Wrongful Death Suit filed Nov. 13, 2013 in California

[screecher]

Thank you, K_Z !!!

 

[bourne]

Funny, she just wants the DETAILS of their accusations. That's so horrible of her wanting details so she can DEFEND herself against the false claims the Zahaus charged her with, isn't it? What? Don't the Zahaus have answers, or have they not INVENTED them yet?

FUNNY I don't see any substantiation or proof from Dina that Zahaus "invented" anything.

Good luck finding a jury that are gullible enough to believe Dina's BS.

 

[LuckyLucy2]

FUNNY I don't see any substantiation or proof from Dina that Zahaus "invented" anything.

Good luck finding a jury that are gullible enough to believe Dina's BS.

Dina's proof will come during the trial.

Good luck finding a jury that believes rumor and speculation over forensic evidence and testimoney from the detectives that worked on the case. Maybe the jury will have a movie day and see scenes from The Housemaid as a break from DNA and fingerprint testimony.

 

[*Lash*]

(KZ notes-- a couple things are inaccurate in this article-- spelled Nina's last name "Romano" incorrectly as "Romero." Also stated RZ bound her hands behind her neck-- also inaccurate. Comments following article are interesting. One is from a former co-worker of RZ. Copy of the 9 page complaint is included in the article.)

http://www.azcentral.com/story/mone...rs-lambast-lawsuit-coronado-hanging/17803753/

The second article, azcentral, is also inaccurate. Dina DID name a suspect in Max's death. During an interview with Pat's Personal Portraits Dina publicly accused Rebecca and her sister of killing Max. Long before the Zahau family had named a single suspect in Rebecca's death.

2/21/2013 - http://ktar.com/59/1612172/Pats-Personal-Portraits-Dina-Shacknai-VIDEO

Dina Shacknai commissioned her own investigation a year after his death that concluded Max was beaten and either pushed or was thrown over the bannister. Dina Shacknai did not name a suspect, but said he was assaulted at a time when Zahau and one other person was at the home.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/mone...rs-lambast-lawsuit-coronado-hanging/17803753/

 

[*Lash*]

Dina's proof will come during the trial.

Good luck finding a jury that believes rumor and speculation over forensic evidence and testimoney from the detectives that worked on the case. Maybe the jury will have a movie day and see scenes from The Housemaid as a break from DNA and fingerprint testimony.

Freudian Slip? Detectives "testimoney". Did detectives that worked on the case get paid off?

 

[Ausgirl]

As for juries... I live ten thousand miles away from the Shacknai home. I have absolutely NO reason to feel invested in this case, on a personal basis. But if I was local, and on that jury, hearing all the details of this case for the first time? I'd arrive at the exact same conclusion I already did, on reading the details of Rebecca's obvious murder for the first time (which was that it was murder, not WHO murdered her, that came later...). I hope the actual jury have the wherewithal to do the same, see through all the blah and name this crime for what it is.

And I hope, if that's at all possible, that this court case leads to a proper, independent investigation of this crime and everyone connected to it.

 

[kittychi]

As for juries... I live ten thousand miles away from the Shacknai home. I have absolutely NO reason to feel invested in this case, on a personal basis. But if I was local, and on that jury, hearing all the details of this case for the first time? I'd arrive at the exact same conclusion I already did, on reading the details of Rebecca's obvious murder for the first time (which was that it was murder, not WHO murdered her, that came later...). I hope the actual jury have the wherewithal to do the same, see through all the blah and name this crime for what it is.

And I hope, if that's at all possible, that this court case leads to a proper, independent investigation of this crime and everyone connected to it.

Exactly, Ausgirl. And I would love to see some independent agency look into a cover-up among the SDSO crowd...BG,PP,JS,KH.

 

[Serpico]

Don't forget GARY THOMPSON and the role he might've played in this investigation with Pfingst and the Crime Lab / forensic technicians.

 

[LuckyLucy2]

I don't believe in wild conspiracy theories, and payoffs that involved the SDSO, CPO, FBI, Department of Justice, the Medical Examiner, and the California Attorney General. I believe in FORENSIC evidence, and that's what anyone on the jury will be looking at too. If the Zahaus believe all these agencies were paid off - let's see them PROVE IT...[modsnip].

[modsnip]

 

[Serpico]

Serpico - DAY 3 TRIAL
-----------------------------------------
The brash ME Jonathan Lucas stated at Gore's phony pre Labor Day Press Conference [Sept,2,2011 - Friday] that the estimated time death of RZ was somewhere between 1:00 am -3:00 am on July 13,2011 but closer to 3 am than 1 am. Of course, ME Lucas had to say that because if it was closer to 1 am then Sheriff Gore's fantasy script of the death would've been torn to shreds because RZ wouldn't have had time to do all these things [ paint message, find rope, cut rope, shower, tie rope around bed post, bound hands and feet, find a shirt to gag herself, take off all her clothes,etc.] but not surpisingly, NO mention in brash ME Lucas RZ Autopsy Report of RZ Estimate Time Of Death.

