Misrepresentations/Untruths/Gross Inconsistencies

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freespeech

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Here is a thread for only posting misrepresentations/untruths/gross inconsistencies. Please post a link to show the initial finding. Then also post the link showing the refutation.

Misrepresentation: Lucas wrote that "The long sleeve T-shirt was wrapped loosely around neck" for the presser power point presentation. However, Rebecca's neck circumference was about ten and three quarter inches. The tee shirt sleeves were wrapped around the neck + the rope + the hair three times and knotted twice in front. The rope ligature and the tee shirt were cut off and removed for the autopsy. Yet despite this description Lucas stated on the the ME power point presentation done for the presser that "The long sleeve T-shirt was wrapped loosely around neck"

http://www.sdsheriff.net/coronado/me-rz.pdf

Refutation: As shown under bindings/ligatures on Rebecca's autopsy report Luccas wrote, that the two sleeves of a light blue long sleeve tee shirt were wrapped around Rebecca's neck three times and over the rope ligature which was also over her hair and then double knotted at the sleeve cuffs in the front of her neck. The body portion of the shirt fell down in front of her and the end had some dried secretions. Lucas noted that the circumfrence of the rope ligature equaled ten and three quarter inches. Both the tee shirt and rope were cut from her neck.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B54...NGE4LWEyZDgtMjc3OWUxZTYzYmY5/edit?hl=en&pli=1
 
SDSO also misrepresented how Rebecca bound her hands.

Misrepresentation: In the San Diego Sheriff Department power point press release they stated that they concluded that, "She bound her feet, placed the rope and shirt around her neck, fashioned her wrist bindings and secured her hands behind her back" and "Rebecca moved out to the balcony, leaned foreward over the rail and fell"

http://www.sdsheriff.net/coronado/rz.pdf

Refutation: The San Diego Sheriff's Department misrepresented Rebecca's ability to bind her hands. In their demo video the police officer bound her hands without the accompanying impediments that they stated Rebecca had. The officer in the video did not have a noose over her hair or a long sleeve tee-shirt wrapped three times around her neck and knotted twice in front. She also did not have bound feet.

The video showed that while she bound her hands both of her legs move to counterbalance her actions. However, Rebecca would not have been able to do that since her ankles were bound. The officer also stands up easily afterwards to transfer the binding behind her back. Rebecca would not have been able to do that either.

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusiv...de-reenactment-video-woman-was-police-officer

Additional links

Dr. Drew reacts to rope tying expert below:

[video=youtube;cAK6cVZGb0w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAK6cVZGb0w[/video]
 
SDSO Misrepresented How Rebecca was Found

Misrepresentation: The Medical Examiner power point presentation stated that Rebecca was, "Found Found hanging, fully suspended with ankels bound and hands bound behind back"

http://www.sdsheriff.net/coronado/me-rz.pdf

Refutation: Adam is the only person who claimed to see her hanging. When the police and fire department arrived they found her on the grass.

Adam was given a LDT but the results were inconclusive. He never retested as was suggested. Adam's testimony is hearsay and therefore not reliable.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...TItOWM1Mi00NGE4LWEyZDgtMjc3OWUxZTYzYmY5&hl=en

Additional links below:

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusiv...grapher-recommended-another-lie-detector-test

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusiv...-brother-needs-take-another-lie-detector-test
 
Search warrant 11-164, 8/24/2011-

Detective Angela Tsuida-

The only people at the residence from the evening hours on July 12, 2011, to the morning hours of July 13, 2011, were Rebecca and Adam.

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/misc/warrant_11-164.pdf

---

Nina Romano's Interview 11/7/2011-

Nina Romano-

"I VOLUNTARILY told the detectives that I went by the mansion for a few minutes the night before at 10 p.m. but no one answered the door," Romano explained.

http://www.cbs8.com/story/15941030/max-shacknais-aunt-at-mansion-hours-before-zahaus-death
 
From the SDSO powerpoint presentation on RZ's autopsy (page 4) they state

No toxicological or physical evidence that she was rendered unconscious or incapacitated prior to the hanging.

http://www.sdsheriff.net/coronado/me-rz.pdf

Dr. Cyril Wecht, who autopsied RZ's body after exhumation, and forensic expert Dr. Lawrence Kobilinski both stated that the 4 hemorrhages beneath RZ's scalp were from substantial blows that could have rendered her unconscious.

"You have something of a rounded, smooth surface that impacts against the scalp, thus not producing a laceration," Wecht said.

