Rebecca Nalepa - suicide or murder? #6

[Pach]

I believe , the reason the LE has had zero press releases since the death of Rebecca is that they have reason to believe it was a murder or at least they believe it cannot be ruled out so they are trying their best to build-up the evidence.

if murder can be ruled out this early, i.e. it was a suicide, they would not be so tight-lipped about it since the case would be closed soon.

 

[Bonepile]

the blue scarf and the orange cord are trailing in the same direction....but her hair is in the opposite direction...is the blue scarf over her hair...it's kinda eerie.... score

Score: In those horribly out of focus photos it is very difficult to tell, but I think the scarf is under her chin and over her hair which is under that. I had thought I saw framing that dark hair the orange cord, but I cannot make it out for sure. We really need some slightly "in focus" photos to see it more clearly. Maybe the police will provide them when they hold their press conference, but I am not holding my breath.

 

[dasqm]

I have gone back and whited out her body which is only right as far as I am concerned ... and it highlights the point of my post more anyway.

Hopefully no one will object to my doing this. Thanks.

Prior to Bonepile's editing, Scorekeeper & Lawgirl commented on what appears to be bruising on RN's right hip as well as in and around her left inner thigh. I would speculate bruising/pooling of blood is significant. I would be interested in knowing what would cause this discoloration of skin in multiple areas to occur. Was the bruising caused before death? If so, was it because someone was on top of her torso restraining her? Was the bruising the result of a struggle? What other interactions might cause this discoloration? If the bruising occurred after/during RN's process of death...perhaps she hit the wall or was bruised if she were rolled off the balcony on her stomach. However, does it make sense bruising/pooling of blood would occur on the front side of her body after hanging? Aren't we to believe she landed in the position which is indicated by the picture (which is on her back). If bruising happened after death wouldn't she have to land face first for that part of her torso to be impacted resulting in the bruising? If bruising happened after hanging shouldn't the bruising be on her back where she landed rather than on the front of her body? I think Scorekeeper & Lawgirl were both on to something. Do you think if someone were to pinpoint/identify the reason for the bruising it would answer the question as to whether or not a struggle took place before death which would in turn rule out suicide. Although it's difficult to fathom it's not impossible that RN incurred these injuries without a struggle taking place. But how? In that case, I still think knowing how it happened would help to unravel this mystery.
In an earlier post I had a thought that I forgot to include. Although we're well past that topic now, I'd like to mention it. Perhaps, RS (or someone else) suggested RN contact Diggity Dog & have the dog taken to the kennel for boarding so that the dog wasn't around at the time of RN's passing. In other words, get the dog out of the way in order that it didn't become involved in whatever took place the evening in question. In RS's marriage to DS/DR, DS's dog became violent during their arguments and left evidence on DS/DR's body in the form of bites, scratches. Whose dog was this DS's or RN's? Remember Nicole Simpson's murder? A timeline was established as a result of the dog barking and bringing back a neighbor to assist Nicole. Whatever or however RN died by not having the dog around during that window of time we don't have any barking to identify the timeline or any bite scratch marks on anyone that may have participated in a murder of RN.

 

[4Jacy]

You must have missed it Palidine touched on the issue a few minutes afterward .( 20 posts up.)

Inobu

Yes Inobu I did and thank you. I am posting my orginal below. I knew there was something not quite right with this whole scenario. I don't think attorney Pfingst will keep his retainer, unless of course he knows people higher up then in just local government.


Orginally posted by 4Jacy

I understand that the prosecution must disclose everything to the defense, however, I do not understand why Paul Pfingst (apparently a high profile attorney) had to go to the scene so publicly, state who he was, and that he was retained by/for a member of the family to Channel News 8!! If he had to inspect the "crime" scene, he could have sent another professional and told said person to say nothing to anyone, unless of course it was to the police.

This has bothered me since it was released. It seems as though attorney Pfingst wanted to get his name out there and any publicity that went along with it. Personally, unless he is the best in the West, I'd have to fire him.