Lets examine the inexact science of time of death given that RZ was evidently in the backyard since early am and lay dead on the grass on Wed. morning,afternoon until after 9:00 pm when Lucas and his crew showed up and transported RZ's body on this summer July day in Coronado, Ca.
RZ's body over 18 hours [ if she died around 3 am and over 20 hours if it was closer to 1 am - like many think]. RZ's Autopsy was next morning at 10:18AM July 14,2011[Ann Rule - Fatal Friends,Deadly Neighbors - page 215.]
=============================================================
Decomposition
---------------------------------------
Dr.Douglas Ubelaker......Climate plays an important role in the rate of decomposition. All other things being equal, the hotter the weather, the faster a corpse decomposes. When the body of the victim is found, all efforts are made to refrigerate the remains at once [ not in this case], so that the process of decay does not confuse the inquiry into the TIME and CAUSE of DEATH.

Dr. Michael Baden..."the sooner we get the body , the more accurate we are." Dr. Baden went on to say,"heat,cold, and the prescence of drugs in the body can hasten or slow the process of decay and CONFUSE the TIME and CAUSE of DEATH.

Dr. John Meyer [ Boulder,CO County Coroner] commenting on the Jon Benet Ramsey murder. "The time of an "unwitnessed" death is very difficult
to determine with any precision, and at best is an estimate based not only on autopsy findings but also investigative information. I consider estimation of time of death to be an interpretive finding rather than factual statement , and is not this Office's practice to include this estimate as part of any Autopsy Report."

Dr. Lucas might be on the stand for a day answering questions.
============================================================================
Bits and Pieces
-------------------------------------------
*Jonah phone records shows he called at 11:48 pm on Tuesday night [July 12,2011] and call went directly to voice message where his "hearsay"
statement to Detectives indicates he was going to relay dire news on Max's prognosis yet there has been ZERO confirmation that we've been privy to substantiate the "change" in Max's condition late Tuesday night. RZ just went out to dinner with Jonah about 4 hours earlier and this supposed message was just about 12 minutes or so AFTER the neighbor lady heard SCREAMS from a woman coming from the Spreckels Mansion direction.
Also, RZ's cell phone [Samsung] with a dead battery laying on the floor just outside her room [Ann Rule - page 224].....so RZ's cell phone was useless except that calls/messages to that phone could still occur BUT if the cell phone has a dead battery then how could she have ERASED
that JS supposed message at 12:50 am - July 13,2011? Help me on this one....don't cell phones go DEAD while in use? If so, why didn't RZ just
do a "quick charge" on her phone if she was all alone in the Mansion as Gore would like for everyone to believe?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Serpico - Day 4 -Forthcoming

 

[Frigga]

I don't believe anyone was bribed or paid off... I believe people do things for all sorts of reasons and benefits that have nothing to do with "direct payments".

 

[K_Z]

I think Dr. Brad Peterson, Chief of the Rady PICU, is almost certain to be called as a witness in the wrongful death suit. Of all the depositions, his is one of the ones I'm keenly interested in.

The other interesting question is, which side will call him first?! Will he be on Dina's witness list, or the Zahau witness list?

IMO, either what he said to Dina, or the way she interpreted it, became a motive for hurting Rebecca.

I think there will be other medical professionals called as witnesses that cared for Max, too, to provide context for a motive to hurt Rebecca. The judge will have a difficult job trying to prevent Rebecca's wrongful death suit from becoming a de facto Max Shacknai case, IMO. The defense will try, IMO, their hardest to turn the case from what happened to Rebecca, to "Rebecca and/ or X hurt Max". But that could backfire, if the jury senses that the anger/ jealousy Dina felt toward Rebecca played into motive. So, it will be interesting to see how that plays out from Dina's defense attorney.

I feel pretty certain Jonah Shacknai will be called as a witness, too. But I think he will try hard to get out of it, if he can. It will be interesting to see if he supports his brother and ex-wife, and ex-SIL, if he is deposed/ testifies. I actually think he might, if compelled to testify-- just to make it all go away. I don't think there is any way to support his brother, and not support Dina and her sister. IDK. Jonah is a wild card in all this. No telling which way the wind will blow until it happens, I suppose.

Oh yeah-- Paul Pfingst, too. That will be interesting.

 

[LuckyLucy2]

KZ, do you have a link that shows Dina felt anger/jealousy towards Rebecca, or is that just your opinion?

 

[Inparadise]

I think Dr. Brad Peterson, Chief of the Rady PICU, is almost certain to be called as a witness in the wrongful death suit. Of all the depositions, his is one of the ones I'm keenly interested in.

The other interesting question is, which side will call him first?! Will he be on Dina's witness list, or the Zahau witness list?

IMO, either what he said to Dina, or the way she interpreted it, became a motive for hurting Rebecca.

I think there will be other medical professionals called as witnesses that cared for Max, too, to provide context for a motive to hurt Rebecca. The judge will have a difficult job trying to prevent Rebecca's wrongful death suit from becoming a de facto Max Shacknai case, IMO. The defense will try, IMO, their hardest to turn the case from what happened to Rebecca, to "Rebecca and/ or X hurt Max". But that could backfire, if the jury senses that the anger/ jealousy Dina felt toward Rebecca played into motive. So, it will be interesting to see how that plays out from Dina's defense attorney.