Wecht said Zahau may have been knocked unconscious, which could explain why there are not defensive injuries on her body consistent with that of a struggle.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/coronado-mansion-death-rebecca-zahau-knocked-unconscious/story?id=14955832
 
Only Rebecca's DNA was found on the rope, 11/17/2011

SDSO spokesperson Jan Caldwell -

After Rebecca checked her phone messages, it is believed she went to the garage and found a ski rope. She took that rope into the house and picked up two kitchen knives. In the bedroom, she cut sections of rope and tied them around the foot of the bed. She placed the end of the rope around her neck, and cut two sections to bind her feet and her hands. Only her DNA was found on the rope. Only her fingerprints were on the foot of the bed and the knives.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011...the-sheriffs-case-for-suicide/?page=1#article

---

Unidentified DNA was also recovered from the rope, 11/17/2011

Sheriff's Crime Lab Director Michael Grubb -

In addition to the fingernail sample, unidentified DNA also was recovered from the rope used in Zahau's alleged hanging; a large knife used to the cut the rope; the bed frame to which the rope was tied; a door knob on the balcony door; and a pair of black gloves found on a table in the mansion, Grubb said.

http://www.760kfmb.com/story/16068012/mixed-dna-all-over-zahau-death-scene-some-evidence-not-tested
 
Only Rebecca's DNA was found on the rope, 9/2/2011

Sheriff Gore -

I think it is important you have to look at the totality considering Rebecca's suicide. Only her DNA on the rope on the bindings, her fingerprints on the knife, her footprints on the balcony, nobody else's.

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

---

Unidentified DNA was also recovered from the rope, 11/17/2011

Sheriff's Crime Lab Director Michael Grubb -

In addition to the fingernail sample, unidentified DNA also was recovered from the rope used in Zahau's alleged hanging; a large knife used to the cut the rope; the bed frame to which the rope was tied; a door knob on the balcony door; and a pair of black gloves found on a table in the mansion, Grubb said.

http://www.760kfmb.com/story/1606801...nce-not-tested
 
The message on the door wasn't released because it was considered a suicide note 9/2/2011-

Reporter:
Was there anything in her system, and in this case, given all the notoriety, why won't you release the message on the door?

Sheriff Gore:
In cases of suicide, law enforcement in general and this department in particular does not release the contents of suicide notes.

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

---

The message on the door wasn't a suicide note 9/2/2011-

Sheriff Gore -

Well it is difficult to say. It is not a clear suicide note. What's the word I'm looking for? It's a message I guess that's the best you can say.

http://www.sdsheriff.net/coronado/index.html
 
Jonah was with his son during the time Rebecca died - 9/2/2011-

Sheriff Gore -

Gore:
Yes. He was at children's hospital with his son.

Gore:
Yes we have confirmed his whereabouts at Children's Hospital.

Reporter:
Just to be clear, did you say Jonah Shacknai was at the Children's Hospital the whole time when the events occurred?

Gore:
During the evening we speculate she committed suicide we know Jonah Shacknai was at Rady Children's Hospital.


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

---

Jonah was at the Ronald McDonald House from 1:00am to 7:00am - per search warrant 11-164 probable cause -

Detective Norton -

He left the hospital around 0100 and went to the Ronald McDonald House.
He returned to the hospital on July 13, 2011, at about 0700 hours.


http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/misc/warrant_11-164.pdf
 
QUESTION:

1.) How did Rebecca sustain many punctate, linear and slightly irregular abrasions on the back, extending from the neck to the mid buttocks if her thick, straight, well-groomed, dark brown scalp hair measuring approximately 18 inches was well within and underneath the ligature around the neck and her hands were tied behind her back.


Rebecca Zahau Autopsy Report

Page 3: "...Scattered superficial abrasions on her back and legs appeared consistent with impact with large plants under the balcony..."

Page 4: "...She had a reddish-orange rope ligature around her neck and a blue piece of fabric, possibly a shirt, around the neck outside of the ligature. A portion of this shirt was reportedly originally in the decedent's mouth. The decedent's long hair passed between the skin of her neck and the rope ligature..."

Page 5: "...The thick, straight, well-groomed, dark brown scalp hair measures up to approximately 18 inches. The hair is well within/underneath the ligature around the neck..."

Page 8: "...There is a rope ligature around the neck and over the decedent's long hair...

...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...

...Both the ligature and the shirt were marked, labelled, and cut in order to remove them from the neck... "

Page 9: "...On the posterior right neck along the curvature of the left side of the trapeziod, there is a 3x3/8 inch, discontinuous, red abrasion..."

