CA - Rebecca Zahau Nalepa - suicide or murder? #11

[CocoChanel]

At the time of Maxie's fall, it was an accident and no one was investigating anything. It did not come into question until Rebecca was found hanging at the same residence two days later. IMO, most of any evidence had been cleaned up and thrown out by the time Rebecca died and it became an issue.

This is what bothers me a bit, and why I was concerned early on that wealth and influence might play a role. Even if it was explained as an accident, I would expect some kind of investigation. A 6 year old was brought to the hospital in grave condition. Wouldn't Child Protective Services have gotten involved immediately? I have heard of parents and caregivers being investigated for far less serious injuries than MS presented with. Why wasn't a red flag raised right away? Was it because of the Shacknai name?

 

[sdcali]

Did anyone notice any red pieces of rope on the floor of the guest bedroom? Where the ends of the rope frayed where it was cut? If you cut a rope, doesn't it leave fragments behind that come from the rope? I would expect to see small pieces of red fibers on the floor if the rope was cut in the guest bedroom. If the rope was cut somewhere else then I would expect to see red rope fibers wherever the rope was cut.

exactly! I asked that too...and it seems to me that it would be apparent on that grey carpet or on the edges of the knife, but the one in the LE photo does not show any at all. I saw none.

 

[sdcali]

I just went back and looked at all of the photos that were released of the guest bedroom and could not find a single red rope fiber on the floor anywhere. But I did notice something else that is bothering me. The plastic trash bag in the room has some paint on it and it is covering the tube of black paint. Why would the trash bag be put on top of the tube of paint? Is it possible that someone else who painted the "message" on the door used the plastic trash bag to not leave fingerprints behind on the tube of paint, the paintbrushes and the knives? I can see no other reason for it to be in the room.


http://sdsheriff.net/coronado/

good point! thanks!

 

[sdcali]

Howdy - good to see you again!

It was stated by LE that the table leg was broken when AS dragged it over to cut RZ down.

welcome back defense! Also, it was Inobu who made a point about the leg of the table being broken in the opposite direction that it was dragged in or something like that. Does anyone recall that discussion and photos? Inobu? where are you?

 

[branwynbreeze]

has this been discussed before ??

1.) The "height" of the message on the door measured from the floor approximately measures up to the "eye-level of the average American male. If you know someone who is between 5'8" to 6 feet, ask them to stand and face about a feet from a door. you will notice their eye-level is spot-on with the height of the message. The implication here is that its possible an average-height male or a tall woman wrote the message.

2.) The end of the cut rope hanging from the balcony seems to have been cut by 7 or 8 foot tall man, unless Adam stood on a ladder instead of the table. If Adam said, he stood on the table to cut her down, but if measurement of the cut end of the hanging rope shows it to be too high for Adam to reach it then I dont know what else to say...the cut rope might have been staged.

3.) its also possible, the plan of the perpetrators was to lower rebecca to the ground using the rope then bundle Rebecca into the car trunk but plans changed.

4.) according to reports, her tongue was not sticking out (Supposedly a characteristic of hanging victims is their tongue is sticking out.) can anyone verify ??

Excellent questions, I want answers to them, as well.

I think I can answer #4, she was gagged with shirt.

 

[branwynbreeze]

Did LE ever say anything about the candle found outside by table?

 

[lauriej]

But there was a lot of extra length. Much more than necessary if all she needed is tighten with. Why would she want a piece that long hanging around especially considering she had to hop on bound feet? I would think it could have easily tripped her.

..i actually tied up my daughter's ankles today...( with a skipping rope, it didn't knot that well so we used packing tape too..)

..RZ's foot impressions are just inside the balcony-----with "toe impressions" over by the rail.

..i had also bound my daughter's wrists behind her back with tape----marked off a 24" line on our main floor balcony to have her "jump" from the line and land on her tippy-toes by the rail.

..it was VERY difficult to manouver when bound---she fell sideways again and again trying to land on her toes by the rail.

..also, with the shirt stuffed in her mouth-----RZ would have had to do that prior to binding her wrists ( i'm suprised she wasn't choking on it for the time it took to knot that rope around her wrists ) and then "hop" from the chair ( i presume that's where she would have sat to bind up her ankles ) clear across the room---with bound hands behind her back...and a noose around her neck....and the "gag" in her mouth...and the rope trailing behind her...

..this does not sound plausible to me.

 

[arielilane]

Did anyone notice any red pieces of rope on the floor of the guest bedroom? Where the ends of the rope frayed where it was cut? If you cut a rope, doesn't it leave fragments behind that come from the rope? I would expect to see small pieces of red fibers on the floor if the rope was cut in the guest bedroom. If the rope was cut somewhere else then I would expect to see red rope fibers wherever the rope was cut.

