Rebecca Nalepa - suicide or murder? #5

[Charlie09]

lauriej my theory cuts to the bone. Just based on your response to this trivial issue you would have a fit if I were to post it so to avoid the issue I just wait where as the media would say it not me and I avoid the negative backlash

Being a Sleuth is about thinking, reasoning, applying logic and deduction.

I will repeat one fact or clue however you want it...... "Two Alpha males or females cannot co-exist and do not share their young".

Take it for what it is worth and if it is true "i could care less" then there shouldn't be an issue...........

Inobu

are you posting for the media now? :waitasec:

What does your fact or clue have to do with this situation?

 

[SunnieRN]

SunnieRn I need your expertise, if I may....

But what if it was a spinal cord injury...how might the MRI timing play in there? Other than rumor...do we KNOW Max was 'brain dead'. We might...I may have missed the link...

See...if he fell from a high distance, maybe he had a spinal cord injry so high it stopped his breathing...now, they may have waited some time to see if swelling around the injury/cord would go down, and then do another MRI? Maybe the coma was induced because it was a spinal cord injury...? I know they do that from personal experience. And maybe they took so long because they knew the choice would be a child on a ventilator forever, a very high injury, bad fracture, possibly? Head injury but not 'brain dead', perhaps? Or taking him off it and letting him go...?

Just a few random thoughts...thought I'd throw them your way....

I am honestly not sure where the diagnosis of Max being brain dead came from? I have read it so much, I thought it was documented in one of the videos or newspaper articles.

If Max was truly 'brain dead' an MRI could not show that. You have a fantastic point about him having a severe spinal cord injury. It would have to be up high in the c-spine. (cervical area). It is a logical conclusion that makes much more sense.

From this article, which I have printed for my patients before:
http://www.spinalinjury.net/html/_spinal_cord_101.html

Very high injuries (C-1, C-2) can result in a loss of many involuntary functions including the ability to breathe, necessitating breathing aids such as mechanical ventilators or diaphragmatic pacemakers. Other effects of SCI may include low blood pressure, inability to regulate blood pressure effectively, reduced control of body temperature, inability to sweat below the level of injury, and chronic pain
How many people have SCI? Who are they? Approximately 450,000 people live with SCI in the US. There are about 10,000 new SCI's every year; the majority of them (82%) involve males between the ages of 16-30. These injuries result from motor vehicle accidents (36%), violence (28.9%), or falls (21.2%).Quadriplegia is slightly more common than paraplegia.

Also:

Overall, 85% of SCI patients who survive the first 24 hours are still alive 10 years later. The most common cause of death is due to diseases of the respiratory system, with most of these being due to pneumonia. In fact, pneumonia is the single leading cause of death throughout the entire 15 year period immediately following SCI for all age groups, both males and females, whites and non-whites, and persons with quadriplegia.

Now it gets sticky. If Max did have a high C-spine injury, vs being 'brain dead', the MRI makes sense, but the quickness that JS and DS used to make the decision to terminate life support for a 6 year old, DS's only child, shocks me. People with SCI, often show improvement up to 18 months after the injury. If there was enough of a reason to do an additional MRI, how did the parents move so quickly from diagnosing and treating, to termination of life support? This is truly something I have not seen before. Not with a child.

It often takes weeks to years for parents to agree to let their childs life end. I am not making judgements here folks, it is just that in 19 years, I have seen a lot of anger, grief and despair in situations such as this. Even with DS being a psychologist, she is not a medical doctor (psychiatrist). Her medical knowledge would be different than a physician. She could maybe look at the situation more in a clinical way, but she was still Max's MOM. Again, no judgements here, just surprise.

Remember the 'rest in peace Maxie' message on GS facebook? That was before his 'death' or impending death, had been announced. Remember on an early thread, we were asking if he had passed and it hadn't yet been announced?

Does this have anything to do with anything? I'm truly not sure, but there is a lot in this case that makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Many parents feel that stopping life support is 'killing' their child. JS and DS worked through the denial stage VERY quickly imho. It is surprising that they both were in agreement on the course to take.

A little o/t here, but my eldest son, who isn't nearly as rich as JS but has a security system, and when I go over to his house (to be there when my precious g/d gets home from school,) I have to actually open the door, throw my purse on the floor and run to turn off the alarm. I'm fast, but I've never made it before the alarm goes off!! It shots, "THIS IS THE POLICE, WE HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF A HOME INVASION, WE WILL SURROUND THIS HOME WITHIN FIVE MINUTES. LEAVE NOW." And it repeats it over and over and it's VERY loud. Also, with the message, in the backround are sirens going off VERY loud. I'm sort of glad my g/d does not need me there anymore. I'm a little old for all this stuff!