Page 11: "...There are many punctate, linear and slightly irregular abrasions on the back, extending from the neck to the mid buttocks and from each side of the back to the other. They are slightly more concentrated on the right thoracic back, with other ill-defined groups across the lower lumbar back at the upper buttocks and on the left scapular and lateral mid thoracic back..."

https://viewer.zoho.com/docs/ybIr7
 
QUESTION:

1.) How did Rebecca sustain many punctate, linear and slightly irregular abrasions on the back, extending from the neck to the mid buttocks if her thick, straight, well-groomed, dark brown scalp hair measuring approximately 18 inches was well within and underneath the ligature around the neck and her hands were tied behind her back.


Rebecca Zahau Autopsy Report

Page 3: "...Scattered superficial abrasions on her back and legs appeared consistent with impact with large plants under the balcony..."

Page 4: "...She had a reddish-orange rope ligature around her neck and a blue piece of fabric, possibly a shirt, around the neck outside of the ligature. A portion of this shirt was reportedly originally in the decedent's mouth. The decedent's long hair passed between the skin of her neck and the rope ligature..."

Page 5: "...The thick, straight, well-groomed, dark brown scalp hair measures up to approximately 18 inches. The hair is well within/underneath the ligature around the neck..."

Page 8: "...There is a rope ligature around the neck and over the decedent's long hair...

...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...

...Both the ligature and the shirt were marked, labelled, and cut in order to remove them from the neck... "

Page 9: "...On the posterior right neck along the curvature of the left side of the trapeziod, there is a 3x3/8 inch, discontinuous, red abrasion..."

Page 11: "...There are many punctate, linear and slightly irregular abrasions on the back, extending from the neck to the mid buttocks and from each side of the back to the other. They are slightly more concentrated on the right thoracic back, with other ill-defined groups across the lower lumbar back at the upper buttocks and on the left scapular and lateral mid thoracic back..."

https://viewer.zoho.com/docs/ybIr7

My point here was to show that she could not have received the injuries to the back of her neck/upper back and lower back/upper buttocks from the plants because her hair, tee shirt and bound hands covered these areas.
 
SDSO states there was evidence Rebecca was on her menses or spotting at that time.

SDSO website, FAQ section -

Why didn’t we process the blood in the shower?

The condition of the master bedroom lead investigators to believe Rebecca may have been in the shower during the time leading up to her death. The blood drop was very small, and there was evidence Rebecca was experiencing menstrual bleeding, or “spotting,” at the time. Similar blood drops were found outside the door leading to the guest room where the incident occurred. Those samples were tested, and they were found to be from Rebecca. Since the master bedroom is in another part of the mansion, and there was no evidence at the scene of the event suggesting anyone else was bleeding other than Rebecca, this item was not tested.


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

---

San Diego Medical Examiner Dr. Lucas does not indicate in Rebecca's autopsy report that she was experiencing her menses. Lucas does not mention anything about her endometrial lining indicating menstruation.

Autopsy Report Page 14 or page 17 in the link supplied -

Urogenital System: There is an intrauterine device in place. The vagina contains a small amount of blood. The endometrial cavity contains a small amount of blood and the endometrium itself is smooth and red-purple.


http://www.scribd.com/doc/64114521/Reports
 
Jonah was with his son during the time Rebecca died - 9/2/2011-

Sheriff Gore -

Gore:
Yes. He was at children's hospital with his son.

Gore:
Yes we have confirmed his whereabouts at Children's Hospital.

Reporter:
Just to be clear, did you say Jonah Shacknai was at the Children's Hospital the whole time when the events occurred?

Gore:
During the evening we speculate she committed suicide we know Jonah Shacknai was at Rady Children's Hospital.


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

---

Jonah was at the Ronald McDonald House from 1:00am to 7:00am - per search warrant 11-164 probable cause -

Detective Norton -

He left the hospital around 0100 and went to the Ronald McDonald House.
He returned to the hospital on July 13, 2011, at about 0700 hours.


http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/misc/warrant_11-164.pdf

and DR was also not at the hospital per the timeline.

July 12th – around 8:00 AM Dina leaves the hospital. She goes back home to rest for 12 hours. 8 pm- 8 am

Thus proving....No one was with ( poor ) Maxi- that night?
 
and DR was also not at the hospital per the timeline.

July 12th – around 8:00 AM Dina leaves the hospital. She goes back home to rest for 12 hours. 8 pm- 8 am

Thus proving....No one was with ( poor ) Maxi- that night?

