Zahau Death Investigation

[Betty P]

My questions:

How did AS do all the cutting, CPR, checking, etc. without leaving any DNA at the scene? He talks freely of the many actions he performed when discovering RZ's body, yet there's no report of fingerprints, trace evidence, DNA, etc. to back up his claims.

Do detectives/LD examiners usually make up their mind about LDT results so quickly and do they usually relay their opinion immediately to the witness, esp. in a possible murder case?

I'll have to check the timeline, but was this interview done before or after Paul Pfingst called SDSO?

 

[IzzyBlanche]

Good questions. I also wondered if she could have been hog tied and if he loosened the rope.

And, about the gag, it may mean nothing but he made it sound like it was in her mouth not just covering it.

He is quoted in Ann Rule's book as saying it was in her mouth and her pulled it out.

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

Why did he try the main house and not just get a knife from the guest house where he knew he had immediate access?

He states at one point.. talking about himself "How would I answer for this?" ......."if I didn't try something" "the worst possible person"

when asked if she was suicidal he says "no"

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

The way AS talks about the main house being open... creepy.... I get the feeling if that door had been locked that night.. AZ would still be alive....

I still hold by my original theory..... JS harmed AZ in a rage trying to get questions... AS came upon the scene and was forced to help his brother make it look like suicide...

 

[Carioca]

He is quoted in Ann Rule's book as saying it was in her mouth and her pulled it out.

IIRC aside from Ann Rule's book, it's been reported many times that the T-shirt was stuffed in Becky's mouth. According to the autopsy report, IMO the dried secretions would be saliva:

"There is a light blue or turquoise long sleeve T-shirt also around the neck on top of/outside of the rope. It was fashioned by tying the two ends of the long sleeves together near the cuffs in a double knot. The sleeves are wrapped three times around the neck with the abdominal and lower chest portion of the shirt extending from the anterior aspect of the ligature. The end of this has a small amount of what appears to be dried secretions."

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

In my opinion, there is an important lingering question. Will the recent release of information from Rebecca's investigative file be considered "piece mealing"? Will Sheriff Gore follow through with his veiled threat?

AB spoke to this situation and pointed out that some kind of journal or information on RZ's phone was not hers and that Gore incorrectly believed it was written by RZ but in fact was something a friend of hers had written and sent to her... and AB harshly criticized the shoddy police work.

I think the viewing of Asian bondage on the home computer is what Gore was referring to.... that would be embarrassing...

but what suicidal woman views Asian bondage as a way to figure out how to kill herself in such a bizarre manner.....meanwhile we have the brother in-law who has access to the house.... knowledge of ropes and knots and apparently admits to viewing on his phone the morning he found RZ reportedly hanging....

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

I keep thinking about the painted door.... that "S"....... at the very beginning... painted so differently.... like it was originally painted HE but someone added the S... the S is all spotty not painted the same way as the rest of the letters and the bottom of it also looks like one of the letters was changed...

S like a subconscious clue... Shacknai

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

AS is so concerned with how guilty he looks... in this video... this is his main concern...he doesn't mention did someone kill her even though that is the elephant in the room he sidesteps it....trying hard not to mention the gag or the tying of the hands until he is pressed.... so relieved to jump to the conclusion of suicide....but says she was not suicidal..... he is guarded... I think he is hiding JS's involvement.... AS does not want to go one way or the other..... if you are innocent... are you not more concerned for the victim and the truth?

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

It was so important for Gore to explain away that her hands were tied.... but how did she get over that railing with her hands tied..... and leave so few marks on that dirty railing...? I would sincerely like the SDLE and the AG to answer that question... hands and legs bound a t-shirt wrapped three times around her neck and stuffed in her mouth... how does she get over that railing?

 

[inthedark14]

Adam sure knew where the knives in the main house were and how easy it was to get them.... again why not a knife from the guest house... according to the JS PR machine AS ALWAYS stayed in the guest house....

<respectfully snipped by me>

Am I wrong or didn't the guest house have a kitchen as well, not to mention the apartment....

 

[Carioca]

Am I wrong or didn't the guest house have a kitchen as well, not to mention the apartment....

Correct. The kitchen in the guest house is accessed directly from the living room and both ground floor bedrooms. AS could easily have made his own coffee in that kitchen as well as gotten a knife from there rather than go to the main house kitchen.

A body language expert would have a field day with AS' polygraph.

 

[Bonepile]

I just find the more that time slips away the closer we get to the truth.

 

[Bonepile]

I just find the more that time slips away the closer we get to the truth.

and I would not miss any of it for a minute ... Thanks!

 

[time]

Adam sure knew where the knives in the main house were and how easy it was to get them.... again why not a knife from the guest house... according to the JS PR machine AS ALWAYS stayed in the guest house....