I saw none. Was it cleaned up?

I just went back and looked at all of the photos that were released of the guest bedroom and could not find a single red rope fiber on the floor anywhere. But I did notice something else that is bothering me. The plastic trash bag in the room has some paint on it and it is covering the tube of black paint. Why would the trash bag be put on top of the tube of paint? Is it possible that someone else who painted the "message" on the door used the plastic trash bag to not leave fingerprints behind on the tube of paint, the paintbrushes and the knives? I can see no other reason for it to be in the room.
http://sdsheriff.net/coronado/

Someone gathered all the supplies, rope, tape, paint, knives, etc. and placed them in the trash bag liner to the room?

 

[sdcali]

I saw none. Was it cleaned up?

Someone gathered all the supplies, rope, tape, paint, knives, etc. and placed them in the trash bag liner to the room?

It would not have been cleaned up with the evidence markers still there in the photos.

 

[MyBelle]

That's my point. CPR was REPORTEDLY started by Max's father's girlfriend. They only have her word for it. She wasn't doing CPR when they walked in. It wasn't witnessed.

I believe this is the point that has DS so upset, if indeed she has hired investigators. My take is that RN started CPR after the Officer arrived but before paramedics arrived. Wasn't it also reported that 911 instructed RN to do CPR? So why wasn't she doing it when the Officer arrived?

JMO

 

[jjenny]

..i actually tied up my daughter's ankles today...( with a skipping rope, it didn't knot that well so we used packing tape too..)

..RZ's foot impressions are just inside the balcony-----with "toe impressions" over by the rail.

..i had also bound my daughter's wrists behind her back with tape----marked off a 24" line on our main floor balcony to have her "jump" from the line and land on her tippy-toes by the rail.

..it was VERY difficult to manouver when bound---she fell sideways again and again trying to land on her toes by the rail.

..also, with the shirt stuffed in her mouth-----RZ would have had to do that prior to binding her wrists ( i'm suprised she wasn't choking on it for the time it took to knot that rope around her wrists ) and then "hop" from the chair ( i presume that's where she would have sat to bind up her ankles ) clear across the room---with bound hands behind her back...and a noose around her neck....and the "gag" in her mouth...and the rope trailing behind her...

..this does not sound plausible to me.

That rope sure was long enough to be trailing behind her. And yet as already has been pointed out, there is no sign of that on the balcony. Only two sets of footprints (if one doesn't count officer's Onefoot boot print).

 

[jjenny]

Did LE ever say anything about the candle found outside by table?

I don't think so.

 

[arielilane]

It would not have been cleaned up with the evidence markers still there in the photos.

Cleaned up before LE.

 

[lauriej]

It would not have been cleaned up with the evidence markers still there in the photos.

Cleaned up before LE.

..i think it if was cleaned up before LE arrived they would have had to vacuum to get all of the little pieces out of the carpet.

..i have no experience with cutting "marine tow rope" with a knife---but when my kids even cut craft ropes, it leaves behind a little pile of 'shavings' or tiny end pieces-----a vacuum works best to get them cleaned up.

 

[MyBelle]

I absolutely agree with everything you have written.

What I dont agree with is this:

"Becky was extremely close with Max. They loved each other very, very much. Dina was jealous of that relationship between her son, and Becky,” Mary Zahau tells RadarOnline.com exclusively. “Max would spend so much time with Becky and then go home and tell Dina how much he loved Becky. If there was a school function or Max had a soccer game, Dina would sometimes demand that Becky not be there,"

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusiv...get-jonah-shacknai-s-ex-wife-dina-says-sister

Neither, Dina nor Jonah Shacknai have spoken out publicly in the media. They have not said one disrespectful statement against Rebecca nor her family.

These statements made by Rebecca's sister have got to cause even more pain for DS who has lost her only child.

imo

ITA. I also think it is very disrespectful to Max, the victim. RN didn't go home with him so how would she know what he told his mother? Her sister wasn't there yet she is stating second-hand hearsay as fact and that isn't fair to Max or his grieving Mother.

JMO

 

[SophieRose]

..i think it if was cleaned up before LE arrived they would have had to vacuum to get all of the little pieces out of the carpet.

..i have no experience with cutting "marine tow rope" with a knife---but when my kids even cut craft ropes, it leaves behind a little pile of 'shavings' or tiny end pieces-----a vacuum works best to get them cleaned up.

In order for this "perp" to have done all this, he/she must have had a list and really planned it out. As much thinking as it took to be a suicide, it took just as much forethought to be a murder. Plus the addition of making sure there was no evidence left behind.

Maybe it wasn't music that was heard at 1-1:30 am but a vacuum cleaner.