Actually Dina left at 8:00 AM and alleges to have returned at 8:00 PM on Tuesday the 12th. We know there are discrepancies in the actual time Dina returned to the hospital Tuesday per Jonah's and and Nina's statements. According to Sheriff Gore, Dina was not seen on surveillance video. However, Dina claims to have been with Max at the hospital the entire night. Dina claims to have left the hospital the morning of the 13th, sometime after receiving the news of Rebecca's death from Jonah at 7:00 AM. According to Dina's statement to detectives, she would have been with Max the entire night.

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/misc/warrant_11-164.pdf
http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/misc/nina_romano.mp3
http://www.phoenixmag.com/lifestyle/valley-news/201208/boy--interrupted-full-version/2/
 
Jonah states in the search warrants he returned at 8:00 PM. However, conflicting times are given regarding when Dina returned to the hospital Tuesday the 12th. NR gives another conflicting time in her interview.

• Jonah tells detectives 6:00 PM Tuesday is when Dina returned to the hospital in search warrant 11-164.

• Nina per her interview claims she and Dina drove to the hospital together at 4:00 PM Tuesday afternoon.

• Dina tells detectives she returned to the hospital at 8:00 PM Tuesday night, per search warrant 11-164.


http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/misc/warrant_11-164.pdf

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/misc/nina_romano.mp3
 
Originally Posted by *Lash*
In the interview 'Boy, Interrupted', Dina points out Max's doctors were still looking for information to explain his cardiac arrest. The doctors told her any information about Max's fall would be helpful. So Dina asked Nina to go talk to Rebecca. Beg her on your hands and knees, if you have to. In Nina's phone interview, she never mentions her sister Dina's request to talk to Rebecca. Nina does mention the doctors were unclear about the cardiac arrest. Nina says her 'sole reason' for walking down there was because Rebecca wouldn't give her any information (referring to the conversation in the car ride from the airport). Nina was an aunt who just wanted answers. Nina never mentions helping the doctors or that Dina asked her to beg Rebecca for details. I'm sure Nina did have her own questions, but why not just say my sister Dina asked me to talk to Rebecca? It was a simple answer. In my opinion it seems like Dina and the conversation with Max's doctors was intentionally left out by Nina. Why?

Nina - 07:00 mins:
And at this point - they didn't know what hap - they didn't - the doctor's didn't know if the cardiac arrest came first or if the fall caused the cardiac arrest. They - they didn't know. That was very unclear at by Tuesday. So this is what the nurses were telling me Tuesday. - um so by the time I got back to my sister's that night, I just had this thing in my head I just don't get it - and I said, you know, I'm just gonna go over to her - I'm going to ask Rebecca - can you please show me - like show me where you found him show me how you found him - and then I just wanted to see, like how - show me - where what position. You know I just wanted to see for myself and that's why - (inaudible) it's a very long story - that's why I went there I just wanted her to show me how she found him, because I didn't understand and because she wouldn't tell me,(inaudible) I asked her what happened - she wouldn't give me any information - so my purpose of walking down there and texting her and saying - hey are you around I'd like to come by - was for the sole reason, I was an aunt who was just at the hospital all day with her nephew - seeing him in that condition and saying I just wanted answers - can somebody - please just tell me what happened because I don't understand this. So, that was my reason for going down there -

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kfmb/...ina_romano.mp3

Dina - Boy Interrupted:
Max’s physicians were still looking for clues to explain his cardiac arrest. “I felt like my life was collapsing like a card table,” Dina says. “The doctors said, ‘If you have any information, that would be helpful.’ So I asked Nina to go talk to Rebecca. Beg her on your hands and knees, if you have to. Ask her if there’s anything, anything, that might help Max. Some detail or something she left out [of the police report].”

http://www.phoenixmag.com/lifestyle/...ull-version/2/
 
Misrepresentation

From the SDSO Website FAQ's:

Why didn’t you follow-up with the neighbors when they heard screams?

A detailed statement was taken from the neighbor who heard a scream. The scream heard was about two and one-half hours before Rebecca’s voice mail was accessed on her phone, and the witness believed it could have been attributed to several teens which were in the area at the time. The witness could not tell exactly where the scream came from, but gestured to an area more toward the beach rather than the mansion. This interview was conducted the first day of the investigation.

Refutation

From Dr. Phil Interview of P.I. Paul Ciolino:

Paul says that he spoke with neighbors as part of his investigation. He explains that neighbors on both sides of the home describe hearing screams and a woman calling for help on the night of Rebecca’s death. “We have two independent people, who didn’t converse prior to this, who went to authorities and told them what they heard, and it was discounted. These were clues that weren’t followed up on — or ignored.”

