Max's back injuries

[time]

How did Max's back scrape paint off the banister? I know my skin is much harder and tougher and I know I couldn't do it even if I pushed really hard or someone else pushed me really hard.

The probability that Max's scooter caused the damage to banister paint is more scientifically valid. Imo, he rode the scooter close to the dip in the banister and was catapulted over. The scooter must have come into contact with his back or he landed on it and that caused the characteristic razor scooter shaped "seven" abrasion to his back. Imo, the seven shape on his back corresponded to the shape of the Razor scooter. The stair railing wasn't a "seven" configuration so it could not have caused the injury. Jmoo.

Yes! That seems to be a problem. I still can't figure out how the bansiter matches up to the back injuries either. I can't see how anyone has some convoluted theory that Max was now dragged over the banister with his scooter, so the scooter made the paint damage and the banister made the marks on his back.

I still have to believe he put the scooter onto the bannister and tried to grab it... falling off and slinging the scooter (bakwards?), maybe the handlebars stuck in the chandelier enough to pull it down, and Max landed on the side of the scooter causing the "7 shape. I think he could have even landed on it and bounced off it somewhat flipping the scooter so it ended up on his leg.

IDK, but Melinek's scenario just makes way less sense than the original accident description did. Why the heck can't they propose something that makes more sense. If not, then back up their claims with diagrams and animations. Furthermore, try to make sense of them in light of the major injury that was fatal.

 

[time]

I believe either Rebecca or her sister tried to lift Max while he was on the scooter up on the railing, and dropped him. That's why most of the damage to the railing is on the INSIDE, not the outside of the banister. JMO

I don't believe that explains the chandelier? I think it's possible that a person might try to get a kid off a railing and they would fall in the process. I don't think they would be dropped though because that implies they were over the railing to begin with, doesn't it? Unless they were dropped and landed back the other way on the carpet.

 

[bourne]

Yes! That seems to be a problem. I still can't figure out how the bansiter matches up to the back injuries either. I can't see how anyone has some convoluted theory that Max was now dragged over the banister with his scooter, so the scooter made the paint damage and the banister made the marks on his back.

I still have to believe he put the scooter onto the bannister and tried to grab it... falling off and slinging the scooter (bakwards?), maybe the handlebars stuck in the chandelier enough to pull it down, and Max landed on the side of the scooter causing the "7 shape. I think he could have even landed on it and bounced off it somewhat flipping the scooter so it ended up on his leg.

IDK, but Melinek's scenario just makes way less sense than the original accident description did. Why the heck can't they propose something that makes more sense. If not, then back up their claims with diagrams and animations. Furthermore, try to make sense of them in light of the major injury that was fatal.

Agree, how bizarre and implausible for anyone of Rebecca's tiny size and short stature to drag a child with his scooter on a bannister? If this could be done, the person who did the dragging must have had superhuman strength and be much taller than the height of the bannister and the height of the child on his scooter -- which would make this perpetrator what -- at least 90 inches or 7.5 feet tall? Sorry Rebecca's only 5 feet 3 inches.

Also, if someone was dragging a child on a scooter on the bannister, the child would have immediately let go of the scooter. How would the scooter make those deep gouges on the bannister then?

Does whoever came up with this absurd theory think the child's hands were glued to the scooter while he was being dragged on the bannister?

Sorry, makes zero sense.

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

IMO, Rebecca could have easily lifted up little Max and his scooter. Rebecca was very strong...worked out, lifted weights, was all muscle...Max was just a little boy.

There are many possibilities in how Max was injured. What is certain, in my opinion, is that is did not happen like Rebecca said. I do believe that she and/or her sister were involved and then tried to cover it up. That is the only explanation for her story changing so many times, IMO.

 

[Inparadise]

IMO, Rebecca could have easily lifted up little Max and his scooter. Rebecca was very strong...worked out, lifted weights, was all muscle...Max was just a little boy.

There are many possibilities in how Max was injured. What is certain, in my opinion, is that is did not happen like Rebecca said. I do believe that she and/or her sister were involved and then tried to cover it up. That is the only explanation for her story changing so many times, IMO.

Rebecca only said what Jonah told her to say about that morning......IMO.

 

[justice be served]

Agree, how bizarre and implausible for anyone of Rebecca's tiny size and short stature to drag a child with his scooter on a bannister? If this could be done, the person who did the dragging must have had superhuman strength and be much taller than the height of the bannister and the height of the child on his scooter -- which would make this perpetrator what -- at least 90 inches or 7.5 feet tall? Sorry Rebecca's only 5 feet 3 inches.

Also, if someone was dragging a child on a scooter on the bannister, the child would have immediately let go of the scooter. How would the scooter make those deep gouges on the bannister then?

Does whoever came up with this absurd theory think the child's hands were glued to the scooter while he was being dragged on the bannister?

Sorry, makes zero sense.