My gosh, I thought our alarm system was 'over reactive'. We got a key fob due to it being too quick to alarm. We arm the alarm after closing the door with the key fob. Upon our return we turn off the alarm with the key fob, prior to opening the door. Much less stress!!:floorlaugh:

 

[4Jacy]

I am honestly not sure where the diagnosis of Max being brain dead came from? I have read it so much, I thought it was documented in one of the videos or newspaper articles.

If Max was truly 'brain dead' an MRI could not show that. You have a fantastic point about him having a severe spinal cord injury. It would have to be up high in the c-spine. (cervical area). It is a logical conclusion that makes much more sense.

From this article, which I have printed for my patients before:
http://www.spinalinjury.net/html/_spinal_cord_101.html

Very high injuries (C-1, C-2) can result in a loss of many involuntary functions including the ability to breathe, necessitating breathing aids such as mechanical ventilators or diaphragmatic pacemakers. Other effects of SCI may include low blood pressure, inability to regulate blood pressure effectively, reduced control of body temperature, inability to sweat below the level of injury, and chronic pain
How many people have SCI? Who are they? Approximately 450,000 people live with SCI in the US. There are about 10,000 new SCI's every year; the majority of them (82%) involve males between the ages of 16-30. These injuries result from motor vehicle accidents (36%), violence (28.9%), or falls (21.2%).Quadriplegia is slightly more common than paraplegia.

Also:

Overall, 85% of SCI patients who survive the first 24 hours are still alive 10 years later. The most common cause of death is due to diseases of the respiratory system, with most of these being due to pneumonia. In fact, pneumonia is the single leading cause of death throughout the entire 15 year period immediately following SCI for all age groups, both males and females, whites and non-whites, and persons with quadriplegia.

Now it gets sticky. If Max did have a high C-spine injury, vs being 'brain dead', the MRI makes sense, but the quickness that JS and DS used to make the decision to terminate life support for a 6 year old, DS's only child, shocks me. People with SCI, often show improvement up to 18 months after the injury. If there was enough of a reason to do an additional MRI, how did the parents move so quickly from diagnosing and treating, to termination of life support? This is truly something I have not seen before. Not with a child.

It often takes weeks to years for parents to agree to let their childs life end. I am not making judgements here folks, it is just that in 19 years, I have seen a lot of anger, grief and despair in situations such as this. Even with DS being a psychologist, she is not a medical doctor (psychiatrist). Her medical knowledge would be different than a physician. She could maybe look at the situation more in a clinical way, but she was still Max's MOM. Again, no judgements here, just surprise.

Remember the 'rest in peace Maxie' message on GS facebook? That was before his 'death' or impending death, had been announced. Remember on an early thread, we were asking if he had passed and it hadn't yet been announced?

Does this have anything to do with anything? I'm truly not sure, but there is a lot in this case that makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Many parents feel that stopping life support is 'killing' their child. JS and DS worked through the denial stage VERY quickly imho. It is surprising that they both were in agreement on the course to take.





My gosh, I thought our alarm system was 'over reactive'. We got a key fob due to it being too quick to alarm. We arm the alarm after closing the door with the key fob. Upon our return we turn off the alarm with the key fob, prior to opening the door. Much less stress!!:floorlaugh:

Glad you can laugh, Sunnie. I'm just glad it's over!! OH, FORGOT TO TELL YOU, they still were robbed. One day they forgot to set the alarm!!!

 

[SunnieRN]

Glad you can laugh, Sunnie. I'm just glad it's over!! OH, FORGOT TO TELL YOU, they still were robbed. One day they forgot to set the alarm!!!

My son in law picked out this system. To be honest, I don't even know how to set it without the key fob. ;-) Shame a system like that couldn't remind them to 'arm' it!!

Sorry, back OT.

 

[Soulmagent]

I had to come back and glad I did.

Bonepile that's the images I saw one time and they disappeared. I could not find them anywhere. I looked for a day or so. Good find!

Hey if you can't find what you need go to the bonepile.

The is where the assailant(s) screwed up.