In my opinion...AS knew AZ was very dead... and pretends CPR because he knew.... he is just doing it to make himself look good.... he admits he didn't do any of the things you do like tilting her head back etc... odd considering these were things "online people" accused AZ of not doing the same thing for MS...

I remember us going over whether or not AS would actually need to stand on the table to cut her down....

wow this is so sickening... an Asian woman dead, bound and naked and AS admitting to looking at Asian on his phone..... really messed up...

Did they actually say the AS was looking at that morning was Asian. I was under the impression there were two separate events. Someone using an airline account accessed (going through Rebecca's computer or IDK) the day before. The key words to ssearch that were something like Assian, bondage, rape, anime. The second event was that AS told them he had just looked at that morning, but I don't remember any specification of what type of .

 

[celticthyme]

Does anyone think that RZ was perhaps never up in the bedroom or hung from the balcony? The only word we have that she was "hanging" from the balcony was from AS. There have been so many lies, coverups, accusations and bits of incorrect information, it is really hard to know the truth. We can really only make deductions based on the evidence we were left with, which belies the statements of the killers and the police. If, as it was said she died on her back, (and we know this from the lividity) her neck was not broken and she had mud on her feet, the rest could have been elaborate staging (especially her body) to paint the picture/impression the killers wanted to make.

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

Did they actually say the AS was looking at that morning was Asian. I was under the impression there were two separate events. Someone using an airline account accessed (going through Rebecca's computer or IDK) the day before. The key words to ssearch that were something like Assian, bondage, rape, anime. The second event was that AS told them he had just looked at that morning, but I don't remember any specification of what type of .

Yes, you are right I am sorry it was not specified what kind of he was viewing only that he admitted to viewing it on his iphone before finding RZ.
There is a link and AS had access to the house where one of the computers did have Asian bondage on it. Someone also viewed a southwest account from that same computer I believe. AS checking his flights?

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

Does anyone think that RZ was perhaps never up in the bedroom or hung from the balcony? The only word we have that she was "hanging" from the balcony was from AS. There have been so many lies, coverups, accusations and bits of incorrect information, it is really hard to know the truth. We can really only make deductions based on the evidence we were left with, which belies the statements of the killers and the police. If, as it was said she died on her back, (and we know this from the lividity) her neck was not broken and she had mud on her feet, the rest could have been elaborate staging (especially her body) to paint the picture/impression the killers wanted to make.

I have thought that... but there is a great deal of evidence supporting not only a long drop but a strangulation. Interesting to note that new information is that a candleholder on the main floor was found knocked over in the home and a candle was taken into evidence from the scene. Clearly RZ could have been originally attacked on the first floor.... or chased into the house from the garden area... why are her feet so dirty... but no mud in the bedroom....

The only thing I can think of is that if she was hanging from the railing... the murderer or accomplice might not have held onto RZ when they cut her down.. and just let her body fall the few extra feet into the garden bed... and not lifted her body but dragged her onto the grassy area. (sigh...) showing a real lack of compassion.

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

Adam sure knew where the knives in the main house were and how easy it was to get them.... again why not a knife from the guest house... according to the JS PR machine AS ALWAYS stayed in the guest house....

In my opinion...AS knew AZ was very dead... and pretends CPR because he knew.... he is just doing it to make himself look good.... he admits he didn't do any of the things you do like tilting her head back etc... odd considering these were things "online people" accused AZ of not doing the same thing for MS...

I remember us going over whether or not AS would actually need to stand on the table to cut her down....

wow this is so sickening... an Asian woman dead, bound and naked and AS admitting to looking at Asian on his phone..... really messed up...

Please not my above statement regarding Asian on AS's phone is not correct all we know at this point is that AS admitted to police that he viewed on his phone before finding RZ.

 

[time]

Yes, you are right I am sorry it was not specified what kind of he was viewing only that he admitted to viewing it on his iphone before finding RZ.
There is a link and AS had access to the house where one of the computers did have Asian bondage on it. Someone also viewed a southwest account from that same computer I believe. AS checking his flights?

I know I can be knitpicky...so here is another one. We don't know WHEN that was viewed the day before (or of) Rebecca's murder. Actually, I'm not sure we have enough info either on how it was accessed. My points... we don't know if it was before Adam arrived or after. We also don't know, as far as I can tell if the computer was accessed remotely or directly. Why would AS be checking his flights the day he arrived? I believe he arrived about 3-4 pm that day (Tuesday).

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

Does anyone know if Rebecca's family had an autopsy done, or if we have results somewhere?

Yes, her body was exhumed and Dr. Cyril Wecht performed a second autopsy. It was on Dr. Phil and there is a great deal of information available.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/17/rebecca-zahaus-dr-phil_n_1099376.html

Here is a link to Dr. Wecht interview about the results
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/websleuths/2011/09/19/websleuths-radio