I keep having to remind myself that this absurd theory of Rebecca throwing Max over the railing is simply the justification for the fact - in the murderer's mind - that Rebecca needed to pay and she was worth murdering . Nothing else makes sense.

 

[justice be served]

rebecca only said what jonah told her to say about that morning......imo.

cannot agree more

 

[SweetT]

Rebecca had only moved in with Jonah in Jan. 2011. IMO, I doubt she was babysitting him before that, so it was only 6 1/2 months that Rebecca was watching him when the accident happened.

Agree, how bizarre and implausible for anyone of Rebecca's tiny size and short stature to drag a child with his scooter on a bannister? If this could be done, the person who did the dragging must have had superhuman strength and be much taller than the height of the bannister and the height of the child on his scooter -- which would make this perpetrator what -- at least 90 inches or 7.5 feet tall? Sorry Rebecca's only 5 feet 3 inches.

Also, if someone was dragging a child on a scooter on the bannister, the child would have immediately let go of the scooter. How would the scooter make those deep gouges on the bannister then?

Does whoever came up with this absurd theory think the child's hands were glued to the scooter while he was being dragged on the bannister?

Sorry, makes zero sense.

My daughter is 5ft 2 at most and weighs 100 lbs soaking wet, but I can guarantee you she can lift a 6 yr old up onto a bannister with no problems..and she doesnt work out every day..Just normal strength and small stature..In fact she has a 3 yr old that she carries around and stuff..I know a miracle huh? I am not convinced Max was on a bannister myself but if he was and he did it alone he would surely have to have a lot of balance.

 

[time]

I keep having to remind myself that this absurd theory of Rebecca throwing Max over the railing is simply the justification for the fact - in the murderer's mind - that Rebecca needed to pay and she was worth murdering . Nothing else makes sense.

Ditto on all that! My thoughts exactly.

I still think there are many plausible accident scenarios, unfortunately, they are not being explored by Dina and her experts.

 

[Zinn]

Rebecca only said what Jonah told her to say about that morning......IMO.

I have no idea if that's what happened, but I do consider this quote from the much referenced Daily Beast article a red flag: "Rebecca frantically dialed Shacknai. It was one of the few times he had his phone with him at the gym. When he answered, all he heard was a frightening din. He raced home in time to see Max being loaded into an ambulance."

To me, The Daily Beast article reads as PR and it is known to contain many inaccuracies, but I still find it useful as it reflects the scenario JS presumably wished to portray at that time. The above quote is interesting to me because it suggests no information was exchanged between Rebecca and JS immediately following Max's fall. Could it possibly have happened as described? Perhaps, but I am skeptical. My skepticism doesn't lead me to a specific conclusion (such as Rebecca only said what JS wanted her to say) but it makes me question whether more information was exchanged than others have been led to believe.

All of the above is just my opinion.

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

Funny how we all think differently about this case. Many of you find the Daily Beast article to be written by PR...I think the same with the articles written on Radar Online which are just PR pieces by Mary Zahau and Anne Bremner, IMO.

 

[bourne]

My daughter is 5ft 2 at most and weighs 100 lbs soaking wet, but I can guarantee you she can lift a 6 yr old up onto a bannister with no problems..and she doesnt work out every day..Just normal strength and small stature..In fact she has a 3 yr old that she carries around and stuff..I know a miracle huh? I am not convinced Max was on a bannister myself but if he was and he did it alone he would surely have to have a lot of balance.

So you're not following Dr. Melinek's logic that Max was assaulted and then thrown over the bannister?

Sure, someone strong could have helped Max onto the bannister, but Max would have had to voluntarily go along with being placed on the bannister, and Max would have had to also get on his scooter of his own free will. To be more clear, in your scenario, Max would have to stabilize himself while the perpetrator helped him to stand on top of the bannister, and then Max would have had to then get on top of the scooter of his own free will and then allowed himself to be dragged by perpetrator. Any which way you look at this, Max would have had to willingly and actively participate.

However, according to Melinek, it was an assault, meaning the injuries on Max was done against his will, not that Max was willfully allowing the incident to happen.

So you are contradicting Melinek's "expert" report.

 

[Inparadise]

So you're not following Dr. Melinek's logic that Max was assaulted and then thrown over the bannister?

Sure, someone strong could have helped Max onto the bannister, but Max would have had to voluntarily go along with being placed on the bannister, and Max would have had to also get on his scooter of his own free will. To be more clear, in your scenario, Max would have to stabilize himself while the perpetrator helped him to stand on top of the bannister, and then Max would have had to then get on top of the scooter of his own free will and then allowed himself to be dragged by perpetrator. Any which way you look at this, Max would have had to willingly and actively participate.

However, according to Melinek, it was an assault, meaning the injuries on Max was done against his will, not that Max was willfully allowing the incident to happen.

So you are contradicting Melinek's "expert" report.

No mention of "Owling" as a possibility either..........perching on an unusual place and staring off into space while your picture is taken to be posted on social media sites.

