Wrongful death trial begins. Trial coverage and discussion

[Inparadise]

rsbm
Thinking back to her dirty feet, I wonder if she escaped after her hands were tied, grabbed the knife and ran outside. All the while hiding and trying to cut the rope. She was found, strangled (ligature mark under red rope), trussed up the rest of the way and then tossed over the balcony. Ugh, too sad to even think about.

Oh, and thank you to those that clued me in about no court on Fridays!

My guess is that she ran out to the large deck adjacent to the master bedroom: at the time, the surface was a black tar-like substance. It has since been "renovated" and covered with tiles. The location of the property is in the flight path of aircraft landing at North Island Naval Air Station, and there would have been a substantial amount of dirt on the surface because of this. This all makes sense of why some of the neighbors heard her cry out for "HELP" that night.

 

[Emi]

Hey folks do you know where I can find the Dateline episode on this case

 

[Redhead sleuth]

Two years ago, I parked in front of this home to take a walk. Imo, very eerie and unloved. I wanted to look it over and was just as I thought.

 

[kay74]

I hope during his 2020 interview, JS explains why he LIED about his message to Rebecca the night she was murdered. Max was improving at that point, not deteriorating. So why did you lie?

'

Do you think he might have did this to make Rebecca feel bad.

 

[nanwv]

Is this the first time Adam's performance been shown? I don't recall seeing it during the murder's heyday. In fact, I think they were trying to hide anything to do with him. AS &JS are an interesting duo - two extremes of the same guy.

 

[kittychi]

I hope during his 2020 interview, JS explains why he LIED about his message to Rebecca the night she was murdered. Max was improving at that point, not deteriorating. So why did you lie?

I will be very surprised if we learn anything new from this JS interview. We'll see, but I predict that he will be very evasive and will be very skilled at coming across as a sympathetic figure, not actually lying but not telling everything either. It will be interesting to observe his manner and behavior, but I bet we won't learn any new information. Keep in mind that he will also likely be "botoxed up" (since he sells the stuff) and will probably show little emotion, too. I think he is using it as a PR stunt for his own image. It is always about Jonah. Just my hunch.

 

[Peaceful]

As I sit here reviewing all of the old information and taking in the new information that is coming out, I am reminded of what a terrible impact this case had on me personally.*** It was the first time in my life I watched an unbelievable injustice happen right in front of my eyes.* There was no way for me to negotiate it.* The evidence in this case is so abundant and obvious, the only explanation in my mind is this was not just incompetence but a true cover up.* I was already 100% convinced this was a murder and now, there is even more proof of that coming out.* How could law enforcement overlook so much evidence?* The only explanation I can come to is someone paid them off to make this go away.* It is frightening to have to face that this kind of stuff really happens and as mentioned by inparadise, I can't help but think the jury is vulnerable to manipulation.* I don't think there is a bottom to how low these people will go and the money available to them is endless.* We are not talking about millions of dollars.* We are talking about a billions.* I can only pray that justice comes.* It's been a long wait for everyone who has watched this unfold.* I believe there are many people who were involved in the cover up and I hope all of them are held accountable for their roles in delayed justice.* Nothing would make me happier than to see those involved behind bars.

A reminder to all California voters, some of the key players who I believe at the very least turned a blind eye to this are up for reelection very soon.* Make sure you know who you are voting foe.*

This is all my personal beliefs and opinions based on my understanding of the facts presented.

SO GOOD TO SEE YOU KZ!* One of my personal sleuth heroes!* 💗

 

[kay74]

Did they ever find empty bottles of alcohol in the guest house Adam was staying in? The reason I asked is because people who are drinking do not remember what they did when drunk. The nautical knots on Rebecca's rope, which Adam knew how to make and his somewhat spaciness makes me wonder if he did this when drunk and doesn't remember, or maybe his spaciness is part of his personality.JMO

 

[watergirl62]

I bookmarked a LOT of media links, and at the time it seemed to me FOX5 had the most and best photos and videos. I tried going to one of the links and instead of taking me there (it might be in some archive of Fox5) it brought me to a current link of "photos". Here is the link I had bookmarked, maybe somebody who has a way of searching for older links can find it. I have to leave off part of the link so it is not "clickable".
fox5sandiego.com/news/photo_gallery/kswb-photos-nude-woman-found-dead-at-mansion-20110715,0,6503880.photogallery.
I do believe they at least did have a still photo of CSI moving table.

I checked wayback machine and it appears that with all 30-something saves, the photos were removed (?). All I get is errors, no photos, and these 2 comments on all the saves.
Dunno...

 

[Peaceful]

I agree kittychi. He won't do anything that doesn't benefit his cause. I am sure his purpose is to defend his actions in defending his brother, because in my opinion, it makes him look pretty lousy. I am sure he will slander Rebecca and pretend he believes the suicide lie. I bet he will portray his relationship with his brother as buddy/buddy and bffs, even though that's just not true. I actually don't want to see his gross face or hear what he has to say. All I see is evil.

 

[Peaceful]

Kay74, there was no alcohol found to my recollection however, there was a glass of clear liquid found in the guest house where Adam stayed, the contents of which were not tested to determine what the liquid was.

