Reasons why you think it could be suicide

I listed that a possibility in my opinion. People regret things they say and try to make amends all the time.

Well if she expected he was going to regret and make amends, why go kill herself within hours of getting message? What's the rush? He didn't even talk to her person to person. But she never tried to contact him after supposedly getting the message.
 
Well if she expected he was going to regret and make amends, why go kill herself within hours of getting message? What's the rush? He didn't even talk to her person to person. But she never tried to contact him after supposedly getting the message.

I never said i thought she expected it. It may have been her last hope - a long shot hope to buy her some time. I lean more to the mimic of a homicide possibility, but I try to think about all the possibilities. I think she was a very angry and desperate person at this point. iMO
 
Another interesting article, this time from Psychology Today, in support of the suicide theory:

http://my.psychologytoday.com/blog/...ng-the-beach-house-female-suicide-or-murder-0

This article is fraught with inaccuracies and/or assumptions.

Her naked body was found on the ground below, by her brother, who was living on the property in a guest house.

She wasn't found by her brother, but by JS's brother, AS. Nor was AS living on the property. He had flown in after Max's accident, and was a guest @ the mansion. In addition - RZ's body wasn't found on the "ground below" - she was reportedly found hanging by JS's brother.

... just after one a.m., ... Rebecca Zahau took a shower, removed her clothes, and used a paint brush and a tube of black paint to write a message on the door of a guest room where she kept her art supplies.

Where does he get this stuff? No one has reported that the guestroom was a room where RZ "kept her art supplies".

She then tied a length of red nylon rope, which she may have retrieved from the garage where boating equipment was stored, to the foot of her bed frame.

The foot of her bed frame? Again - where does he get this stuff?

She wrapped the rope over a long-sleeved shirt she had placed around her neck,

Uh, no - it was the exact opposite - the blue tee shirt was wrapped around the rope. If he had taken the time to read the AR, he would know that.

The rope either broke or became untied and she fell to the ground below.

Huh??? Has he not read the numerous media reports & the autopsy report, which clearly state that the rope from which RZ hung was cut down by AS? Good Lord!

... there was a small knife and a large knife in the bedroom - her fingerprints were found on the small one and her DNA was found on the large one; her DNA was found on the bed, the rope, the balcony door, and the bedroom door;

According to the Sept. 2 PC, RZ's fingerprints were found on the large knife & the bed leg next to the rope - NOT her DNA. In addition, her fingerprints were found on the guest room entry door jamb & the balcony door - NOT her DNA.

The small knife contained RZ's DNA (no fingerprints).

Geez - if this guy is going to comment, the least he can do is be accurate, for crying out loud!

I noticed that the author of the article quoted Dr. Baden in support of the official suicide finding, but failed to mention Dr. Cyril Wecht's comments to the media that challenged the suicide finding, based in part on injuries to the victim (most notably the 4 subgaleal hemorrhages).

There is nothing to connect Rebecca's brother or her boyfriend to her death, or any other known or unknown person.

Rebecca's brother? Good grief! If someone is going to write an editorial on this case, the least that person can do is to educate themselves as to who the various family members are (or aren't). And he's actually attempting to defend the "suicide" theory! His lack of knowledge as to the factual details of the case renders his defense laughable, IMO.

Steve Albrecht, Ph.D. - do your homework!

http://my.psychologytoday.com/blog/...ng-the-beach-house-female-suicide-or-murder-0

This so-called "article" reminds me of why I don't read Psychology Today.
 
I believe the following: Js called RN, tells her that Max is going to die, for her to get out of his house. That it's all over and done with. I don't know if he blamed her, or even thought she was to blame, but he wasn't going to bat for her. I think she had been in some kind of drama w his family for a while and this was just the last Straw. She went about this complicated suicide to either a) delay her suicide in hopes that he would find her and save her from herself (or change his mind)or b) to mimic a homicide so as to cast blame on the family. Like I said before, I think she was scorned and hell hath no fury. .
This is my opinion.

Why would he wait for immanent death of MS to be verified to decide to kick her out, if things were so screwed? The accident on her watch had already happened. Actual death though would be the last straw? Why would JS go on with the farce just until that point? And what about the "special place in his heart" for Rebecca that Jonah mentioned in his press release? He just made that part up? According to your thesis he was pretty disgusted with her and all but ready to end the relationship.
 
Amazing how many mistakes can be made in one little article. Claiming her brother was living in a guest house on the property-that's just wrong.
:banghead:
 
Why would he wait for immanent death of MS to be verified to decide to kick her out, if things were so screwed? The accident on her watch had already happened. Actual death though would be the last straw? Why would JS go on with the farce just until that point? And what about the "special place in his heart" for Rebecca that Jonah mentioned in his press release? He just made that part up? According to your thesis he was pretty disgusted with her and all but ready to end the relationship.

Honestly, when I look at the reasons people have conflicting views on this subject, a lot if it has to do with how we personally relate to others - we are drawing conclusions about what we think are going on in people's heads and we only have our personal experiences to compare it with. It's hard to argue with someone about what we think someone else is thinking. Obviously I have a more cynical take on their relationship. It's interesting that you think he was expressing his love for her in the press release when that same statement has been used as an example of him being callous about her death. We can't have it both ways.
Regardless, this thread asked why we THOUGHT it was suicide and I never expected to be grilled on my opinion. It's rather exhausting IMO.
 
