Rebecca Nalepa - suicide or murder? #1

[vlpate]

Yeah, this seems plausible.

I wonder why anyone would make such a dramatic exit - I mean the hanging would seem enough for her purposes - unless she wanted it to look like murder. Staging maybe.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Yes, I know in suicide, but I think it's rare in murder...no?

Oh, I am sorry. I misunderstood you.

I would think so.

But I would think it has been done before but it would be rare as you have said.

IMO

 

[Dum-Dum Sucker]

Sgt Roy Frank on Vinnie refused to answer the question if there was a party.
He just said something they were looking into.......
After all this time they still don't know ??? I call BS

IMO

Sgt Frank was really evasive when Vinnie asked about the rumors of a party Tuesday night. The Sgt did acknowledge, IIRC, that there are definitely rumors about a party that night.

And he skirted the issue by saying something like, the definition of a party is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

[mrsu]

Seems that the daughter GS attends <modsnip> School. I found her linked in page and also a FB group that I mentioned earlier. Upon further inspection of those in the group, most were from Phoenix and many also listed <modsnip> School as the school they were attending. So was she living with the father in AZ, possibly that is the reason she was with Rebecca at the Coronado home? Questions I have are why all of a sudden is she back in SC, if that's true. And where was the brother during this time??

ETA: GS is going to be a sophomore in HS, that would be older than 14, no?

 

[BrownRice]

His ex got their home in AZ in the divorce, plus she owns a home in Coronado, a few blocks away from Jonah's "little beach shack" so I'd guess she splits her time between AZ and CA, and that they shared custody of Max.

All of their connections to special needs children is interesting indeed. Makes one wonder if Max, or one of his other kids, fell into one of those categories.

Do you happen to have the link that shows how Adam is connected to special needs causes? TIA

I don't think so. I think it's just his connections in the community per the quote below (in this interview, he was 43, so obviously it's dated):

Shacknai says that of the charitable efforts with which he's involved, he gets the most satisfaction from those that help children. He became involved with SARC through his friendship with Denise Resnick, SARC'S founder and the mother of an autistic child.

"Knowing Denise and her family, (including) her autistic son, Matthew, gave me a strong sense that there was an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution," Shacknai says.

http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/000128/giving.shtml

 

[IzzyBlanche]

Isn't murder by hanging pretty rare?

I would think so.

However, bear in mind that no COD has been released.

So it's possible she was murdered some other way and the killer tried to stage it as a suicide by hanging.

 

[marypretzels]

Thanks for the link.

Looking at the photo of the staircase, plush carpeting makes it even more difficult for me to believe Max died from that fall. There's more to this story, imo.

I think this picture was from 2005 and I believe I saw a newer picture with floors that looked like marble.

 

[obmama]

The Washington Post reported this evening that the girl at the home during the son's accident was no relation...? On HLN this evening she is identified as his sister.
.

"When Max fell down the stairs, Zahau was at home with a 13-year-old girl whom authorities won’t name but was not related to the Shacknais."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...erious-death/2011/07/19/gIQAqTLROI_story.html

Thanks for the info. It's a detail I mentioned in an earlier post, and one I've been very curious about. No other item in this story has been so inconsistent and conflicting, both between LE agencies and media reports.

It causes enough attention to be questionable. Especially, when the girl posted his death in Facebook, two days before his parents made a public announcement. She compromised the family's privacy.

I posted the quote and link, if anyone is interested.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

why all of a sudden is she back in SC, if that's true.

ETA: GS is going to be a sophomore in HS, that would be older than 14, no?

respectfully snipped

1. Maybe the kids live primarily with their dad during the school year and primarily spend summers with their mother.

2. I was (admittedly an anomalous) 14 as a sophomore. Of course, that was back when the cafeteria served brontosaurus burgers (raw!) for lunch, so I have no idea how things are today, but I don't think the age of a student, especially one attending a private school, is necessarily indicative of exact age.

 

[obmama]

I'm shocked hanging is so common with women (more common with men, as is suicide, but still not unheard of).

Quite contrary to what the forensic psychologist, who put in his two cents in this case said, and whose opinion is "staged suicide", in other words, murder. The scary thing is, people in his business are often professional court witnesses, and their theories can be mistaken as fact.

 

[anneinchicago]

You know, usually one can find on Topix or other blogs some type of rumors or information whether true or not. I can't find anything about this!

Is there a biography of any of these people anywhere besides Wikipedia?

It is odd that none of the Memphis newspapers or topix seems to becovering this, especially as there is a Memphis connection.

That said:

MEDICIS PHARMACEUTICAL-CL A


EXECUTIVE PROFILE Jonah Shacknai

http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=322491&ticker=MRX:US


Jonah Shacknai

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Medicis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

http://people.forbes.com/profile/jonah-shacknai/131486

Most of everything else is more of the same.


Gift from Jonah Shacknai '78 a trove for COVE

http://blogs.colgate.edu/2011/01/shacknai-gift-a-trove-for-cove.html

A video on his starting his company:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2008/10/10/VI2008101002342.html

Can we do a facebook type link? If not, try a fb search for azcentral.com.

Graphic of Jonah's AZ. holdings

http://www.corporationwiki.com/Arizona/Scottsdale/red-slipper-holdings-llc/46321242.aspx

And the Smooze has a little on the Shacknai's background:
http://blogs.forward.com/the-shmooze/139997/

Shacknai told the paper he developed his sense of social responsibility while growing up in Manhattan. “There was a strong Jewish tradition in my household,” said Shacknai, who told the paper his parents were “early Zionist settlers in Palestine.”
The CEO said he “certainly wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had two kind parents and, while we certainly weren’t wealthy, I was given every advantage educationally and culturally, and strong values to contribute and succeed.” Shacknai also admitted to being “deeply superstitious”.

