What happened to Rebecca Zahau?

[freespeech]

I will add my 2 cents worth that I have also found it very odd that family & friends of relative means had so many people who came to town during a family crisis and didn't rent cars. That's a strange set of circumstances, IMO. A modest car rental for a week was only about $300-- less for a few days.

Same with the (rather needy) cleaning condition of the mansion-- a good housekeeping and caretending service was certainly within the means of Jonah Shacknai.

I also find it strange that Dina's mother was not there. Were they estranged or was she ill?

I also recall early on that there was a report of a caretaker family who lived on the property as well as a renter in the guest house and that they were asked to leave after Max's accident. However, I cannot find links to this. Does anyone else remember this?

 

[katydid23]

Did Adam ever disclose what he did all night, specifically during the hours that Rebecca may have been murdered?

Adam disclosed that he watched at 6:00 a.m. prior to finding Rebecca's body but what did he do for the 10 hours before he found her from 8:00 p.m. on 7/12 through 6:00 a.m. 7/13? Why didn't he remain at the hospital with Jonah? Why did he return to the house alone with Rebecca? What did he do to support his brother and help with the crisis?

In my experience with ICU, not everyone is allowed to sit in the room. Usually only one or two of the closest relatives, like parents, are allowed to sit in the room. So if Adam had gone to the hospital he would have been out in the lobby or the hall somewhere. What's the point of that?

He returned to the house 'alone' with Rebecca because she had already sent her 13 yr old relative away. So they were alone. But that was not Adam's doing that they were alone.

He flew out when he heard about Maxie and he was there to be support for his brother. He went to dinner with them when he arrived and they talked and he was there for him, close by if he needed him. What more could he do at the time? Tragedies like this are often a waiting game. You hurry out to your friends side and then sit and wait to see what unfolds.

 

[freespeech]

So you think Jonah, Dina, Nina and Adam did all of this intricate planning, while little Maxie was on his death bed? Did they meet up at Ronald McDonald house to plan this murder? Or did they plan it in Maxies ICU room? They decided to trade cars around and switch house keys and dress up as each other and walk to and from the mansion at night? Was Adam watching on his phone right before finding the body part of the game plan?

Katydid, you raise some good questions. I really don't know how or if more than one person conspired to murder her.

It seems like some planning was done. However, it's not apparent if anyone than the actual murderer fully knew the planned outcome or if murder was even planned. If a specific person simply wanted to interrogate Rebecca and another person helped with that it is not known.

It is also possible that murder was not intended but the homicide was accidental. Someone could have flown in a rage if they didn't get the answers they wanted. But then again if that person had already decided that Rebecca was guilty then the only acceptable response for that person would have been a confession.

I do feel the situation was volatile and at least one person here had a violent temper. To me it is obvious that there was at least one person that should have stayed away or been kept away from Rebecca because of the possibility that person would lose control and hurt her.

So the only thing I can say is that, imo, Rebecca was murdered.

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

Adam probably received a call from either Jonah or Rebecca around 4 or 5 Coronado time on Monday afternoon. That would be 6 or 7 Memphis time. He would have made reservations that night to fly out the next morning and then pack. He would have left home early, around 5:30 am Memphis time to head to the airport.
He flies across the country and arrives in San Diego about 3 in the afternoon on Tuesday, 5 pm Memphis time. Rebecca picks him up and drives him to the airport where he went to see Max and Jonah. Max is hooked up to all sorts of machines. Jonah is beside himself with worry. Later, Rebecca comes to pick up Howard and drive him to the airport. Jonah and Adam go to get Jonah out of the ICU room for a little while. When they get back to the hospital, they sit down at the McDonald's for a quick bite, although no one eats much. Rebcecca doesn't say much. After that, Adam and Jonah head back up to Max's room while Rebecca gets the car. She picks up Adam and they head back to the house. It is now 8 pm Coronado time, 10 pm Memphis time. They are both tired and Adam goes into the guest house to go to bed. It has been a long stressful day.
Adam wakes up at 6:30 am the next morning, 8:30 Memphis time. He gets up, makes his bed because he's a good guest, and thinks he will walk down the street and get a double latte and go drink it by the beach. Caffeine and ocean air is what he needs. He will be heading back to the ICU when Rebecca wakes up.
He opens the guest room door...takes a step or two out...

IMO, Adam is innocent. It sounds like he was never even upstairs in the mansion, and I just can't see a murder being planned by him and Jonah during the night. With such a rushed trip, and then being in the ICU, I would think he was exhausted and slept through the night. Just my opinion.

 

[time]

I also find it strange that Dina's mother was not there. Were they estranged or was she ill?

I also recall early on that there was a report of a caretaker family who lived on the property as well as a renter in the guest house and that they were asked to leave after Max's accident. However, I cannot find links to this. Does anyone else remember this?