Look at the position of the head. If AS carried her from the balcony her head would be closer to the table at the opposite angle. Envision a man carrying a women. His right arm under her knees, left arm supporting the head/shoulders. Even if he walked backward the cord would have trailed from the balcony instead of the right.

Looking at the image
His path would have been upper left to lower right. Her head and feet angled in the other direction. In all actuality he carried her from upper right of the picture to lower left direction and the cord drug behind.

That cord is saying we came from over there.

The table forced the deviation in the path onto the grass. The knees are apart and should have fell together indicating AS put her down post RM.

His account is not accurate with the visual evidence in the scene.

The rope on the lower rung or below the balcony rung does not make sense.
If she hung her self she would have had to jump directly into the wall

That is why I have been claiming "staged scene" since the beginning.

This case is about all the wrong personalities clashing together and causing a train wreck.

Now that I could see the image again up it to 93%

Oh,
I don't think EMT touched her. she was in RM and they saw it. If not they would have position her body to stabilize her.... being that we see her in that position I don't think they touch her. Look at how far everything is from her. I would guess they did a visual and backed off.

This is one thing I'll say you may hear some deep stories that may sway your opinions. I'll rate that comment at about 70% possibility.

One thing for sure all of you guys are resourceful.

Inobu

I never heard any other description from AS or media except her cut her down before EMS got there and she was warm to the touch.
I cant envision him moving her that way because I was under the impression he cut her down so I would expect a free fall from the hanging position as he would not have been able to cut down and her and carry like you are saying. He cut and she fell. We dont even know what he used to "cut'' her down but he may have just pulled the cord to snap it verses cutting it. They are not easy to snap but with 110 punds hanging from one and the tension tight I dont think it would be impossibe or really hard.

The table plays a key role in his cutting her down (in my maybe it happened like this story) other wise he would not have been able to reach a place on the cord to cut the swinging body and have all the slack (unless one jerk snapped the cord). The table breaks on his first try forcing him to set the table back up . When the cord was cut the tension in the cord swings back over his right shoulder getting caught on and him, Rebecca's body falls face down to the ground with the top of her toes /feet barely on the walkway about where your white mark is . AS turns left to get off the table and the cord slides away off his right shoulder as he jumps down. He then takes her left shoulder and leg and does a lift- roll to get her over to the position she is now in.
The legs could be drawn up in that position due to lots of things. One could indicate a struggle before death which would effect how RM set in, another could be if she was using her legs to squat on a railing until her medication hit her and she "fell" (I know of a case where a guy drank with his noose in his rafters until he passed out and hung himself, and another who used his lawn mower to knock himself out so he could fell from the shop rafters) Also RM might not have been set in and her spine might have snapped which could be the reason the contour seems off in the photo.


Here is one interesting link that may help understand head positions in hanging victims . Or back up Some of my RM claims. Or just plain out amuse you.
http://www.enotes.com/forensic-science/hanging-signs

 

[Bonepile]

I was going to post a First Person scenario of what Rebecca might be thinking just before what happened, but it was simply too much speculation and was too hard to take reading it so .. here are my thoughts on all of this if it were suicide … and that is a VERY BIG IF …

Rebecca finds electrical cord (two cords) in the garage or basement. She hauls one upstairs to the room with the balcony and leaves the other outside next to the walk.

She opens the balcony doors and ties one end of it to the balcony base railing or to a heavy piece of furniture. She lowers the cord over the balcony edge tucking it under the balcony railing.

She strips off her clothes (and where by the way are they left?) and goes downstairs and outside. Did the door she just exited through lock behind her?

She pulls the table over to be under the balcony. Is it heavy? Is it making too much noise?

She wonders if it will support her weight? She climbs up on it. It does.

Did the security lights come on if there are any or is she doing all of this in total darkness?

She knots the hanging cord, tests it by pulling hard on it and loops it around her neck, or did she first bind her feet and then her hands behind her back? Did she use a second electrical cord to do this or the original one from above leaving enough length to accomplish this, and how much of it did she need?

Does she hear a noise, and can she see in almost total darkness and her long hair constantly getting into her eyes and falling across her face?

Is she getting emotional now thinking about what is about to transpire? Is she crying further impeding her ability to see?

Did she wonder if the table just shuddered or is it about to collapse before she is ready and then what?

She could have bound her feet and her hands first, but then is she standing there trying to balance herself with all that cord around her feet and trying to maneuver her head to get the noose around her neck?

