Discuss Max's death here - Thread #1.

[katydid23]

I've been looking at the photo of the staircase trying to imagine scenarios of what happened to Max. It is very plausible that Max somehow got the ball caught on the chandelier and he was trying to get it down. I believe there were 2 balls beside Max after his fall. If that is correct he might have used another ball to try to hit it and make the other one come loose. Perhaps that didn't work so he used something else to try to get a hold of the chandelier and pull it closer to him. The scooter? May be far fetched but lets say he tried to use the handle of the scooter, got it caught on the chandelier, and so tried to climb up on the rail. When he fell his weight, plus the scooter hooked onto the fixture, caused it to fall with the scooter. I agree that although there are codes for installing fixtures often they are not up to code and shortcuts are taken.

That sounds plausible. But if it did happen in some similar manner, then i can easily see why RN tried to distance herself from the accident.

If it did happen like that, then RN was extremely negligent. She should have known if the boy got his ball stuck on the chandelier. She should not have been in the bathroom for 20 minutes, thinking he was still sitting in the kitchen, if he was upstairs trying to get a soccer ball down from the chandelier. IMO, that is highly irresponsible on her part.

 

[CDS22]

Not if he was using the scooter while stretching and leaning precariously over the railing to knock the ball out of the chandelier and the dog jumped on him causing him to lose his balance.

He still couldn't have reached the chandelier, even if he stood on the scooter, climbed on the railing, and leaned over.

IMO

 

[CDS22]

That sounds plausible. But if it did happen in some similar manner, then i can easily see why RN tried to distance herself from the accident.

If it did happen like that, then RN was extremely negligent. She should have known if the boy got his ball stuck on the chandelier. She should not have been in the bathroom for 20 minutes, thinking he was still sitting in the kitchen, if he was upstairs trying to get a soccer ball down from the chandelier. IMO, that is highly irresponsible on her part.

Did you see the version of Max's injury according to one of RZ's sisters? It now has MS playing in the hallway instead of on the stairs.

“She did not feel responsible. She said it was a horrible accident. She said she doesn’t know for sure what happened. She just remembered that he was playing in the hallway, and she told me that she was in the bathroom, and she heard this loud crash. And so she came out running, and she said she found Max on the floor, unconscious.”

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2011/sep/14/citylights2-rebecca-zahau/

 

[deanna82437]

Did you see the version of Max's injury according to one of RZ's sisters? It now has MS playing in the hallway instead of on the stairs.



http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2011/sep/14/citylights2-rebecca-zahau/

That was a very nice article about the family. Thanks for posting the link again.

 

[CDS22]

That was a very nice article about the family. Thanks for posting the link again.

You're very welcome. The contradictons in it were interesting. I think the more they talk, the more interesting the case becomes.

 

[Plumeria5]

That sounds plausible. But if it did happen in some similar manner, then i can easily see why RN tried to distance herself from the accident.

If it did happen like that, then RN was extremely negligent. She should have known if the boy got his ball stuck on the chandelier. She should not have been in the bathroom for 20 minutes, thinking he was still sitting in the kitchen, if he was upstairs trying to get a soccer ball down from the chandelier. IMO, that is highly irresponsible on her part.

That's true. Max may have asked for help but RN could have been upset with him for playing ball in the house, refused to help him and then the tragedy happened.

 

[katydid23]

It concerns me that there have been three different versions of what RN said about where Max was when she was in the bathroom. The Z family attorney said publicly that it was a planking accident, which would imply he was upstairs and fell from the balcony.

Then the ME report had said she told LE that Max was in the kitchen last she had seen him.

And now Mary said that RN said Max was playing in the hallway. HHMMMMMMM....bothersome, imo.

 

[CDS22]

It concerns me that there have been three different versions of what RN said about where Max was when she was in the bathroom. The Z family attorney said publicly that it was a planking accident, which would imply he was upstairs and fell from the balcony.

Then the ME report had said she told LE that Max was in the kitchen last she had seen him.

And now Mary said that RN said Max was playing in the hallway. HHMMMMMMM....bothersome, imo.

Exactly. Wonder where the lawyer pulled the planking story from if we're to believe no one witnessed Max's fall or whatever it was. I hope the authorities questioned the 13 year old thoroughly.

The story has also changed as far as how often RZ was at the hospital. There are other discrepancies but they are not related directly to Max's death so I won't list them here.

IMO

 

[SophieRose]

That's true. Max may have asked for help but RN could have been upset with him for playing ball in the house, refused to help him and then the tragedy happened.

Or said to him that she needed to use the bathroom first and then would help him, and then spent a longer time in the restroom than she thought she would.

 

[CDS22]

Or said to him that she needed to use the bathroom first and then would help him, and then spent a longer time in the restroom than she thought she would.

Except that if that happened, wouldn't she admit it to the police when questioned about Max's injuries?

 

[SophieRose]

A.) It would be impossible for a child that short with a railing that high to reach the chandelier, even if he stood on the railing.

