CA - Rebecca Nalepa - suicide or murder? #9

[oceanblueeyes]

I'm sorry......I would not paint over it.....wouldn't you take it down, sand it and then repaint????? My gosh, this guy is a millionaire......

Did the police paint over it......WHY?

I really dont know score.

Since this mansion was built back in the early 1900s I would think they would want to keep the original inside doors if they could.

 

[scorekeeper]

They did know. And they were scared off big time. JS seemed to find something that worked as far as keeping men away from DS. No clue what his reasons were though. IMHO, an exhibition of power.

BBM

Reasons - I don't want you (I have a younger trophy) but no one else is gonna' have you - No one is as good as I or meets my standards to be around my kid(s) - you made my life hell - so I am going to watch your every move and everyone you associate with.......what gives you the right to be happy......

My opinion only:loser:

 

[oceanblueeyes]

BBM

But LE said she wasn't exercising........had quit in January and had lost weight.

And that information is BECAUSE they didn't talk to anyone about what she had been doing the past couple of months.....only in January

So they should have checked out the tape residue.

I have a feeling whomever Rebecca was confiding in back In January still had contact with her up until the time she died.

I think they may have meant the issues with the children may have started back then and were still ongoing.......especially with the teenage daugter of JSs.

IMO

 

[jjenny]

I really dont know score.

Since this mansion was built back in the early 1900s I would think they would want to keep the original inside doors if they could.

In the photo it looked like any regular door so I presume it's not the original one from 1900. Also since police took it as evidence how in the world did it get painted over (assuming the article is correct)?

 

[scorekeeper]

This is another reasons why the LE should have interviewed her family.
After all, in a missing persons case....that is where they start their investigation.
I say put all the info out and people will help solve this case by what they saw, what they knew, etc.

I think part of the problem may be that RN has not 'seen or been with her family' much since quitting her job and devoting all her time and energy to caring for JS and his children. Yes, they talked to her regularly on the phone but we can all be "okay" during a five minute phone call.

I think they based all their information about RN's state of mind from ONE person!!

 

[jjenny]

I have a feeling whomever Rebecca was confiding in back In January still had contact with her up until the time she died.

I think they may have meant the issues with the children may have started back then and were still ongoing.......especially with the teenage daugter of JSs.

IMO

The friend is the one who supposedly had knowledge about her exercise patterns, not her relationship with GS.
The friend said she was not exercising (presumably in January?) but according to trainers at the gym she was exercising regularly all summer.

 

[scorekeeper]

I really dont know score.

Since this mansion was built back in the early 1900s I would think they would want to keep the original inside doors if they could.

I can't believe that JS (or his assistant) couldn't find an approved individual that does nothing except restore/fix historical furniture and/or doors. I'm sure the historical society has a list of approved "handymen".

I can't imagine painting over the message and then hanging the door back up.....uggggg

 

[oceanblueeyes]

In the photo it looked like any regular door so I presume it's not the original one from 1900. Also since police took it as evidence how in the world did it get painted over (assuming the article is correct)?

I don't know.

I am positive that LE has original photos taken of the message as it existed on the door when they discovered it.

When they deemed the case a suicide then all possessions taken from the home during the SW would be returned and then Jonah may have had someone come and cover up the message on the door and LE used that one to respect the privacy of the families involved.

The door looked rather old to me but of course well taken care of. If the inside doors were in good shape I don't know why there would be a need to change them.

IMO

 

[Quester]

Also, regarding hysteria during a 911 call, I believe that any 13 year old would have been hysterical under those circumstances, especially if they understood that the child wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse. I don't think that is any indication of being a witness.

How can you be absolutely certain that it was the 13 year old who placed the 911 call?

 

[CalElliot]

• My understanding that the full autopsy reports will be released today. Wondering if that's the case?
  
• Was Rebecca cremated? If so, did Jonah Shacknai pay for it?
  
• Re the released photo of the door, the "white-out" appears to be on the photo itself rather than the actual door. Other than Bremner comment, no way to know what state of door itself is.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I can't believe that JS (or his assistant) couldn't find an approved individual that does nothing except restore/fix historical furniture and/or doors. I'm sure the historical society has a list of approved "handymen".

I can't imagine painting over the message and then hanging the door back up.....uggggg

It may have been done for a 'quick fix' and he will have someone come in later on and do it properly. I don't think Jonah has even returned to the mansion since all this happened but he could have had a maintenance person come in and quickly paint over the writing.