She gets into position, and then what? Did she step off the table or crouch and simply fall off? Did the table shift with the sudden thrust of her move or start to collapse?

She might have asked herself whether the electrical cord that she anchored up above will stay put and what if it comes loose?

She might have contemplated a change of heart, and was it too late?
- - - - - - - - - -

If I have left anything out I apologize .. I am not a pro as can be gleaned from this scenario. Thanks for reading.

 

[Theforeigner]

Thoughts about the cord "cutting point" and if RN "jumped/was trown" from balcony or hanged from down in the yard.

“She was around 5 ft 7 inches tall "

When looking at the orange cord, and if that indeed was the cord she was hanged by, then the "cutting point" of the cord, were AS alleged made the cut, would be ca. 5 ft 7 inches (173 cm) above RN´s head, because the cord seems to be ca. the same length as RN's body.

If this is the case, AS could not have reached all the way up, 2X ca. 5 ft 7 inches = ca 11.4 feet ( 345 cm), to cut her down from a location down in the yard IMO. He would not have been able to reach all the way up, neither standing on the ground OR if he stod on the round table. And the ca 11.4 feet ( 345 cm) measurement is if RN's feet was more or less tuching the ground when he cut her down. IF she hung higher up above the ground, the "cutting point" would have been even further up.

This IMO point to that AS cut her down while standing on the balcony, NOT from down in the yard.

So what did AS tell the police about his own location when he cut her down?


Another thing (it has been pointed out before by other members here) IMO RN could NOT have jumped or been trown from the balcony, because if she did that the cord would have gone over the balcony railing, and that was not the case as far as I have seen in pictures.

Hope this make sense, and sorry if it was explained badly, but english is not my first languish.

 

[Inobu]

are you posting for the media now? :waitasec:

What does your fact or clue have to do with this situation?

Before I go into it, Do you know what the term Alpha male and female correlates too?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I have to say that I am baffled about the lack of media coverage on this case, and even more baffled that the hiring of that PR firm has truly been a huge success. Ever since they were hired, if you google JS, the first thing you get is his bio/profile on his company website...thereafter nothing recent, no new developments on this case. Wow, now I see clearly what some people mean when they say that money gets you huge advantages -- and that does not exclude necessarily the law and hence, justice. We'll see what happens, but so far all I hear is the sound of crickets.

If I were Rebecca's family, I would be demanding answers -- the ball is in their court. If it were me, I would be contacting the big names to talk about this case -- you name it, abc, cbs, cnn, a, b, c, d...that is...if it were my beloved family member.

And you know, there is one huge advantage here -- this is America and here you get to be heard. Other places in the world, people do not have the right or the privilege...money or no money.

I am unsure of what you mean Lawgirl. How can the PR team shutdown the entire national media if they want to report on this case? The media cant all be in the pocket of the PR team.

I just think the reason it has dropped out of the media is because LE is not divulging any new news.

This case isn't different in that respects. The attention span for the media can wane in a moments time if another case takes its place or when LE is not speaking out at all concerning a particular case. It will pick up again if some new information is divulged by LE, imo.

When I see those who have a PR team that team is constantly out in the media trying to put out the 'fires.' Has this PR team spoken out and recently?

Maybe Rebecca's family thinks it is best to wait and see what the investigation unfolds.

imo

 

[Inobu]

I never heard any other description from AS or media except her cut her down before EMS got there and she was warm to the touch.
I cant envision him moving her that way because I was under the impression he cut her down so I would expect a free fall from the hanging position as he would not have been able to cut down and her and carry like you are saying. He cut and she fell. We dont even know what he used to "cut'' her down but he may have just pulled the cord to snap it verses cutting it. They are not easy to snap but with 110 punds hanging from one and the tension tight I dont think it would be impossibe or really hard.

The table plays a key role in his cutting her down (in my maybe it happened like this story) other wise he would not have been able to reach a place on the cord to cut the swinging body and have all the slack (unless one jerk snapped the cord). The table breaks on his first try forcing him to set the table back up . When the cord was cut the tension in the cord swings back over his right shoulder getting caught on and him, Rebecca's body falls face down to the ground with the top of her toes /feet barely on the walkway about where your white mark is . AS turns left to get off the table and the cord slides away off his right shoulder as he jumps down. He then takes her left shoulder and leg and does a lift- roll to get her over to the position she is now in.
The legs could be drawn up in that position due to lots of things. One could indicate a struggle before death which would effect how RM set in, another could be if she was using her legs to squat on a railing until her medication hit her and she "fell" (I know of a case where a guy drank with his noose in his rafters until he passed out and hung himself, and another who used his lawn mower to knock himself out so he could fell from the shop rafters) Also RM might not have been set in and her spine might have snapped which could be the reason the contour seems off in the photo.


