[2] When World War II began, he joined the United States Army as a private, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Judge Advocate General's Corps during four years of service.
[2] On February 17, 1965, McNamee was attacked and severely beaten in his home during a robbery,[2][3] "a tragic criminal assault from which he never recovered", causing him to resign from the court.
[1] McNamee remained in intensive care for three months before being transferred to his home, and Judge David Zenoff was appointed to fill the remainder of his term on the supreme court.
[4] A man named Phillippe Denning was arrested for the attack the following day, having ditched McNamee's stolen car in a town in Missouri and made his way to St.
[5] Denning was committed to the Nevada State Hospital pending a hearing on his sanity,[4] ultimately pleading guilty to attempted manslaughter and receiving a one-to-five year sentence.