IMO

 

[CalElliot]

One possibility that lurks in the background: Who's to say Jonah Shacknai did not have another romantic relationship going beyond RZ who could have harbored ill will toward her just as DS did?

 

[babette_gladney]

Greetings from San Diego. It's a beautiful rainy day today. Quite a lot percolating on this board. Thanks again, chasing.halos, for posting.

If JS tends to investigate the new partners of his exes, I wonder about his reaction to RN's shoplifting arrest. I can't imagine him not knowing about it. His investigations show a few things, in my opinion. Yes, a controlling nature. In light of child support, spousal support (not applicable to KJ at this point), and other post-divorce financial and real estate arrangements, he could well want to know a new bf's potential for financial manipulation. Gold diggers are not always women.

 

[IWannaKnow]

As pointed out originally by Stella5, there WAS another set of prints on the balcony, aside from the boot print and the prints at the railing.

Hmmmm. I can get the main photo to open, and the one with the boot print, but not the two closeups of the foot prints on the balcony. Note from this photo, there are two sets, one at the railing, and one right at the threshold. I wanted to blow these up to look for rope drag marks, which it would make sense to me that they would exist if RZ bound her feet together and then hopped out to the balcony, but I cannot get the other two to load the larger versions. Can anyone else get those?
http://www.sdsheriff.net/coronado/images/rz-footprints.jpg

This is the enlargement of the boot print. I do not see rope marks to the right of it. I can't see a person hopping across this balcony so 'cleanly'. And why can't I view the other photos now?????
http://www.sdsheriff.net/coronado/images/rz8765.jpg

I'm wondering about someones suggestion that a tall person could stand in the room and place Rebecca on the balcony already tied up and push her over.

What multimillionaire has a security system they don't use when their mansion faces a public beach but will hire PIs to follow their ex's boyfriends and doesn't seem to need household help???? :waitasec: Was the door to the main house unlocked? WHY??? Would you, as a single woman, stay in a big house on a very public throughfare with the doors unlocked and the security system disabled - ALONE????? I would not, no way, no how. Even with someone in the guest house....if AS needed something, he could have called or rang the doorbell.....

The blanket on the overturned chair and the dryer sheet in the photograph makes me wonder if RN was changing the bedding in that room and got surprised by an unexpected visitor who brought their stuff with them in that garbage bag.

ETA: That boot print is VERY close to Rebecca's prints at the railing. I hope that person is no longer on the force. If they couldn't understand how important that part of the crime scene is, then IMO they have no business there....unless that was on purpose.

 

[jjenny]

• My understanding that the full autopsy reports will be released today. Wondering if that's the case?
  
• Was Rebecca cremated? If so, did Jonah Shacknai pay for it?
  
• Re the released photo of the door, the "white-out" appears to be on the photo itself rather than the actual door. Other than Bremner comment, no way to know what state of door itself is.

I agree, the "white-out" is in the image and does not appear to be on the door.
That's why I think maybe the article is wrong on that.

 

[katydid23]

BBM. But if they think she was naked because she had just taken a shower, wouldn't she have washed off any of this residue in the shower? Why would she still have it on her shins at that point?

Sometimes this residue does not wash off that easily. That is why it's called 'residue' because it lingers even after the fact. I used to tape shin splints on when I ran and the residue stayed through a shower unless I scrubbed it hard.

 

[IWannaKnow]

Rebecca seemed very concerned with her appearance. I can't imagine her running around with tape residue on her legs, especially with family coming into town to scrutinize her every move. If it were wax residue, why isn't it anywhere else on her legs? If she were splinting her shins, why isn't the tape residue on the INSIDE of her calves as well????? Did she take the time to wipe the residue off the insides of her legs but not the outside???????
http://www.cbs8.com/story/15388199/autopsy-rebecca-zahau-found-gagged-with-t-shirt-in-mouth

"On the anterolateral mid left shin there is a 1 x 5/8 inch gray piece of material and two smaller similar pieces just distal to it, measuring 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch (Comment: appears similar to tape residue). On the lateral distal right lower leg there is a 1-1/4 x 5/8 inch area consisting of three horizontally oriented, parallel somewhat evenly spaced, areas of sticky, tan-gray apparent tape residue. They are situated between 3/16 and 5/16 inch apart."