 

[freespeech]

The poor woman's child is dead because her ex-husband failed to protect him. I try to show her compassion. A Court can't control what goes on behind closed doors of a residence nor do I believe a Court has the power to dictate parental behavior if CPS isn't involved.

JMO

Do you have proof that Jonah failed to protect his youngest son or are you "just saying"?

Can't courts issue court orders to mandate what goes on behind closed doors?

Why didn't Dina report her concerns to CPD immediately?

 

[Inparadise]

Do you have proof that Jonah failed to protect his youngest son or are you "just saying"?

Can't courts issue court orders to mandate what goes on behind closed doors?

Why didn't Dina report her concerns to CPD immediately?

All of the conditions/restrictions regarding the care and custody of Max would have been specifically stated in a court ordered custody agreement. If one parent believes that the other parent is in violation of a court issued custody agreement, then that parent would file a motion at the time(s) that they believed the violation to be taking place with the court to resolve the issue. So I guess that a fair question would be, was it ever brought to the attention of the Maricopa County Family Court that Jonah was in violation of the custody decree?

 

[time]

All of the conditions/restrictions regarding the care and custody of Max would have been specifically stated in a court ordered custody agreement. If one parent believes that the other parent is in violation of a court issued custody agreement, then that parent would file a motion at the time(s) that they believed the violation to be taking place with the court to resolve the issue. So I guess that a fair question would be, was it ever brought to the attention of the Maricopa County Family Court that Jonah was in violation of the custody decree?

I could be wrong, but I thought somewhere in a Dina interview or article where she was quoted (or two), Dina gave a hint that none of this was in any formal agreement (or perhaps it was that she said she WAS going to ask for that - which doesn't mean she would get it court ordered). I'm not sure what the Zahau family or Bremner have verified, if anything, regarding Rebecca ever being told or Jonah being told that these conditions formally existed or even existed at all? And, of course, I do not think anyone else, like Jonah, have ever said these were agreed upon. Someone help me out here...

 

[Inparadise]

I could be wrong, but I thought somewhere in a Dina interview or article where she was quoted (or two), Dina gave a hint that none of this was in any formal agreement (or perhaps it was that she said she WAS going to ask for that - which doesn't mean she would get it court ordered). I'm not sure what the Zahau family or Bremner have verified, if anything, regarding Rebecca ever being told or Jonah being told that these conditions formally existed or even existed at all? And, of course, I do not think anyone else, like Jonah, have ever said these were agreed upon. Someone help me out here...

Speaking from experience in Maricopa County Family Court, if it isn't in the decree, then good luck getting it enforced. Like you, I find it odd that Dina hinted that it wasn't a formal agreement between she and Jonah. IMO, she is grasping for straws to demonstrate to the public that Rebecca was a danger to Max.

 

[time]

Speaking from experience in Maricopa County Family Court, if it isn't in the decree, then good luck getting it enforced. Like you, I find it odd that Dina hinted that it wasn't a formal agreement between she and Jonah. IMO, she is grasping for straws to demonstrate to the public that Rebecca was a danger to Max.

IP, I agree, if there was no formal agreement, then her case is severely weakened if she wants to file some civil suit against Jonah. And, I don't think Max's case will ever result in a criminal suit. It makes me wonder if I should go back to the 'fear' factor and national publicity as being the means to hope for an out of court settlement - and to make Jonah want to just to make it go away? IDK

 

[freespeech]

BBM. I do not see this as even a remote possibility because the case was ruled a suicide. I think a Judge would immediately toss it.

I do believe DS can file a wrongful death lawsuit and obtain a deposition from the younger sister.

JMO

Actually you may be correct. The Zahaus will have to sue Dina for defamation of character. Jonah never said Rebecca or her sister assaulted and murdered Max.

Dina and Dr. Melinek did that. If Dina wins a settlement from Jonah then the Zahaus should sue her for defamation of Rebecca's character, damage to their family name and reputation and pain and suffering while they were trying to grieve her death. Jmoo.

 

[CuriousGeorgia]

Actually you may be correct. The Zahaus will have to sue Dina for defamation of character. Jonah never said Rebecca or her sister assaulted and murdered Max.

Dina and Dr. Melinek did that. If Dina wins a settlement from Jonah then the Zahaus should sue her for defamation of Rebecca's character, damage to their family name and reputation and pain and suffering while they were trying to grieve her death. Jmoo.

Dina and her lawyer did not accuse Rebecca of murder, but of a possible homicide, which is very different. Homicide can mean unintentional involvement. I do not think that the Zahaus would have any grounds for a lawsuit.

On the other hand, I think that Jonah Shacknai has had every reason to charge the Zahaus with defamation of character. Considering how much money he has and how much his family has been raked through the coals while in mourning for Max (and Rebecca in Jonah's case), I think the fact that he has not done that shows just what a decent man he really is.

JMO.