I feel pretty certain Jonah Shacknai will be called as a witness, too. But I think he will try hard to get out of it, if he can. It will be interesting to see if he supports his brother and ex-wife, and ex-SIL, if he is deposed/ testifies. I actually think he might, if compelled to testify-- just to make it all go away. I don't think there is any way to support his brother, and not support Dina and her sister. IDK. Jonah is a wild card in all this. No telling which way the wind will blow until it happens, I suppose.

Oh yeah-- Paul Pfingst, too. That will be interesting.

I would want to grill Luber as well............did he get on a plane back to Phoenix that night? IMO, he did not. I hope that Greer has obtained all the records from the airlines & car rental companies to establish the where abouts of the Shacknai teens the morning of Max's accident, and of Luber after he was dropped off at the San Diego airport.

 

[Betty P]

I don't believe in wild conspiracy theories, and payoffs that involved the SDSO, CPO, FBI, Department of Justice, the Medical Examiner, and the California Attorney General. I believe in FORENSIC evidence, and that's what anyone on the jury will be looking at too. If the Zahaus believe all these agencies were paid off - let's see them PROVE IT...
[modsnip]

The wrongful death lawsuit isn't concerned with allegations of corruption at the San Diego Sheriff Dept. If any evidence uncovered during the civil trial indicates possible wrongdoing or incompetence at SDSO, it will be up to the state AG office to investigate and the voters to take action. IIRC, no one in the Zahau family has accused officials of corruption.
[modsnip]

 

[Betty P]

Dina's proof will come during the trial.

Good luck finding a jury that believes rumor and speculation over forensic evidence and testimoney from the detectives that worked on the case. Maybe the jury will have a movie day and see scenes from The Housemaid as a break from DNA and fingerprint testimony.

That seems unlikely. There's no evidence the movie you name was the property of Rebecca, nor that she viewed it at any time. If that's the only evidence Dina's attorneys have, they don't have a strong defense.

Keep in mind, Dina, her sister and Adam Shacknai are the ones on trial here, not Rebecca. Again, that brings us to the old question, if Dina is so convinced Rebecca killed her son, why didn't she pursue a civil case against RZ's estate?

 

[LuckyLucy2]

That seems unlikely. There's no evidence the movie you name was the property of Rebecca, nor that she viewed it at any time. If that's the only evidence Dina's attorneys have, they don't have a strong defense.

Keep in mind, Dina, her sister and Adam Shacknai are the ones on trial here, not Rebecca. Again, that brings us to the old question, if Dina is so convinced Rebecca killed her son, why didn't she pursue a civil case against RZ's estate?

Rebecca's suicide copied the suicide in the movie. It was taken in as evidence. Jonah would have been questioned about The Houseemaid, and he would have known that it was Rebbeca's and that she watched it - more than once. And that information will be in the file records Dina recieves from the SDSO.

IMO, Dina did not pursue a civil case because one of the two witnesses killed herself 40 hours after Max's "fall", and the other is a juveinille and cannot be questioned.

 

[*Lash*]

LuckyLucy2,

I'm not KZ, however Dina feeling jealousy and anger towards Rebecca was included by the lawyers in the Second Amended Complaint.

ALLEGATIONS OF SPECIFIC ACTS ATTRIBUTED TO EACH DEFENDANT

13. Due to DINA’s prior incidents of confronting and threatening DECEDENT, DINA’s prior history of being unable to control her anger, her Due to DINA’s prior incidents of confronting and threatening her ridiculing and publicly demeaning the DECEDENT for allegedly causing harm and the eventual death of DINA’s six-year-old son, Maxfield, as well as her extreme jealousy over the DECEDENT’s relationship with her ex-husband, Jonah Shacknai,Plaintiffs allege, based in further part on an eye witness report placing DINA at the 1040 Ocean Boulevard residence the evening of the murder, that on the evening of July 12, 2011, DINA aggressively confronted the DECEDENT at the Ocean Boulevard residence, along with her sister, NINA. This confrontation arose from an accident the prior day when DINA’s son Maxfield fell over a second floor railing at the Ocean Boulevard residence, causing him brain damage and eventually his death on July 16, 2011. DECEDENT was babysitting Maxfield at the time of the fall.


http://media.nbcbayarea.com/documents/Zahau-Amended-Complaint.pdf

 

[LuckyLucy2]

Do you have a link to this alleged "fact", Mary and her lawyers like to keep the fact that Doug is POLICE a big secret? TIA

I could link every article Mary Zahau has been in, or every television appearance, where she has never, ever, ever mentioed that. Or I could just say it is my opinion.

 

[LuckyLucy2]

LuckyLucy2,

I'm not KZ, however Dina feeling jealousy and anger towards Rebecca was included by the lawyers in the Second Amended Complaint.

Ah yes, one of their hundred + allegations. Thanks.