Here is one interesting link that may help understand head positions in hanging victims . Or back up Some of my RM claims. Or just plain out amuse you.
http://www.enotes.com/forensic-science/hanging-signs

You guys are going to have to do it yourself to see what I'm talking about.
Take an extension cord and stretch 7 feet of it out. Walk around around the house and you will see it follow you. Your motion will cause it to follow along leaving a trail no different from foot prints.

I am not referring to the angle of the head associated with neck but the head correlating to the body as a whole.

What we see........

...........Balcony..............................
...................................................
..........................Table.....D.............
....................................R...............
....................y............O.................
........................d......C...................
............................o.......................
...............................B....................

If he carried her from the Balcony it would look like this,

...........Balcony..............................
..............C.....................................
................o.............Table..............
.................r..........B.......................
...................d....o.........................
.....................d............................
..................y...............................
...................................................

B is her head - Y her feet. Notice how the head is closer to the table and the angle is changed based on the direction she was carrier.

The cords trails showing the direction in which the body was moving.

This is why I don't accept the account that AS has given.

The type of dirt on her feet will indicate if she was ever was standing under the balcony.......... which I do not believe so.

 

[Stella5]

You guys are going to have to do it yourself to see what I'm talking about.
Take an extension cord and stretch 7 feet of it out. Walk around around the house and you will see it follow you. Your motion will cause it to follow along leaving a trail no different from foot prints.

I am not referring to the angle of the head associated with neck but the head correlating to the body as a whole.

What we see........

...........Balcony..............................
...................................................
..........................Table.....D.............
....................................R...............
....................y............O.................
........................d......C...................
............................o.......................
...............................B....................

If he carried her from the Balcony it would look like this,

...........Balcony..............................
..............C.....................................
................o.............Table..............
.................r..........B.......................
...................d....o.........................
.....................d............................
..................y...............................
...................................................

B is her head - Y her feet. Notice how the head is closer to the table and the angle is changed based on the direction she was carrier.

The cords trails showing the direction in which the body was moving.

This is why I don't accept the account that AS has given.

The type of dirt on her feet will indicate if she was ever was standing under the balcony.......... which I do not believe so.

And this evidence is exactly why I do believe AS' account of cutting RN down. If you follow the cord, it leads you back to the broken table leg, which in theory broke when AS cut RN down and RN's body hit that part of the table. From the overhead shot, you can see where the table was and it makes sense that her body hit the rear right of the table when it was cut down thereby breaking the table leg. The rope trails back to that exact spot. It also correlates to the position of where the rope was on the balcony in the screen shots prior in this thread.

In my mind it makes no sense for JS, AS or DS to have taken revenge out on RN so soon; and AT the mansion. That is a huge stumbling block for me for murder. If any of them wanted her gone, or hired a hit, it would not have been done at the mansion IMO. There are a lot of ways to make someone simply disappear in Southern California. MOO

 

[4Jacy]

Could someone tell me if Dina's sister was in town when this accident to Maxie happened. Was she staying with Dina? This may change my mind on a lot of things. txs :waitasec:

 

[pferrin]

Jacy..I remember Dina and Nina's mom saying that both daughters were at the hospital..dont know if she was staying at DS.

 

[branwynbreeze]

Something that has bothered me, hope you all can clear it up. RN called kennel on Monday, dog was picked up Tues morning, then it's said RN was seen at kennel distraught. Mistaken reporting?

http://www.bnet.com/blog/drug-busin...ngers-medicis-may-contemplate-life-without-it

http://coronado.patch.com/articles/...ls-victim-less-than-24-hours-before-her-death

And:

Shacknai's brother Adam called police around 6:45 a.m. and reported that he had found Zahau's body hanging from a second-story balcony, and that he had cut the rope around her neck to get her down.

http://www.cbs8.com/story/15075598/coronado-mansion-death?clienttype=printable&redirected=true

most links taken from:

http://www.refugeesunleashed.net/about26266.html

 

[Inobu]

And this evidence is exactly why I do believe AS' account of cutting RN down. If you follow the cord, it leads you back to the broken table leg, which in theory broke when AS cut RN down and RN's body hit that part of the table. From the overhead shot, you can see where the table was and it makes sense that her body hit the rear right of the table when it was cut down thereby breaking the table leg. The rope trails back to that exact spot. It also correlates to the position of where the rope was on the balcony in the screen shots prior in this thread.