There was a couple (supposedly renting?) staying in the caretakers quarters above the garage.... this is different than the guesthouse where Adam was staying. I can't find a link to give you... someone in the last week here also posted about this.

 

[freespeech]

Adam probably received a call from either Jonah or Rebecca around 4 or 5 Coronado time on Monday afternoon. That would be 6 or 7 Memphis time. He would have made reservations that night to fly out the next morning and then pack. He would have left home early, around 5:30 am Memphis time to head to the airport.
He flies across the country and arrives in San Diego about 3 in the afternoon on Tuesday, 5 pm Memphis time. Rebecca picks him up and drives him to the airport where he went to see Max and Jonah. Max is hooked up to all sorts of machines. Jonah is beside himself with worry. Later, Rebecca comes to pick up Howard and drive him to the airport. Jonah and Adam go to get Jonah out of the ICU room for a little while. When they get back to the hospital, they sit down at the McDonald's for a quick bite, although no one eats much. Rebcecca doesn't say much. After that, Adam and Jonah head back up to Max's room while Rebecca gets the car. She picks up Adam and they head back to the house. It is now 8 pm Coronado time, 10 pm Memphis time. They are both tired and Adam goes into the guest house to go to bed. It has been a long stressful day.
Adam wakes up at 6:30 am the next morning, 8:30 Memphis time. He gets up, makes his bed because he's a good guest, and thinks he will walk down the street and get a double latte and go drink it by the beach. Caffeine and ocean air is what he needs. He will be heading back to the ICU when Rebecca wakes up.
He opens the guest room door...takes a step or two out...

IMO, Adam is innocent. It sounds like he was never even upstairs in the mansion, and I just can't see a murder being planned by him and Jonah during the night. With such a rushed trip, and then being in the ICU, I would think he was exhausted and slept through the night. Just my opinion.

Was it confirmed that they ate at McDonald's? I thought someone else mentioned that they ate at McDonald's too. I always wondered where they ate.

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

IIRC, it was confirmed they ate at McDonalds. I don't have time to find it now and have to get off the computer in a second, but maybe it was the article that also said Adam was a Captain on the Tug.

Also, I think the information about caretakers being there is not correct. I remember reading that they had left in April or May and that was confirmed by someone. Will try to find that later as well.

 

[*Lash*]

On Tuesday, Dina drove her own car to the hospital with Nina. Nina drove Jonah's car home.

CROSSTALK:
So at 3:30 on Tuesday you went in what Dina's car?

NINA:
Yeah, we drove her car.

LATER--

CROSSTALK:
And uh you drove back, I'm sorry I forgot who drove you back?

NINA:
I drove myself back, and I'm thinking that was the night that I drove Jonah's car back because I remember saying 'how am i going to get home and they each had a car there and they only needed really one car so thats when they had the room at Ronald McDonald House so if they needed or wanted to go and get some sleep or take a shower, they had a room at the Ronald MacDonald house so I was able to take Jonah's car back and I was able to take that to my sister's house so I could get back.

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/misc/nina_romano.mp3

 

[*Lash*]

Adam probably received a call from either Jonah or Rebecca around 4 or 5 Coronado time on Monday afternoon. That would be 6 or 7 Memphis time. He would have made reservations that night to fly out the next morning and then pack. He would have left home early, around 5:30 am Memphis time to head to the airport.
He flies across the country and arrives in San Diego about 3 in the afternoon on Tuesday, 5 pm Memphis time. Rebecca picks him up and drives him to the airport where he went to see Max and Jonah. Max is hooked up to all sorts of machines. Jonah is beside himself with worry. Later, Rebecca comes to pick up Howard and drive him to the airport. Jonah and Adam go to get Jonah out of the ICU room for a little while. When they get back to the hospital, they sit down at the McDonald's for a quick bite, although no one eats much. Rebcecca doesn't say much. After that, Adam and Jonah head back up to Max's room while Rebecca gets the car. She picks up Adam and they head back to the house. It is now 8 pm Coronado time, 10 pm Memphis time. They are both tired and Adam goes into the guest house to go to bed. It has been a long stressful day.
Adam wakes up at 6:30 am the next morning, 8:30 Memphis time. He gets up, makes his bed because he's a good guest, and thinks he will walk down the street and get a double latte and go drink it by the beach. Caffeine and ocean air is what he needs. He will be heading back to the ICU when Rebecca wakes up.
He opens the guest room door...takes a step or two out...

IMO, Adam is innocent. It sounds like he was never even upstairs in the mansion, and I just can't see a murder being planned by him and Jonah during the night. With such a rushed trip, and then being in the ICU, I would think he was exhausted and slept through the night. Just my opinion.

BBM - Hi CuriousGeorgia!