 

[SophieRose]

I believe this is the point that has DS so upset, if indeed she has hired investigators. My take is that RN started CPR after the Officer arrived but before paramedics arrived. Wasn't it also reported that 911 instructed RN to do CPR? So why wasn't she doing it when the Officer arrived?

JMO

According to http://www.thehinkymeter.com/2011/09/10/rebecca-zahau-case-max-shacknai-autopsy-review/ Max's injuries were fatal once he fell and no one could save him, so CPR wouldn't have saved him. I think DS may have more questions about how he fell and how long he went unsupervised.

 

[Drj]

Good Morning fellow sleuthers!

After reading all the posts last night to catch up, I am having trouble with the LE scenario for Maxie. I get that he could have tripped over Ocean, and maybe what Rebecca remembers is that he yelled "Ocean!" as he fell over the bannister. I can imagine that he might have called out as the dog darted in front of him.

I doubt if he were on the scooter upstairs, that it would have launched over the railing. I think it would have been left upstairs.

The problem I have with the LE scenario is how far he launched, turned, hit the opposite bannister and bounced off landing face down (and bringing down the chandelier too). I don't believe foul play was involved in his fall, but I do have a lot of issues with the way LE presented the mechanics of his fall.

I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child or a sibling, and more so in the manner that MS and RZ lost their lives. Then, on top of it, to not have the answers that will bring closure. We all have the benefit that we are able to think clear headed without the pain of grief to cloud our focus. I hope, through our collective theories and sleuthing, we can help both families.

I am still puzzled with this: the ME determined that he landed face first on the ground. Rebecca found him and had to turn him over onto his back to begin Rescue Breathing/CPR. When the EMT's arrived he was ALREADY MOVED onto his back...she had already flipped him over...YET the scooter was noted as being on his shin (right shin in one official report and left shin in another report...(that part is confusing enough) However, when the EMT's arrived they stated he was on his back AND the scooter was lying on his shin. My concern/point is how the scooter ended up on Maxie's shin AFTER he was found by Rebecca and turned over onto his back. Why would it be on his shin at that point? Would she have any reason to place the razor on his shin after he was moved onto his back to perform CPR? Does not add up...IMO
WHY would Rebecca place the scooter on his shin after she turned him over? If she did not place the scooter on his shin, how did it get there? Imagine how confusing this would be for DS and JS to comprehend...it does not add up...I hope I have explained this clearly...any ideas to help clarify...very strange...IMO it lends itself to a staged scenario..

 

[SophieRose]

I am still puzzled with this: the ME determined that he landed face first on the ground. Rebecca found him and had to turn him over onto his back to begin Rescue Breathing/CPR. When the EMT's arrived he was ALREADY MOVED onto his back...she had already flipped him over...YET the scooter was noted as being on his shin (right shin in one official report and left shin in another report...(that part is confusing enough) However, when the EMT's arrived they stated he was on his back AND the scooter was lying on his shin. My concern/point is how the scooter ended up on Maxie's shin AFTER he was found by Rebecca and turned over onto his back. Why would it be on his shin at that point? Would she have any reason to place the razor on his shin after he was moved onto his back to perform CPR? Does not add up...IMO
WHY would Rebecca place the scooter on his shin after she turned him over? If she did not place the scooter on his shin, how did it get there? Imagine how confusing this would be for DS and JS to comprehend...it does not add up...I hope I have explained this clearly...any ideas to help clarify...very strange...IMO it lends itself to a staged scenario..

Perhaps the scooter was up against the back stairwell and when she turned him the scooter fell on his shin, or she accidentally hit it when doing CPR and it fell. I just have a hard time that she can't remember if he was face-up or face-down. If his face went smack into the carpet as LE present it, he would have to say "Ocean" after she turned him over or did he say it into the carpet.

 

[belimom]

..i actually tied up my daughter's ankles today...( with a skipping rope, it didn't knot that well so we used packing tape too..)

..RZ's foot impressions are just inside the balcony-----with "toe impressions" over by the rail.

..i had also bound my daughter's wrists behind her back with tape----marked off a 24" line on our main floor balcony to have her "jump" from the line and land on her tippy-toes by the rail.

..it was VERY difficult to manouver when bound---she fell sideways again and again trying to land on her toes by the rail.

..also, with the shirt stuffed in her mouth-----RZ would have had to do that prior to binding her wrists ( i'm suprised she wasn't choking on it for the time it took to knot that rope around her wrists ) and then "hop" from the chair ( i presume that's where she would have sat to bind up her ankles ) clear across the room---with bound hands behind her back...and a noose around her neck....and the "gag" in her mouth...and the rope trailing behind her...

..this does not sound plausible to me.

Great post and experiment... I've also wondered about the shirt in the mouth.