And more on his background:
http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/000128/giving.shtml

 

[scorekeeper]

Seems that the daughter GS attends <modsnip> School. I found her linked in page and also a FB group that I mentioned earlier. Upon further inspection of those in the group, most were from Phoenix and many also listed <modsnip> School as the school they were attending. So was she living with the father in AZ, possibly that is the reason she was with Rebecca at the Coronado home? Questions I have are why all of a sudden is she back in SC, if that's true. And where was the brother during this time??

ETA: GS is going to be a sophomore in HS, that would be older than 14, no?

she may be close to turning 15....sophomore's usually get their driver's license

 

[4Jacy]

I would think so.

However, bear in mind that no COD has been released.

So it's possible she was murdered some other way and the killer tried to stage it as a suicide by hanging.

I agree with you Izzy, however, dumb and stupid on the murderer's part. AND, it was a murder!!

 

[jjenny]

Weren't her hands bound behind her? How could she use her teeth .... I'm just trying to picture it...

I don't see it either. How is someone going to tie an extension cord with their teeth?

 

[Lovejac]

How so? A witness to her death? That makes no sense to me, Linda.

imo

the author of that article responds to a comment from a reader asking the same ?

Comments (4)
roger
7:27am on Monday, July 18, 2011

Dina is a witness to Zahau's death....is that a missprint? How could that be given Zahau and Adam were suppoedly only ones at mansion property that Tues/night -Wed morning.

Log in to reply Jennifer Vigil
9:34am on Monday, July 18, 2011

Detectives have labeled Dina a witness, yes, under questioning from the media, to distinguish between witness and “person of interest” or suspect. They have also labeled Jonah and Adam as witnesses. That doesn't necessarily mean the people talking to investigators were present at the scene. Only Adam and Rebecca have been named as having been on the property that night. Thanks for your question.

 

[anyoldtime48]

It is odd that none of the Memphis newspapers or topix seems to becovering this, especially as there is a Memphis connection.

That said:

MEDICIS PHARMACEUTICAL-CL A


EXECUTIVE PROFILE Jonah Shacknai

http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=322491&ticker=MRX:US


Jonah Shacknai

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Medicis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

http://people.forbes.com/profile/jonah-shacknai/131486

Most of everything else is more of the same.


Gift from Jonah Shacknai '78 a trove for COVE

http://blogs.colgate.edu/2011/01/shacknai-gift-a-trove-for-cove.html

A video on his starting his company:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2008/10/10/VI2008101002342.html

Can we do a facebook type link? If not, try a fb search for azcentral.com.

Graphic of Jonah's AZ. holdings

http://www.corporationwiki.com/Arizona/Scottsdale/red-slipper-holdings-llc/46321242.aspx

And the Smooze has a little on the Shacknai's background:
http://blogs.forward.com/the-shmooze/139997/




And more on his background:
http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/000128/giving.shtml

Just adding what little I've found on Adam that hasn't come out of recent media reports.

http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=509712

 

[elementry]

His ex got their home in AZ in the divorce, plus she owns a home in Coronado, a few blocks away from Jonah's "little beach shack" so I'd guess she splits her time between AZ and CA, and that they shared custody of Max.

All of their connections to special needs children is interesting indeed. Makes one wonder if Max, or one of his other kids, fell into one of those categories.

Do you happen to have the link that shows how Adam is connected to special needs causes? TIA

Dina Shacknai's a clinical psychologist by profession. Here is an article she published, or rather a link to buy it:

<modsnip>

An article from: Education & Treatment of Children: Lisa M. Elder, Linda C. Caterino, Janet Chao, Dina Shacknai, Gina De Simone: Books
for children with Asperger Syndrome.: An article from:
Education & Treatment of Children: Lisa M. Elder, Linda C. Caterino, Janet Chao, Dina Shacknai,
Gina De Simone: Books

The efficacy of social skills treatment for children with Asperger Syndrome.: An article from: Education & Treatment of Children

 [Digital]
Lisa M. Elder (Author), Linda C. Caterino (Author), Janet Chao (Author), Dina Shacknai (Author), Gina De Simone (Author)

 

[anneinchicago]

From his mother, Selma's, Obit:

Father Gideon, living still in Suffern NY. Owned New England Coating Inc. Mother died of cancer in 1999. Mother was an educator and therapist. Adam and Jonah were their only children.

Not posting the link to the obit as it lists her grandchildren's names.

 

[4Jacy]

QUESTIONS:

1) Where were the maids?

2) Where was the butler?

3) Where was the cook?

4) Where was the gardener?

5) Where was the "pool guy?"

Come on folks, with that much $$$$$, YOU HAVE HELP...

 

[elementry]

Dina Shacknai's a clinical psychologist by profession. Here is an article she published, or rather a link to buy it:

Amazon.com: The efficacy of social skills treatment for children with Asperger Syndrome.: An article from: Education & Treatment of Children: Lisa M. Elder, Linda C. Caterino, Janet Chao, Dina Shacknai, Gina De Simone: Books

The efficacy of social skills treatment for children with Asperger Syndrome.: An article from: Education & Treatment of Children

 [Digital]
Lisa M. Elder (Author), Linda C. Caterino (Author), Janet Chao (Author), Dina Shacknai (Author), Gina De Simone (Author)[/quote]


And the abstract:

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-155235288.html