Makes more sense that she was sitting in a chair, with her legs taped to the legs, or her legs were taped together......now the question is WHY?

 

[coastal]

I began reading this forum at the start of Rebecca's thread. I would like to see the thread names changed to Rebecca Zahau in respect towards her memory.

This is one of the most tragic stories I've come across in my life. I believe that both deaths were tragedies beyond intention. Not all things in life have a direct cause and effect. Unintended consequences arise from our actions all the time.

I think Max was running down the hall with Ocean to his left. As he turned to go down the stairs Ocean continued to run straight and Max tripped over the railing. The scooter was most likely at the foot of the stairs and fell over as Max came tumbling down with the chandelier. Jonah asked that Ocean be boarded up and all the kids were whisked away from Rebecca.

I believe that the message Rebecca painted on the door had to do with Max. She knew she would not be walking out of that room ever again. She painted it with her right hand and also placed her right hand on the door in a moment of contemplation. I don't think it was an accident that she did this in the 'guest' room. I'll get back to that later. She painted the message to strengthen her resolve rather than write something on paper that she could easily throw away.

'She saved him' - I think that she did what she could do after the fall to 'save' Max. The first part of the message was written to Jonah and Dina. They both blamed Rebecca as part of the natural grieving process. This was very hard on her. Not being able to see Max in the hospital was even harder. I think Jonah and Dina made the call to take Max off life-support a decision that Rebecca would have never made due to her religious beliefs.

'Will he save her' - The second part of the message was to Max, to his soul. It has been said many times that she believed she would go to hell if she took her own life. She was asking Max to save her own soul.

The ropes... It's clear to me that Rebecca had experience with ropes. With no disrespect, I think she shared this experience with Jonah in a very intimate way. It's quite possible that she was submissive towards him and they both enjoyed a healthy intimacy this way. This is why she decided to tie herself up the way she did - not to prevent herself from saving herself, or making it seem like a murder - this was a final loving intimate submission to the man she loved. The man that in a fit of rage may have verbally pushed her too far. Who may have told her not to sleep in his bed that night but go to the guest room.

The shirt... I believe that this was Jonah's shirt and that she often slept in it. I think she must have been feeling out of breath and hyperventilating. She wanted to have something of his close to her, but she also felt as if he was choking life from her. She put it in her mouth and bit hard with all the tears, pain, love, fear, and confusion she was experiencing.

Rebecca was a dynamic and romantic young woman. She felt she was an artist. She jumped outside to prove her devotion, love, innocence, and spirit. She did not want to hide from the world. The truth is we are all contradictions and nobody is perfect. This was not about humility or pride. She knew deep inside that her love was greater than the power or importance of this man's public and professional life. Her act was an expression of this love to each of us. In the end Rebecca wanted to say that she had no fear only love - a deeply intimate love. Sadly a love that met the tragedy of a young boy's accidental death and the anger and grief of her lover and his ex-wife.

I know this post is a departure from presenting just the facts. Some might feel that it is charged with emotion. I am writing this as closure for myself. This is what I believe now. If I am wrong and justice needs to be done - I hope all of you continue to find out what really may have happened. I also know that justice is not for men alone to judge. RIP Becky and Maxie.

What a beautiful post this is, HowLoveCanBe. Thank you for posting it, and welcome to Websleuths!

 

[jjenny]

Sometimes this residue does not wash off that easily. That is why it's called 'residue' because it lingers even after the fact. I used to tape shin splints on when I ran and the residue stayed through a shower unless I scrubbed it hard.

There are also 4 separate injuries to her head. Which LE never even attempted to explain during their presentation. It wasn't mentioned at all. One wonders why. If a hanging victim is found with injuries to her head, one would think it's suspicious so if LE is convinced it's all kosher and there is nothing to it, why did they not even mention it during the presentation?

 

[SunnieRN]

How can you be absolutely certain that it was the 13 year old who placed the 911 call?

Actually, I have no idea who actually called. I was responding to a poster who stated that one would not be hysterical if they had not actually witnessed the accident occurring.

I am not too certain about too many things in this case. I do think that anyone under the circumstances would be hysterical, whether or not they saw the actual incident occur.

I am certain that I need a lot more than conversation(s) in January to convince me that Rebecca was depressed enough to commit suicide.

I would also like to know why certain, imho, crucial evidence pertaining to Rebecca, was left out of the PC.