The bolded text is all new information to me. Can you provide a source or is this insider information? Rebecca didn't talk much at dinner? The only two that would know this would be JS or Adam. Neither of them have spoken publicly so that statement is interesting. AS is a good guest? Plans to get a latte and sit by the beach? Again, only a select few would have this knowledge as AS has not spoken publicly. I'm not trying to accuse AS at all. I would just like to see the facts. I think the flight times you were postulating? TIA for your help!

 

[Karmady]

I'm not really sure about what you wrote. You guesses are as good as mine.

However, L.E. only confirms Jonah on surveillance tape and not Dina, Nina, Adam, Dr. Luber or Rebecca. LE only has Dina's cell phone ping verified at the hospital. I suppose whether anyone else were there would depend on corroborating testimonies. There may be some in the files released to AB. I don't know.

I don't take Jonah on his word though. Hasn't he been caught playing games with dishonest insinuations about the mansion being sold and out of his control. I don't think that was entirely true. Also, did he allow Dina's investigators access. He seems biased toward protecting Dina and himself here.

about the cell phone...please excuse me if I've got this wrong but, as I mentioned, I haven't been following this case other than reading a little bit here. But if I'm understanding correctly, Dina's phone pinged at the hospital and nina says that she called and/or texted Rebecca from her own phone. Yet a neighbor swears he saw Dina, not Nina, outside the house. It occurs to me that there would be a far greater likelihood that Rebecca would answer a call or text from nina rather than dina, so if dina really wanted to get her on the phone or to return a text, it would make sense for her to use nina's phone and not her own. That would make where her cell phone pinged irrelevant and would put dina at or near the house at the time the witness claims to have seen her there. It would also provide one possible reason why dina doesn't show up on the hospital cams. What it does not explain is why dina's own phone pinged at the hospital -- did she just leave it there or was nina there with dina's phone? (I have missed that detail in the posts).

And as far as some elaborate planning going into that, I would say that it wouldn't be necessary. Dina decides she's gonna have it out with Rebecca and is in a HIGHLY emotional state. She knows that Rebecca won't pick up or text her back -- probably not in the past, and certainly not now. But dina wants, at a minimum, to blast her/get answers/tell her exactly what she thinks of her, or whatever. So she uses nina's phone to try to do that. Getting no satisfaction and even more HIGLY emotional now, she decides to confront her at the house -- not caring who all might be there, but finding Rebecca alone?

Good grief...I know I sound like a raving lunatic lol. But I can really EASILY see Dina using her sister's cell phone under those circumstances just to get her to possibly pick-up or respond.

eta: all of that said, haven't the hospital staff been able to simply confirm that dina was or was not at the hospital or at RMcDH at that time period. I'm afraid I've missed that, too. Sorry!

 

[time]

On Tuesday, Dina drove her own car to the hospital with Nina. Nina drove Jonah's car home.

CROSSTALK:
So at 3:30 on Tuesday you went in what Dina's car?

NINA:
Yeah, we drove her car.

LATER--

CROSSTALK:
And uh you drove back, I'm sorry I forgot who drove you back?

NINA:
I drove myself back, and I'm thinking that was the night that I drove Jonah's car back because I remember saying 'how am i going to get home and they each had a car there and they only needed really one car so thats when they had the room at Ronald McDonald House so if they needed or wanted to go and get some sleep or take a shower, they had a room at the Ronald MacDonald house so I was able to take Jonah's car back and I was able to take that to my sister's house so I could get back.

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/misc/nina_romano.mp3

Is it a little strange that she seems to be referring to Jonah and Dina like they are a couple instead of using something like "each of them had their own room" or "if either of them wanted" or "Jonah didn't need his car"?

At any rate, a big thanks to you LASH for looking that up.

 

[jjenny]

BBM - Hi CuriousGeorgia!

The bolded text is all new information to me. Can you provide a source or is this insider information? Rebecca didn't talk much at dinner? The only two that would know this would be JS or Adam. Neither of them have spoken publicly so that statement is interesting. AS is a good guest? Plans to get a latte and sit by the beach? Again, only a select few would have this knowledge as AS has not spoken publicly. I'm not trying to accuse AS at all. I would just like to see the facts. I think the flight times you were postulating? TIA for your help!

ITA. In addition there was another claim made by that same poster-that Adam was a good guest and made his bed-there was an unmade bed in the guest house-so where did that poster get an idea that Adam was a good guest and made his bed?

 

[Yoda]

On Tuesday, Dina drove her own car to the hospital with Nina. Nina drove Jonah's car home.

CROSSTALK:
So at 3:30 on Tuesday you went in what Dina's car?

NINA:
Yeah, we drove her car.

LATER--

CROSSTALK:
And uh you drove back, I'm sorry I forgot who drove you back?