For the chandelier to swing like it did, from the center to the inside right of the stairwell, there had to be a lot of momentum. I think that's why LE thought MS was running from the upstairs hallway. There was glass found on the right side landing so it swung quite a ways before coming down.

 

[arielilane]

We have no idea what Rebecca's job entailed, or if she assisted in surgery. Maybe she did more of the pre surgery eye drops, fitting contacts etc. I asked the people I know, who work in eye clinics, and made a trip to where I purchase my glasses. None of them are cpr certified. Zero.

Thank you, SunnieRN, for staying on top of this case and always doing your homework. Your posts are a must read, innovative and informative. Thank you for all that you do.

 

[curiousjo]

I think RN told LE, she last SAW MS in the kitchen eating breakfast. After she went to the bathroom, he went upstairs,...and she may have last HEARD him running in the upstairs hallway before he fell. Seeing and hearing are 2 different things and could explain the discrepansy. It does not imply malice intent. MS was not a toddler, he was about to start 1st grade. I used to walk several blocks to school alone at that age, walked down the hall at school to the bathroom alone. The tox study was FALSE positve for benzos. I have not heard any info to suggest anything beyond a freak accident. Is there anything factual to base your suspicion?

In regards to planking-- never heard of it till this Summer when a friend posted a "plank the tank" shot. I really didn't get it at first. After this case, I asked my teen neice if she knew what planking was... and she said that some of the teens in her class were taking planking photos. Consequently, MS may have seen his teen siblings planking on the staircase, and tried to do it himself. The ball stuck on chandelier is a thought, but why would it get stuck and not roll off - and if he had a second ball then why try to get the stuck ball down... LE demo of MS running towards stairs is possible, if he tripped over dog on top of landing as he rounded the corner to go down the stairs. In the end, if it was ball stuck on chandelier or he was goofing around on the stairs for a bit, then RN may have felt grief over taking too long in bathroom and committed suicide. However, it does not make her negligent or a viscious criminal, and the two deaths are a grave trajedy.

 

[Peaceful]

I doubt JS would allow his son to do something unsafe. He was a good father by all accounts. And if we suppose that little Max was so misbehaved that he snuck a scooter into the home and hauled it all the way up the stairs, how in the world could he do that without RZ hearing him?

I'm sure the scene was staged and that the time it took to stage it was critical in getting the child oxygen, which he obviously didn't have.

I am just wondering what has you "sure" about all of this? I would love to understand better where your line of thought stems from, if you please.

 

[justice be served]

IMO the S family is not going to publicly dispute Max's death as an accident. They likely will keep their doubts or beliefs about it private. If they were to contend that his death was one of the Z family's fault, then the public would squarely believe that Rebecca's death was a revenge murder. I see them being quiet at all costs on opinions about Max's death. Probably a good call and one of the only good pieces of advice from their many advisors.

 

[Peaceful]

This is a MUST read for this topic.

Accident? Hopefully. San Diego Sheriff's stupid? Definitely. IMO

http://www.thehinkymeter.com/2011/09/09/rebecca-zahau-case-how-maxs-accident-didnt-happen/

 

[Morag]

Could there have been some swinging on the chandelier play at one time or another? I think such a thing has been shown in a childrens movie, and probably in cartoons. The chandelier could have loosened. Maybe it fell on Max, rather than the other way around.

 

[jjenny]

Could there have been some swinging on the chandelier play at one time or another? I think such a thing has been shown in a childrens movie, and probably in cartoons. The chandelier could have loosened. Maybe it fell on Max, rather than the other way around.

I just saw it in a children's series the other day. They had 3 people swinging on chandelier.

 

[Morag]

I just saw it in a children's series the other day. They had 3 people swinging on chandelier.

Google 'chandelier falls.' It happens. Cleveland courthouse, Jefferson City Mo, capitol, SC state building, Harvard Library. Disneyland (or world) Toontown....

 

[CocoChanel]

...... In the end, if it was ball stuck on chandelier or he was goofing around on the stairs for a bit, then RN may have felt grief over taking too long in bathroom and committed suicide. However, it does not make her negligent or a viscious criminal, and the two deaths are a grave trajedy.

VERY respectfully snipped by me.

THANK YOU for voicing my thoughts Jo. Both deaths are unimaginable tragedies. A 6-year-old child died in an unnatural way. NO ONE IS FORGETTING THAT. We do not understand how it could have happened. That is frightening and cuts to the core of what we believe to be the safety that should be in any child's home. And still, tragic accidents happen every day. There is not always someone to blame. It seems to be an expectation of our times that nothing bad should EVER happen, and when it does, someone must be at fault. I am troubled by the need to condemn a dead person for this horrible accident. I have actually started to believe that RZ could very well have killed herself in agony that this horrible accident happened on her watch. But I cannot see the point in villifying her, especially if she has already paid the ultimate price.