 

[Imp]

Not sure if this link has been posted yet-- 59 sec clip of the fingerprint expert in court today (says it was posted 2 hours ago):

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/lo...onado-Mansion-Mysterious-Death-475576263.html

*And good to see so many familiar people here for Rebecca's case, finally at trial. I've been a bit busy in real life, but hope to follow more closely. :loveyou:

Two ahas for me from the article:

When asked about blood found on Zahau's inner thigh, DiMeo said it was likely a transfer of blood from when the handle of the knife was removed from inside Zahau.

Also:

The knob of the door to the balcony and the edge of the door both appear to have been wiped down before investigators dusted for prints, she said. “I have no other explanation for that because those are rich areas to leave prints on the edge of a door but yet there’s this giant void of a clear area,” DiMeo said.

 

[Imp]

I hope during his 2020 interview, JS explains why he LIED about his message to Rebecca the night she was murdered. Max was improving at that point, not deteriorating. So why did you lie?

I wouldn't expect any revelations from JS. Imo, the 20/20 thing is simply another aspect of the spin machine that was at work back when RZ was murdered, and has been cranked back to life now that the trial has started. I wonder if JS will be called as a witness for either side?

I'd really, REALLY like to hear from the "death investigators" as to why they took JS's word that he left a voicemail. In fact, I'd like to put the whole bunch of them on trial right along with the accused.

 

[inthedark14]

Does anyone know who took that last pic of RZ? Where it was taken? The whole having a 2 year old thing really puts a damper on my ability to follow along. TIA.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Betty P]

Two ahas for me from the article:

When asked about blood found on Zahau's inner thigh, DiMeo said it was likely a transfer of blood from when the handle of the knife was removed from inside Zahau.

Also:

The knob of the door to the balcony and the edge of the door both appear to have been wiped down before investigators dusted for prints, she said. “I have no other explanation for that because those are rich areas to leave prints on the edge of a door but yet there’s this giant void of a clear area,” DiMeo said.

BBM

I suppose the SDSO and Shacknai family would have us believe that Rebecca not only stuffed a gag in her mouth, bound herself hand and foot, put a noose around her neck and wiped down the knob and edge of the balcony door before hopping over the balcony railing. And she also took the time to wipe down the handle to the big kitchen knife.

All the new information is so helpful in filling in the blanks of this crime. It's amazing how SDSO left out just enough key details about fingerprints, blood, etc. to make their case that it was suicide.

 

[Betty P]

'

Do you think he might have did this to make Rebecca feel bad.

The contents of the message have never been substantiated. During the investigation, the news was said to be negative regarding Max's condition so LE would have an excuse to say it was a motive for her to commit suicide. In reality, it's unknown what information the message included, if any. It's this incident that indicates JS may have actively participated in the cover up of RZ's death, as he's the one who told LE that he gave her bad news. Allegedly, LE were never able to retrieve the actual message.

 

[kittychi]

BBM

I suppose the SDSO and Shacknai family would have us believe that Rebecca not only stuffed a gag in her mouth, bound herself hand and foot, put a noose around her neck and wiped down the knob and edge of the balcony door before hopping over the balcony railing. And she also took the time to wipe down the handle to the big kitchen knife.

All the new information is so helpful in filling in the blanks of this crime. It's amazing how SDSO left out just enough key details about fingerprints, blood, etc. to make their case that it was suicide.

Has anyone checked to see if SDSO still have Rebecca's info up on their website? I haven't had the time or the heart to check that. It's probably long been taken down, especially now that Greer has uncovered so much incompetence.

 

[Betty P]

Has anyone checked to see if SDSO still have Rebecca's info up on their website? I haven't had the time or the heart to check that. It's probably long been taken down, especially now that Greer has uncovered so much incompetence.

Yes, it's still there

https://www.sdsheriff.net/coronado/

 

[Inparadise]

Does anyone know who took that last pic of RZ? Where it was taken? The whole having a 2 year old thing really puts a damper on my ability to follow along. TIA.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

My guess would be Xena..........the day she was taken to the airport to fly home, just before Rebecca picked up Adam at the airport around 4:00 pm that afternoon.

 

[cynic]

Do you know the true number of how many law enforcement agencies that have found Rebecca committed suicide? I keep reading these wild numbers like 14 agencies have investigated this case and all came away with the same conclusion.

Thanks.

As per Daniel Webb’s opening statement, “four agencies,” were involved in the investigation.
While that is true in the loosest sense, it really was one agency, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
The initial agency that got involved was the Coronado PD as they responded to the 911 call. Being a small PD they elicited the help of the SDSO. It was the SDSO that put forward the primary resources and were the driving force of the investigation. Some expertise and further resources were drawn from the California Department of Justice as well as the DA’s Office.
Statements such as the following are deceptive:
“Four law enforcement agencies investigated the death for two months and determined that Zahau committed suicide."
“Multiple law enforcement agencies conducted thorough investigations and concluded that Rebecca Zahau took her own life,”
Reading those statements, (from Shacknai’s attorney, Daniel Webb,) one might conclude there were multiple independent investigations all reaching the same conclusion. The reality is that the SDSO was the lead investigative agency - four agencies pooled their resources - one agency was in charge.