I believe the following: Js called RN, tells her that Max is going to die, for her to get out of his house. That it's all over and done with. I don't know if he blamed her, or even thought she was to blame, but he wasn't going to bat for her. I think she had been in some kind of drama w his family for a while and this was just the last Straw. She went about this complicated suicide to either a) delay her suicide in hopes that he would find her and save her from herself (or change his mind)or b) to mimic a homicide so as to cast blame on the family. Like I said before, I think she was scorned and hell hath no fury. .
This is my opinion.


I agree with your scenario. I think that the fact that the accident happened under RZ's care didn't sit well with some family members, and I agree that many of them didn't like her to begin with. I think JS and her were having problems prior to the accident and that this was the last straw, as you say.

I also think the Shacknai family knew from the start that MS wasn't going to make it, but they waited to inform RZ. They might have just found out that everything was finally together for the donor program at a late hour, and that meant they finally had a time frame within which MS would be taken off life support. That's what I think the late nigh call to RZ from JS was about, and that's when he told her that he wanted her gone before he got home the next night.

I believe she was furious because she thought she should get some kind of credit for "saving" MS until his family could say good-bye to him, and decided to commit suicide publicly and nakedly in a way to either humiliate JS and his family, or to somehow atone for MS's death. I think the shirt around her neck was for vanity's sake. Suicide experts say that hanging is the second way most women commit suicide (the first being pills) because they don't want their appearance marred.

I think her note was meant to be a jab at JS, as in "I saved MS until you could say good-bye to him, can anyone save me?", almost like she wanted credit to the end for "saving" MS even though she didn't save anyone, certainly not MS.

I also think she went out in the most jarring, blazing way she could think of in order to get back at the family (trying to ruin their family vacation home for them) and also trying to detract from MS's imminent death.

I have a relative who is a psychiatric nurse who works with the criminally insane, and she has her own theories about this, but I'm not sure if I can post them here.

Everything I've written here is only my opinion, but I believe it was suicide. However, I am open to the fact that there may be more information pending in this case that would change my mind.
 
Why would he wait for immanent death of MS to be verified to decide to kick her out, if things were so screwed? The accident on her watch had already happened. Actual death though would be the last straw? Why would JS go on with the farce just until that point? And what about the "special place in his heart" for Rebecca that Jonah mentioned in his press release? He just made that part up? According to your thesis he was pretty disgusted with her and all but ready to end the relationship.

You can break up with someone and yet that person can still have a special place in your heart.
 
Honestly, when I look at the reasons people have conflicting views on this subject, a lot if it has to do with how we personally relate to others - we are drawing conclusions about what we think are going on in people's heads and we only have our personal experiences to compare it with. It's hard to argue with someone about what we think someone else is thinking. Obviously I have a more cynical take on their relationship. It's interesting that you think he was expressing his love for her in the press release when that same statement has been used as an example of him being callous about her death. We can't have it both ways.
Regardless, this thread asked why we THOUGHT it was suicide and I never expected to be grilled on my opinion. It's rather exhausting IMO.

I am not sure IMO, that Mr. Shacknai is able to love another fully...other than himself. I think he was a wealthy man with a beautiful mistress who did his bidding..watched his children, picked up and taxied whomever he wished when he wished. If he decided he did not want her anymore...it would not have taken his sons demise for him to kick her out. JMO.
 
And why exactly would she think JS was going to find her? She didn't call him after listening to voice mail. In fact she didn't call anyone, not even her sister with whom she was in contact all evening. She wouldn't expect him to show up at home.

Perhaps he told her he would return home the next day. Or perhaps she wanted to commit suicide publicly so he'd be forced to leave his dying son's bedside and run to her.
 
I am not sure IMO, that Mr. Shacknai is able to love another fully...other than himself. I think he was a wealthy man with a beautiful mistress who did his bidding..watched his children, picked up and taxied whomever he wished when he wished. If he decided he did not want her anymore...it would not have taken his sons demise for him to kick her out. JMO.

I actually think he was thinking of breaking up with her prior to the accident, and this incident was the last straw. I also think he might have been upset with the shopping trip she took with her sister right after MS got hurt.

IMO
 
Oh you're going to get it in a minute about accusing RN of being criminally insane and how could you possibly say that - even though you didn't lol.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure we are of the same mindset with the scenario.
 
I actually think he was thinking of breaking up with her prior to the accident, and this incident was the last straw. I also think he might have been upset with the shopping trip she took with her sister right after MS got hurt.

IMO

What? Weren't he going to propose, or so the rumors say?
 
Oh you're going to get it in a minute about accusing RN of being criminally insane and how could you possibly say that - even though you didn't lol.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure we are of the same mindset with the scenario.

My point in mentioning my relative's specialty is that she often deals with suicides. It never ceases to amaze me the ways in which people take their own lives.
 
My point in mentioning my relative's specialty is that she often deals with suicides. It never ceases to amaze me the ways in which people take their own lives.

I am sure there also pretty amazing ways in which people are killed.
 
Those are rumors that could have been planted by anyone, including RZ's family.

As opposed to what? How do you know he wanted to break up with RN even before Max's accident?
 
As opposed to what? How do you know he wanted to break up with RN even before Max's accident?

I never said that I knew that. I said that I think that. It's merely my opinion.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
190
Guests online
2,164
Total visitors
2,354

Forum statistics

Threads
589,964
Messages
17,928,417
Members
228,021
Latest member
Ghost246
Back
Top