What happened to Rebecca Zahau?

[FrayedKnot]

I am sure Dina was exhausted by the time she went to get some rest on the 12th. I would never criticize her for that. Until you walk a mile in her shoes (God forbid), and all that...

I thought you said Max was only in ICU for 48 hours. Yet his mom left to rest for 12 of those hours?

There is no way that this won't sound as if I am judging, but wild horses couldn't drag me away from my baby in the hospital. Especially if it was only the second day. Heck, I stayed up longer than that as a new mommy with an infant.

However, if I had to take care of some business that needed taking care of.............

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

I thought you said Max was only in ICU for 48 hours. Yet his mom left to rest for 12 of those hours?

There is no way that this won't sound as if I am judging, but wild horses couldn't drag me away from my baby in the hospital. Especially if it was only the second day. Heck, I stayed up longer than that as a new mommy with an infant.

However, if I had to take care of some business that needed taking care of.............

It was less than 48 hours from the time Max was admitted until the time RZ committed suicide. Then he was there till Saturday when they took his organs.

Dina and Jonah were trading shifts from what it sounded like. She also had bronchitis. Maybe she needed to get away from Jonah for a while, or Howard was there. Only 2 people could be in the ICU room at one time.

 

[justice be served]

I thought you said Max was only in ICU for 48 hours. Yet his mom left to rest for 12 of those hours?

There is no way that this won't sound as if I am judging, but wild horses couldn't drag me away from my baby in the hospital. Especially if it was only the second day. Heck, I stayed up longer than that as a new mommy with an infant.

However, if I had to take care of some business that needed taking care of.............

So those 12 hours were right after Max's accident and the day of Rebecca's death that nite. I didn't quite realize that. I still can't wrap my head around her doing something tho.

 

[FightTheOstrich]

My issues with suicide.

If she felt responsible for Max's accident, why would she choose to further complicate things for JS? She loves JS and Max, doesn't have a history of mental illness or suicidal tendencies and decides to tie herself up, paint a strange message on the door, and throw herself off his balcony naked.

If she felt responsible and was concerned about the legal consequences, wouldn't she have chosen a more effective means? By that I mean, wouldn't one choose a less complicated, more direct way, where death was guaranteed? How the heck would she have known that this crazy plan was going to work?

Where did she come up with this elaborate suicide? Did she google "crazy ways to kill yourself with flair"? I think someone who studied and works with people with mental health problems might have had this one filed away in his/her brain. I'm sorry but for me the manner of death is too strange for someone who wasn't struggling prior to Max's accident. The supposed act doesn't matchup with the personality of the woman who supposedly took her own life.
IMO

 

[justice be served]

My issues with suicide.

If she felt responsible for Max's accident, why would she choose to further complicate things for JS? She loves JS and Max, doesn't have a history of mental illness or suicidal tendencies and decides to tie herself up, paint a strange message on the door, and throw herself off his balcony naked.

If she felt responsible and was concerned about the legal consequences, wouldn't she have chosen a more effective means? By that I mean, wouldn't one choose a less complicated, more direct way, where death was guaranteed? How the heck would she have known that this crazy plan was going to work?

Where did she come up with this elaborate suicide? Did she google "crazy ways to kill yourself with flair"? I think someone who studied and works with people with mental health problems might have had this one filed away in his/her brain. I'm sorry but for me the manner of death is too strange for someone who wasn't struggling prior to Max's accident. The supposed act doesn't matchup with the personality of the woman who supposedly took her own life.
IMO

FTO - now that was all too rational on all points. I guess the investigators were told a story with perhaps great influence because of personal acquaintances some say and they wanted to shut the door on this thing fast. LE may have been of the opinion it was a revenge murder of a woman responsible for the death of a child. So "justified" in their minds. Doubt it was unanimous and possibly an edict from the top.JMO of course.

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

IMO, in was more of an angry suicide than a sad suicide. Perhaps Jonah's last message also said it was time for her to move out? To me, its like a last, big message to Jonah from Rebecca.

 

[Tink56]

My issues with suicide.

If she felt responsible for Max's accident, why would she choose to further complicate things for JS? She loves JS and Max, doesn't have a history of mental illness or suicidal tendencies and decides to tie herself up, paint a strange message on the door, and throw herself off his balcony naked.

If she felt responsible and was concerned about the legal consequences, wouldn't she have chosen a more effective means? By that I mean, wouldn't one choose a less complicated, more direct way, where death was guaranteed? How the heck would she have known that this crazy plan was going to work?