NINA:
I drove myself back, and I'm thinking that was the night that I drove Jonah's car back because I remember saying 'how am i going to get home and they each had a car there and they only needed really one car so thats when they had the room at Ronald McDonald House so if they needed or wanted to go and get some sleep or take a shower, they had a room at the Ronald MacDonald house so I was able to take Jonah's car back and I was able to take that to my sister's house so I could get back.

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/misc/nina_romano.mp3

Confused- she says WE. Then when asked who drove her back she says "drove myself back". Who is WE? Is this a slip?

 

[i.b.nora]

Nina is talking about 'going' and 'coming'. Nina and Dina (we) drove to the hospital in Dina's car. Nina drove herself home from the hospital (to Dina's) in Jonah's car.

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

Hi Lash and jjenny, sorry I didn't mean to make you think that was anything other than speculation on my part. That's just my take on how Adam's short time in town went down before he found Rebecca. I know its not very dramatic, but that's probably close to how anyone in my family would react under the circumstances.

The guest house had two rooms and I would bet Adam was in the room that had the bed that was made...the other room had the mess from GS's party. I would think that was also the room with the unmade bed. Almost anyone I know would make their bed upon waking when staying with a relative. Especially in a mansion.

 

[freespeech]

Hi Lash and jjenny, sorry I didn't mean to make you think that was anything other than speculation on my part. That's just my take on how Adam's short time in town went down before he found Rebecca. I know its not very dramatic, but that's probably close to how anyone in my family would react under the circumstances.

The guest house had two rooms and I would bet Adam was in the room that had the bed that was made...the other room had the mess from GS's party. I would think that was also the room with the unmade bed. Almost anyone I know would make their bed upon waking when staying with a relative. Especially in a mansion.

CuriousGeorgia, was Gabby's party a fact, hearsay, rumor? Where did that information come from? If I remember correctly Gore said Jonah said so. If that's true then I think Gore should have the testimonies of the parents whose children attended to verify this. Do you know how was this fact/factiod verified?

 

[freespeech]

Nina is talking about 'going' and 'coming'. Nina and Dina (we) drove to the hospital in Dina's car. Nina drove herself home from the hospital (to Dina's) in Jonah's car.

Does anyone have any ideas about why Nina would take Jonah's car as opposed to Dina's car? I wonder whether she asked for it or if it was his suggestion.

I also I wonder whether he kept his house keys on the same key ring and if Dina's neighbors can verify whether his car was at her house that night. Nina should have been recalled for a LDT. That was a huge omission if not done since she placed herself at the property the night Rebecca died.

 

[jjenny]

CuriousGeorgia, was Gabby's party a fact, hearsay, rumor? Where did that information come from? If I remember correctly Gore said Jonah said so. If that's true then I think Gore should have the testimonies of the parents whose children attended to verify this. Do you know how was this fact/factiod verified?

I am also very curious why the guest house was apparently not cleaned before placing a guest in there? Because if that room was left from the slumber party then it was a mess, with unmade bed and clothing on the floor.

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

Hi, the information is from the SDSO Sheriff's office. My guess is Gabby's party took place the Friday or Saturday before Max's injuries. Since they had not been expecting guests, and Adam came in on a rush emergency basis, I'm thinking the girl's slumber party room had not been cleaned yet...

Why didn’t we collect and process the panties in the trash?
As with many items seized during the service of a search warrant, the panties in the trash at the guest house were seized because we did not know what the significance of that item was at the time. Investigators have one chance to seize items at a search warrant service, so items must be seized even if there is only a possibility it may be related. The investigation revealed this item was likely related to a girl’s slumber party at the mansion in the days leading up to Rebecca’s death. They were not tested for evidence of sexual assault because that examination was conducted on Rebecca herself. No evidence of such a crime was found. They were not tested further because taking into consideration the size of the mansion, and the fact it was open to family and friends, we had to focus our investigation on items directly related to the event in question; items we knew had to be handled or disturbed during the course of the event as it unfolded. Fingerprints, DNA, and other items left behind in other areas of the mansion have limited value in proving or disproving a crime.

http://www.sdsheriff.net/coronado/faq.html

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

Also, my information on Adam's flight is just a guess. Flights from Memphis to San Diego take about 7 1/2 hours on average. If Adam's flight arrived around 3 pm, it would have left Memphis about 9:30, which means Adam would have left his apartment for the airport around 7:30, and was probably up around 6:30 or earlier that Tuesday morning. After getting the bad news about Max the afternoon or evening before, making plans to go, packing, doing what ever else he had to do to go out of town, I'm thinking he was up late, he gets up early to get the airport, takes the 7 1/2 hour flight, goes to the hospital, gets back to the guest house at 8 pm (10pm Memphis time). Personally, I know I would have been ready to crawl into bed with the covers over my head and fall into a deep sleep. Maybe that's why he didn't hear any noise from Rebecca?

All just speculation.