 

[jjenny]

I believe , the reason the LE has had zero press releases since the death of Rebecca is that they have reason to believe it was a murder or at least they believe it cannot be ruled out so they are trying their best to build-up the evidence.

if murder can be ruled out this early, i.e. it was a suicide, they would not be so tight-lipped about it since the case would be closed soon.

If it were an obvious suicide I think they would have declared it already.
In many other obvious cases they don't wait for the toxicology before declaring it suicide.

 

[Lawgirl]

Yes Inobu I did and thank you. I am posting my orginal below. I knew there was something not quite right with this whole scenario. I don't think attorney Pfingst will keep his retainer, unless of course he knows people higher up then in just local government.


Orginally posted by 4Jacy

I understand that the prosecution must disclose everything to the defense, however, I do not understand why Paul Pfingst (apparently a high profile attorney) had to go to the scene so publicly, state who he was, and that he was retained by/for a member of the family to Channel News 8!! If he had to inspect the "crime" scene, he could have sent another professional and told said person to say nothing to anyone, unless of course it was to the police.

This has bothered me since it was released. It seems as though attorney Pfingst wanted to get his name out there and any publicity that went along with it. Personally, unless he is the best in the West, I'd have to fire him.

I think he was genuinely retained to keep track of the investigation from the very beginning for the purposes of protecting/defending his client - whomever that person is. I think he is a high profile attorney, highly experienced trial attorney and he was retained for that very purpose. I also am on board with Inobu in that there is a reason why this investigation is very slow, and every t is being crossed, every i carefull dotted. I think if LE does not proceed cautiously, the entire case could blow up in their face. Now, as to whether there will be a correct assessment as to what happened to Rebecca, and whether justice will be served -- that remains to be seen. At some point, LE will have to address the public as to what happened to Rebecca Nalepa.

To be fair, I don't think retaining an attorney is necessarily indicative of guilt. I think that anyone who has the resources, would take a prudent step of retaining an attorney if someone died on their property. Just as there is a possibility of guilt, there is also a possibility of being wrongly accused so it is a prudent step. I would definitely do that if it were me and I had the resources -- just to be sure that I am adequately protected/defended.

 

[4Jacy]

I think he was genuinely retained to keep track of the investigation from the very beginning for the purposes of protecting/defending his client - whomever that person is. I think he is a high profile attorney, highly experienced trial attorney and he was retained for that very purpose. I also am on board with Inobu in that there is a reason why this investigation is very slow, and every t is being crossed, every i carefull dotted. I think if LE does not proceed cautiously, the entire case could blow up in their face. Now, as to whether there will be a correct assessment as to what happened to Rebecca, and whether justice will be served -- that remains to be seen. At some point, LE will have to address the public as to what happened to Rebecca Nalepa.

To be fair, I don't think retaining an attorney is necessarily indicative of guilt. I think that anyone who has the resources, would take a prudent step of retaining an attorney if someone died on their property. Just as there is a possibility of guilt, there is also a possibility of being wrongly accused so it is a prudent step. I would definitely do that if it were me and I had the resources -- just to be sure that I am adequately protected/defended.

I agree with your account in your first paragraph, however, I feel that he should have done it when News8 wasn't around.

I have often said on many threads, hire an attorney; you're dam.ed if you do and you're dam.ed if you don't. Personally, I too whould retain one.

 

[askfornina]

I agree with your account in your first paragraph, however, I feel that he should have done it when News8 wasn't around.

I have often said on many threads, hire an attorney; you're dam.ed if you do and you're dam.ed if you don't. Personally, I too whould retain one.

if someone close to/around me was murdered, i would most likely hire an attorney so fast i would probably be 1st on the POI list.

 

[Linda7NJ]

I haven't posted for a long time here because there is no new real information. I'm just waiting.............impatiently.

 

[defense101]

I have been looking at the bruising/pooling in the pictures, maybe it pooled because for a quite period of time after death she was lying on her right side, which would then make the use of the word suspended by LE show that perhaps the death scene is in the house and the hanging was staging.