Where did she come up with this elaborate suicide? Did she google "crazy ways to kill yourself with flair"? I think someone who studied and works with people with mental health problems might have had this one filed away in his/her brain. I'm sorry but for me the manner of death is too strange for someone who wasn't struggling prior to Max's accident. The supposed act doesn't matchup with the personality of the woman who supposedly took her own life. IMO

BBM....This is a big question in my mind, also. I can't imagine this as a means of ending one's life in such a short time frame. I could understand if someone were intoxicated, under the influence of drugs, or mentally ill. But, none of these were the case.

 

[FightTheOstrich]

BBM....This is a big question in my mind, also. I can't imagine this as a means of ending one's life in such a short time frame. I could understand if someone were intoxicated, under the influence of drugs, or mentally ill. But, none of these were the case.

IMO, this is the act of someone contemplating suicide for a longtime. Someone with a dark side who has been struggling and displaying signs of depression, helplessness etc... A lot of violence and drama for a woman who didn't have a history of this behavior.

 

[FightTheOstrich]

IMO, in was more of an angry suicide than a sad suicide. Perhaps Jonah's last message also said it was time for her to move out? To me, its like a last, big message to Jonah from Rebecca.

IMO,

Didn't her sister state that RZ was thinking of taking a break from the relationship? If true, not sure how suicide would fit?

Prior to JS she did have a career and a life. She had survived her divorce and moved on. Why would the end of her relationship with JS cause this response especially if she was already considering a break?

If she was so distraught bc he wanted to end things. Wouldn't she have wanted to try to work things out, perhaps wait until things calmed down and talk to him?

 

[inthedark14]

IMO, in was more of an angry suicide than a sad suicide. Perhaps Jonah's last message also said it was time for her to move out? To me, its like a last, big message to Jonah from Rebecca.

I suppose we could speculate on that as well. However, if that was the case, why wouldn't JS have stated that was the reason for the voice message (that still can not be proven existed)? He stated that he called to tell her MS would not survive. In all actuality I think the suicide ruling may have been more believable if that was what JS had said he stated instead of MS's pending demise. But that's not what JS reported to LE and what LE has stated is it? Is it possible that JS after an exhausting day in the ICU called and broke up with her, sure, but that is NOT the statement he gave to LE. I'm not certain I would have believed the suicide ruling even if that's what had been stated, but it wasn't.

Also, the whole thing loses credibility with the help of the recent BI article when DS states "Why would she do that, Max is going to be fine"
<snip>
Dina says she got the news at the hospital. &#8220;Jonah was sobbing. He said &#8216;Rebecca killed herself,&#8217;&#8221; Dina recalls. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t know what to say. I was like, &#8216;I&#8217;m so sorry.&#8217; My next thought was &#8216;Why would she do that? Max is going to be fine.&#8217; I still believed he would be OK.&#8221;
http://www.phoenixmag.com/lifestyle/valley-news/201208/boy--interrupted-full-version/2/

So who is telling the truth? We are supposed to take LE statements as fact? DS's statements? JS's statements? None of them line up.

Always MOO

 

[*Lash*]

But a Fireman that was "interviewed under conditions of anonymity" does?

I tend to agree. The same would apply for such sources that lay claim to RZ's hard jiu jitsu play and sources that claim RZ was depressed.

 

[time]

I tend to agree. The same would apply for such sources that lay claim to RZ's hard jiu jitsu play and sources that claim RZ was depressed.

Thanks, I was going to bring the jiu jitsu thing up again. Why can't the name of that Shacknai friend be named? And, will they ever be named?

But also, we have many reports by Dina, especially about conversations she claims she had with Rebecca, that are not validated and cannot be validated unless Rebecca told someone else about them. This would be meaningless if it weren't being used to support a character assassination that is, in turn, being used as a reason Rebecca was so dangerous around children. And, don't forget that Dina also added 'the family" in there with NO explanation. She also included things she said to Jonah, he could be asked in court I suppose, but we all know he is not going to be goaded into answering any of that in public/the media. We also don't know if her childhood was miserable or whatever Dina was implying in the article, possibly she was implying childhood abuse.

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

Every single day, people take their lives and there is no clear reason why. That is why suicide is so difficult for the survivors. Rebecca is really the only person who knows exactly why she did what she did and what she was feeling that late night/early morning. Some things we will never know, IMO.

 

[iSleuth]

My issues with suicide.

If she felt responsible for Max's accident, why would she choose to further complicate things for JS? She loves JS and Max, doesn't have a history of mental illness or suicidal tendencies and decides to tie herself up, paint a strange message on the door, and throw herself off his balcony naked.