In my mind it makes no sense for JS, AS or DS to have taken revenge out on RN so soon; and AT the mansion. That is a huge stumbling block for me for murder. If any of them wanted her gone, or hired a hit, it would not have been done at the mansion IMO. There are a lot of ways to make someone simply disappear in Southern California. MOO

You err in your perspective view.

The balcony is to the left of the table not the right. The alleged hanging area is opposite of the broken leg.

Using the images below

The body would have been against the wall, If AS cut the rope from the second floor then the body would have fell to the ground and the direct path would have been to the grass and I pointed out.

If he cut the rope from below then He and the body would still have been left of the table and the cord following that same path as indicated.

But what visual indicator are you using the theorize the body breaking the table leg? and where is the leg?

 

[Inobu]

Something that has bothered me, hope you all can clear it up. RN called kennel on Monday, dog was picked up Tues morning, then it's said RN was seen at kennel distraught. Mistaken reporting?

http://www.bnet.com/blog/drug-busin...ngers-medicis-may-contemplate-life-without-it

http://coronado.patch.com/articles/...ls-victim-less-than-24-hours-before-her-death

And:

Shacknai's brother Adam called police around 6:45 a.m. and reported that he had found Zahau's body hanging from a second-story balcony, and that he had cut the rope around her neck to get her down.

http://www.cbs8.com/story/15075598/coronado-mansion-death?clienttype=printable&redirected=true

most links taken from:

http://www.refugeesunleashed.net/about26266.html

You are correct in questioning the account. It is funny that no one can see how his (AS) comments sets up the scenario. He specifically says that he cut the rope from around her neck and claims that he did it to try to revive her but her body lies in an untouched position. In essence he cut the rope, lets her fall, carry her to the grass and left her as is and you believe that is a revival attempt?

The next question is how do you cut a rope that is taunt around a hung body. The expression of cut the rope from around he neck is his way of explaining why there is no rope around her neck.

If someone is going to save someone they do everything possible but a lot of people are ok that the body lies in a clumped with no indication of revival attempt but the three legged table that was supposedly broken by RN set perfectly balanced on the sidewalk...............let me add the leg was MISSING from the scene....................

 

[scorekeeper]

Could someone tell me if Dina's sister was in town when this accident to Maxie happened. Was she staying with Dina? This may change my mind on a lot of things. txs :waitasec:

I have not seen anything about her being their previously but their mother did say that she was there at the hospital with DS.

"This is horrible. What a tragedy. . . . My stomach is all in knots," Romano, of Redwood City, Calif., said Wednesday. "We don't know what happened


Romano's daughter, Dina, was previously married to Shacknai. They have been divorced since 2008, Romano said. Romano said Dina and Jonah Shacknai rushed to the hospital Monday and have been with their son ever since. Romano said she has been talking frequently with Dina and another daughter, who are at the hospital with the boy.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/business/a...omans-death-reported-san-diego.html#ixzz1UBFz

Article dated 7/14/11

 

[jstwondering]

BBM

It does seem like an awful lot for a woman to do. I would think that most women who kill someone would use a gun or knife.

The orange construction extension cord is a "manly" item.

I would like a couple more clues......what was on the carpet....what happened with the picture....

Agree and that is why my theory remains that DS was in a rage. It had been building up for a long time, and where as I don't know how she would react if her baby boy, her only child & the love of her life, was irreparably harmed, I do know how I would act.
Secondly, who's to say that she didn't have a great relationship with her former brother-in-law. I know that my ex's brother would drop everything to come to my defense. He has a lot of empathy dealing with how his brother has taken what he wanted his whole life, with little regard to others. He has a decent relationship with his brother, but has grown up to be in his shadow & continues to be. (I suspect that this is true of the brothers Shaknai also.) IMO

 

[branwynbreeze]

I forgot to add and closed the link, that it was stated DS was a witness to hanging. That makes me think that she showed up before or about time police did. I would assume that either before or shortly after 911 call AS called JS. I cannot see him calling DS unless he could not reach his brother.

 

[Carrington]

I have a problem with LE calling the players "Witnesses", when they really mean to say, they have an "alibi". Iron clad or not.
IMO