 

[Quester]

General question:

Visually, what differentiates premortem bruising from postmortem pooling? TIA

 

[coastal]

If Rebecca didn't kill herself, somebody murdered her. If Max's parents, who were both with him at Children's Hospital (11.7 miles and 17 minutes away) didn't kill her, who else might have?

Coronado Island is small. The "Village", or City of Coronado, is really small. Wikipedia says its population was 24,697 in 2010, but this is misleading, IMO. "The Village" shares the island of Coronado with NAS North Island. From Wikipedia again,

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Station_North_Island):

...Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island (IATA: NZY, ICAO: KNZY, FAA LID: NZY) is located at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay and is the home port of several aircraft carriers of the United States Navy. It is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy, Naval Base Coronado in San Diego County, California.

...NAS North Island resembles a small city in its facility content and its operations. It has its own police and fire departments, as well as advanced military security stations. It has large factory-type buildings which comprise the Naval Aviation Depot, employing 3,300 civilians, and its own commissary, Navy Exchange, and housing units. Recreation facilities include officer, chief petty officer and enlisted clubs, movie theater, golf course, tennis courts, bowling alley, parks and beaches.

...Its airfield has over 230 stationed aircraft, and its quay wall is homeport to two aircraft carriers: USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan. Additionally, the base is home to the Navy's only Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles, Mystic (DSRV-1) and Avalon (DSRV-2). The DSRV motor vessel support ships are also homeported here.

...On the southern side of the town is Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, a training center for Navy SEALs. Both facilities are part of the larger Naval Base Coronado complex.

...With all the ships in port, the population of the station is nearly 35,000 active duty military, selected reserve military, and civilian personnel.

Rebecca was a beautiful woman, and she was apparently also friendly, cheerful, and active. We know that she worked out at a gym, that she had a large, active puppy and that she lived on the beach, in the best house, in a neighborhood of very nice houses indeed. I imagine she felt completely safe in and around town, and the beach, and she probably didn't think twice about potentially dangerous strangers. In summer, especially, Coronado beaches are crowded with locals and tourists.

The number of potential murderers is a whole lot bigger than the three or four "usual suspects", IMO.

 

[justice be served]

Rebecca was a beautiful woman, and she was apparently also friendly, cheerful, and active. We know that she worked out at a gym, that she had a large, active puppy and that she lived on the beach, in the best house, in a neighborhood of very nice houses indeed. I imagine she felt completely safe in and around town, and the beach, and she probably didn't think twice about potentially dangerous strangers. In summer, especially, Coronado beaches are crowded with locals and tourists.

The number of potential murderers is a whole lot bigger than the three or four "usual suspects", IMO.

snipped by justice.

I understand what you are saying, Coastal, but I find the coincidence of Max's accident and then an unknown assailant murdering Rebecca hard to swallow within a day and a half's time. That would be the worst kind of luck in the world IMO.

 

[defense101]

General question:

Visually, what differentiates premortem bruising from postmortem pooling? TIA

I have just read a few paper on this, more than I wanted to know but this was one that I found on page 353

HYPOSTASIS AND CONGESTION
Postmortem lividity or hypostasis, which results from pooling of blood after death as a
result of gravity, gives a red/purple appearance
to the areas where the blood is pooled. Usually
there is no diffculty diferentiating hypostasis
from bruising, except where the hypostasis has
a patchy appearance, or bruising is on the back
(cadavers stored in a mortuary in a supine
position are usually found with a substantial
proportion of lividity on the back). The
situation can be compounded by congestive
changes to the body, particularly where congestion is seen in association with deaths involving
some kind of trauma.
Cases involving a mechanical asphyxial
mode of death, such as manual strangulation or
postural (positional) asphyxia, might show
areas of congestion and genuine bruises, the
sizes of which are larger than would be
expected because of the increased volume of
blood in surrounding vessels, which will escape
and contribute to the bruised area. In addition,
congested areas may show postmortem ecchymoses that resemble petechial haemorrhages.
These are often seen within areas of hypostasis.
Although it is recommended that a careful
dissection of the involved area should be
carried out to assess whether, as in the case of
a bruise, the blood has escaped from blood
vessels into the surrounding tissue, occasionally (particularly with pronounced congestion)
this can still be problematical. It is sometimes
useful to move the cadaver into another
position to allow drainage of pooled blood to a
secondary position; true bruising will remain in
the same position

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1731416/pdf/v054p00348.pdf

 

[4Jacy]

snipped by justice.