“Why would they not follow up on these [leads]?” Dr. Phil asks Paul.

Paul says, “We have a problem with law enforcement in cases like this, and it’s called, ‘confirmation bias.’ What happens is they take facts that make this look like a suicide, and they take the facts that make it look like a homicide, and they ignore them. They are very reluctant to admit they made a mistake.

“If the sheriff wants to do what’s right, he will open this case up again,” Paul continues. “The victimology in this case stinks. None of this makes sense.”
 
Misrepresentation

From the SDSO Website FAQ's:

Why didn’t you follow-up with the neighbors when they heard screams?

A detailed statement was taken from the neighbor who heard a scream. The scream heard was about two and one-half hours before Rebecca’s voice mail was accessed on her phone, and the witness believed it could have been attributed to several teens which were in the area at the time. The witness could not tell exactly where the scream came from, but gestured to an area more toward the beach rather than the mansion. This interview was conducted the first day of the investigation.

Refutation

From Dr. Phil Interview of P.I. Paul Ciolino:

Paul says that he spoke with neighbors as part of his investigation. He explains that neighbors on both sides of the home describe hearing screams and a woman calling for help on the night of Rebecca’s death. “We have two independent people, who didn’t converse prior to this, who went to authorities and told them what they heard, and it was discounted. These were clues that weren’t followed up on — or ignored.”

“Why would they not follow up on these [leads]?” Dr. Phil asks Paul.

Paul says, “We have a problem with law enforcement in cases like this, and it’s called, ‘confirmation bias.’ What happens is they take facts that make this look like a suicide, and they take the facts that make it look like a homicide, and they ignore them. They are very reluctant to admit they made a mistake.

“If the sheriff wants to do what’s right, he will open this case up again,” Paul continues. “The victimology in this case stinks. None of this makes sense.”

In fairness, this is just a matter of whom one chooses to believe: the police or a private detective. There is no proof that either statement is true or false. Nothing is "refuted."

We get to pick , I guess, depending on how we see matters in this case. Others can just as fairly choose to see truth in the other statement.

Too much in this case is like that IMO.
 
Misrepresentation

From the SDSO Website FAQ's:

Why didn’t you follow-up with the neighbors when they heard screams?

A detailed statement was taken from the neighbor who heard a scream. The scream heard was about two and one-half hours before Rebecca’s voice mail was accessed on her phone, and the witness believed it could have been attributed to several teens which were in the area at the time. The witness could not tell exactly where the scream came from, but gestured to an area more toward the beach rather than the mansion. This interview was conducted the first day of the investigation.

Refutation

From Dr. Phil Interview of P.I. Paul Ciolino:

Paul says that he spoke with neighbors as part of his investigation. He explains that neighbors on both sides of the home describe hearing screams and a woman calling for help on the night of Rebecca’s death. “We have two independent people, who didn’t converse prior to this, who went to authorities and told them what they heard, and it was discounted. These were clues that weren’t followed up on — or ignored.”

“Why would they not follow up on these [leads]?” Dr. Phil asks Paul.

Paul says, “We have a problem with law enforcement in cases like this, and it’s called, ‘confirmation bias.’ What happens is they take facts that make this look like a suicide, and they take the facts that make it look like a homicide, and they ignore them. They are very reluctant to admit they made a mistake.

“If the sheriff wants to do what’s right, he will open this case up again,” Paul continues. “The victimology in this case stinks. None of this makes sense.”

There were definitely misrepresentations and outright falsehoods perpetrated by Gore and SDSO. In their biased investigation of Rebecca's death, they rushed to judgment and excluded evidence that would have refuted their biased foregone conclusions.

I agree with Paul Ciolino that SDSO held a confirmation bias where they made the evidence fit their preconceived notions.

For example, SDSO excluded evidence. SDSO purposefully did not collect and/or analyze pertinent evidence (like the 2-lb. dog bone, the blood drops).

They made unfounded and invalid assumptions about witnesses' testimonies. E.g., SDSO overturned the male witness' testimony in which he stated he specifically saw Dina and not Nina at the Spreckels Mansion the night Rebecca was killed while they took Jonah, Adam, Nina and Dina's words at full face value without question.

SDSO intentionally did not re-create the hanging scenario with a fully gagged and bounded body of Rebecca's size at the Spreckels crime scene. Plus SDSO did not even saw fit to do a psychological autopsy on Rebecca.

The errors in the investigation into Rebecca's death were egregious and bespeak of SDSO's monumental unprofessionalism, incompetence and prejudices.
 
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