to get together.

Gilliam acknowledged during a court hearing in September that he sold Kazemi a loaded 9 mm semiautomatic pistol for $100. Homicide detective Sgt. Pat Postiglione told reporters at a press conference later Friday that Gilliam said he sold Kazemi the gun for her protection because "she talked about some prowlers being in the area."

Police originally said Kazemi met Gilliam while she was trying to sell her car, and then she said she was looking to buy a gun.

Following Friday's hearing, Aaron said Gilliam lied to police during an initial interview at his La Vergne home in which his fiancee was present because he did not want her to know about his romantic interest in Kazemi.

Aaron said Gilliam eventually told police that he and Kazemi met outside a downtown Nashville club weeks prior to the deaths. Aaron said Gilliam was never a suspect in the deaths because there was no evidence he was involved.

"When it all comes down to the science of the crime scene, and a detailed analysis of the crime scene, we concluded that she killed him then kill herself," he said.

Police have said Kazemi's life was spinning out of control because of financial and other problems. They said Kazemi sent McNair a text message on July 3 to say she was so stressed she might have a breakdown and asked for $2,000 to pay bills. Texts show McNair had someone transfer the money to her.

Emily Andrews, Kazemi's former roommate, told police that McNair told her he was working on divorcing his wife so he and Kazemi could get married, according to documents also released Friday by Nashville police.

However, Andrews said Kazemi was suspicious that McNair was seeing other women.

Andrews said Kazemi was also seeing other people, including a player from the Tennessee Titans -- where McNair was quarterback -- and a Vanderbilt University football player.

Nevertheless, Postiglione said Kazemi's emotional tie to McNair led to her decision to kill him.

"I think she had her mind set on killing the man that she ... could not live without. She figured if she couldn't have him, then nobody would."

Given an opportunity to speak during the hearing, Gilliam said, "My heart goes out to the families of the victims. I have learned a lot of lessons."

He asked the judge for leniency because his family, including a toddler daughter, is struggling financially, and he said he wants to support them. The girl was among a few of Gilliam's family members who attended the hearing, including his fiancee who sobbed uncontrollably when his sentence was announced.

U.S. District Court Judge Todd Campbell said he understood that Gilliam bought the gun to protect his family and has tried to stay out of trouble since a 1993 conviction in Florida for murder and attempted armed robbery.

But, he told Gilliam, "being a felon in possession of a firearm is a serious offense."

"This very case illustrates why felons shouldn't have guns," he said. "They wind up in the wrong place, and bad things happen."

Gilliam had faced up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Gilliam Has Served Prison Time In Past

In 1992, as a 16-year-old, Gilliam was in a stolen car with three friends. When a botched robbery ended in gunfire and one person was killed, Gilliam served a decade in prison.

Those who know him say he's turned his life around since being released in 2002.

In a letter to Federal Judge Todd Campbell, Gilliam's fiancee described him as a "wonderful father" who "works hard to provide for his family and others in need."

In the past seven years, Gilliam's record has remained clear. His attorney had asked the court to consider Gilliam's rehabilitation after prison, the fact he bought the gun to protect his family after a robbery and his help to Metro police in the days following the shooting deaths of Kazemi and McNair.

His attorney wrote "without Mr. Gilliam's candor, the investigation into how Kazemi -- or some other individual -- came into ownership of the gun could have been prolonged."

Criminal defense attorney Jim Todd, who has worked on similar cases before, believed the court would not have mercy in the sentencing.

"I don't think the court is going to buy it. I think what the court is going to look at is the safety valves that were put in place for a person buying a handgun to prevent unstable people from buying it and purchasing it immediately were circumvented, and that resulted in the death of two people," he said.

The government is pointing out that Gilliam owned the gun for a year and a half before he sold it to Kazemi. It also mentioned that owning the gun was illegal, and while he may not have been arrested, he did violate the law.

For the sentencing, Campbell considered statements and letters from Gilliam's family, friends and previous employers.