I understand what you are saying, Coastal, but I find the coincidence of Max's accident and then an unknown assailant murdering Rebecca hard to swallow within a day and a half's time. That would be the worst kind of luck in the world IMO.

I agree justice. I feel that this was a complete rage killing, to humiliate her and to punish her. If she had been stabbed with a knife, suffocated or shot, that might be something to consider. No this screams rage to me.

 

[Bonepile]

Here is another source I found this one about hanging and what happens to the body when hung ...

http://www.forensicmed.co.uk/pathology/pressure-to-the-neck/

You can also click to the right of this article and find bruising as a subheading of the information.

 

[sdcali]

Some thoughts on the "poisoning" subject raised in an earlier post:

1) Could any of the Medicis drugs be used to paralyze a subject when injected improperly? Or would any of the players have access to any other similar drug?
2) Was RN known to be allergic to anything that could have been given to her "accidentally" that impaired her?

Also regarding the scarf's direction laying in the opposite to RN's hair...it could be as if she was drug across the grass by the scarf, which when dropped was left in the direction of movement and left her hair trailing along?

Just some of my observations as I am playing catch up with all the posts. On the one hand, like everyone else, I am anxious for some word from LE, but on the other hand, if it is foul play, I want LE to have their ducks in a row for an arrest and conviction.

 

[stilettos]

snipped by justice.

I understand what you are saying, Coastal, but I find the coincidence of Max's accident and then an unknown assailant murdering Rebecca hard to swallow within a day and a half's time. That would be the worst kind of luck in the world IMO.

Someone who knew her murdered her...IF she was murdered...rage, humiliation..who would feel that way about her. Those are your suspects...and the pool needs to grow no larger until each of them are cleared.

 

[time]

Some thoughts on the "poisoning" subject raised in an earlier post:

1) Could any of the Medicis drugs be used to paralyze a subject when injected improperly? Or would any of the players have access to any other similar drug?
2) Was RN known to be allergic to anything that could have been given to her "accidentally" that impaired her?

I wondered something similar. I guess there is a whole range of possible drug questions given possible availablity.

Also regarding the scarf's direction laying in the opposite to RN's hair...it could be as if she was drug across the grass by the scarf, which when dropped was left in the direction of movement and left her hair trailing along?

Just some of my observations as I am playing catch up with all the posts. On the one hand, like everyone else, I am anxious for some word from LE, but on the other hand, if it is foul play, I want LE to have their ducks in a row for an arrest and conviction.

I have long hair ... the first thing I thought of when that was pointed out in the picture is that if I were going to hang myself or tie anything around my neck, I would never tie it over my hair. It just becomes force of habit to keep your hair from being pulled for one.

Foul play: I know others on here do not like talking about the possible suspects because they are victims also in their eyes. I tend to disagree as I would present them as close to someone who was a victim, but nonetheless. I do worry that in many high profile cases where info is hushed up and access is denied, things could be covered up. I'm not saying LE or the DA would do this in this case, but when a murder like this occurs we all know who the most likely suspect is/suspects are. I think the victim card can help elude justice in high profile cases and these people are treated with kid gloves. It's a catch22 because no one wants to be unsympathetic in situations like this. That can lead to excusing much of their behavior and not questioning results though.

 

[time]

Someone who knew her murdered her...IF she was murdered...rage, humiliation..who would feel that way about her. Those are your suspects...and the pool needs to grow no larger until each of them are cleared.

Very well said. Add to it that unless the investigators were lying, this was an isolated incident. There is no way it could be a stranger unless that person died or was imprisoned before LE said that.