If she felt responsible and was concerned about the legal consequences, wouldn't she have chosen a more effective means? By that I mean, wouldn't one choose a less complicated, more direct way, where death was guaranteed? How the heck would she have known that this crazy plan was going to work?

Where did she come up with this elaborate suicide? Did she google "crazy ways to kill yourself with flair"? I think someone who studied and works with people with mental health problems might have had this one filed away in his/her brain. I'm sorry but for me the manner of death is too strange for someone who wasn't struggling prior to Max's accident. The supposed act doesn't matchup with the personality of the woman who supposedly took her own life.
IMO

Exactly, everyone may have read this article before but it has very important insights from Mary, Rebecca's sister.

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

 

[*Lash*]

One parallel there is not...her boyfriend and his ex-wife were not more concerned with their little 6-year old boy, who was lying in the ICU for less than 48 hours. The Shacknais were too preoccupied with grief over Max to plan a ridiculous murder. Sorry, no one would ever plan a murder like this. IMO, it is pretty clear that Rebecca Zahau hung herself.

I do understand that suicide is a very hard thing for families to face. Even with there is a clear suicide note, sometimes people just can't accept it. I hope that the mother of this woman finds peace, and so do the Zahaus.

RBM - It is a fact...not all murders are premeditated or planned. If Rebecca was murdered, it did not have to be a planned murder.

 

[iSleuth]

Every single day, people take their lives and there is no clear reason why. That is why suicide is so difficult for the survivors. Rebecca is really the only person who knows exactly why she did what she did and what she was feeling that late night/early morning. Some things we will never know, IMO.

A few years ago I was living in a town where there were a rash "cluster?" of untimely deaths, some of which were suicides. ( the superintendant of schools hung her self- a few students my children's age-did the same thing- a woman a mom, lit herself on fire on the baseball fields ( incidentally these fields were nearly across the street from where i used to live)

These deaths( and a too many others ) led me to do some inquiries into the subject of suicides.

Emile Durkheim considered one of the father's of sociology studied suicides.
http://www.helium.com/items/1839952-types-of-suicide

These are only a framework and I am sure we can add many tiers to his studies, but, try as I might I cannot see RZ's death fitting into any of these categories.

From what I have wrestled with, studied and learned -above all -suicides are usually a message to their families and community. The style of planning their own deaths, and preparing how they will be remembered. I hate to say it graphically, the memory of cleaning up blood, or cutting down a loved one's body, car where they died- or where ever else, the note- this is forever. This is generally chosen by the person and combined with ease of expedience. ( where can they find the means or agent )

Nothing adds up for RZ in that regard either. A modest woman - naked, impossibly bound, plunges to her death off a balcony neatly -with barely a scrape or abrasion?- and gagged? ....Really?

 

[MyBelle]

Every single day, people take their lives and there is no clear reason why. That is why suicide is so difficult for the survivors. Rebecca is really the only person who knows exactly why she did what she did and what she was feeling that late night/early morning. Some things we will never know, IMO.

I can only go by what is known. To investigators in this case, there was a clear reason to conclude suicide. It came after she was told Max's injuries would be fatal and a detective tried to reach her by telephone. More importantly, there was no evidence of homicide. Nobody stood in the doorway of the house and heaved a body over the railing of the balcony outside.

JMO

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

I can only go by what is known. To investigators in this case, there was a clear reason to conclude suicide. It came after she was told Max's injuries would be fatal and a detective tried to reach her by telephone. More importantly, there was no evidence of homicide. Nobody stood in the doorway of the house and heaved a body over the railing of the balcony outside.

JMO

According to investigators MS's death was an accident. RZ was not guilty she had no reason to blame herself and every reason to prove herself innocent. That would have been her mind set at the time and LE evidence backs this up. This girl was a strong woman who apparently knew a marshal art and taught herself to swim to compete in an athletic event. She did not previously crumble during difficult situations.

 

[coopzoo]

It was less than 48 hours from the time Max was admitted until the time RZ committed suicide. Then he was there till Saturday when they took his organs.

Dina and Jonah were trading shifts from what it sounded like. She also had bronchitis. Maybe she needed to get away from Jonah for a while, or Howard was there. Only 2 people could be in the ICU room at one time.

BBM. Just curious...was this reported in MSM?

 

[Sharyne]

I can only go by what is known. To investigators in this case, there was a clear reason to conclude suicide. It came after she was told Max's injuries would be fatal and a detective tried to reach her by telephone. More importantly, there was no evidence of homicide. Nobody stood in the doorway of the house and heaved a body over the railing of the balcony outside.

JMO

Who was the detective and when did he/she try to reach her?