Wrongful death trial begins. Trial coverage and discussion

[BBL]

Mr. Greer called this morning and said he will call again after court today.

If you have questions please post them here.

Keith Greer is truly grateful to all of you who have followed this case from day one as am I.

If you all hadn't done such a good job of sleuthing he might not have known we were discussing Rebecca's case and therefore no interviews after court.

Thank you all.

Tricia

Thank you Tricia! A couple questions that never seemed to find answers..
1. Did we ever find out who call P. Pfingst so quickly? Why was he there? Who paid his bill?
2. In conjunction with above, why did Adam text Jonah with the news? Why didn't Jonah call back devastated or confused trying to clarify what the heck Adam was saying?
3. Why did Adam leave town without ever seeing Max? What was the timeline and who did what?
4. What ever happened to the renters in the guest house? If I recall, they were asked to vacate on very short notice. What was the timing and why?
4. I've also always wondered how Coronado PD feels about this case.

Mr. Greer is amazing!!

 

[Imp]

Questions for Mr. Greer (which I doubt he can/will answer, which I certainly understand) ...

Has Adam been definitively linked to the Asian *advertiser censored* on the computer at Spreckels?
Was his phone analyzed?
Were his clothes taken into evidence?
Are there any background witnesses who know him and will be testifying against him?

In general, how do you plan to overcome the gaping holes in Rebecca's death investigation, especially with regard to evidence collection and testing?

 

[Peaceful]

Questions for Mr. Greer:

Why is there still confusion about who was in the house the morning Max fell? Wouldn't Rebecca's younger sister be able to tell us who was there?

 

[bourne]

Question for those who have gone down to the courthouse: I'm thinking of going over there today (I work DT). Is there room for the public or has it been pretty full? Thanks

Can someone answer Sillypants? I'm also thinking of attending. I've been informed the case may take 4-5 weeks so we can still sit in, I believe.

 

[bourne]

Question for Atty Greer:

1) Do you have text and voice messages from Adam, Jonah, Dina, Nina, Dr. Luber for 7/11-7/15/2011?

2) Why did Adam not submit to a second polygraph when his first one was inconclusive?

3) Who invited Adam to Spreckels mansion?

4) Did Adam visit his nephew Max at all during this period?

5) Did Adam offer Ambien to Rebecca that night of 7/12? What did she say? Was he upset when she declined his offer? What else did he say to her that night?

6) Has he ever sleepwalked and behaved weirdly while on Ambien?

 

[Tricia]

Can someone answer Sillypants? I'm also thinking of attending. I've been informed the case may take 4-5 weeks so we can still sit in, I believe.

I will ask when Mr. Greer calls. I would assume there are seats for the public but I'm not sure.

 

[Peaceful]

News with video on today's testimony.

http://www.cbs8.com/story/37663557/mansion-death-lawsuit-defense-questions-zahau-handwriting-expert

 

[cynic]

(Warning-- some may find these comments too graphic or disturbing.)

Regarding the extent of injuries to her neck-- they were hardly what I'd describe as minor, or moderate. Her SCM muscles and strap muscles were essentially torn in half on one side. They also include evidence that her heart was beating at the time (significant hemorrhage at the torn muscle sites documented in the AR, which would have looked different if her heart had not been beating at the time of the muscle tears). Many years ago I also posted that I thought that with the lengthy drop it was amazing she wasn't decapitated. (Sorry for the gruesome detail.)

Because of the injury pattern-- both tearing of the muscle and soft tissue structures, with concurrent circumferential crush injuries to her larynx, I believe she was alive with a beating heart (perhaps semi conscious or unconscious, from blows, and/ or perhaps partial/ incomplete strangulation) when she went over the railing.

As to the force applied to get her over the railing-- tossed, tipped, somehow lowered down at the end of the rope, IDK. But the "hanging or raising her from below" theory about "staging" her hanging never reconciled with her neck injuries for me. I also think that the AR injuries could indicate she wasn't entirely limp at the time of the hanging (was moving against the rope, either involuntary reflexes, or in the last seconds of consciousness)-- and if so, that could account for the circumferential crush injuries to the larynx.

Not all long drops produce cervical fractures, and Rebecca didn't have cervical fractures. There is plenty of discussion in the literature about that. Some believe that the absence of cervical fractures means she couldn't have experienced the long drop.

I'll look forward to the medical examiner's testimony (Cyril Wecht, IIRC), but also recognize that this level of detail may not be brought up in this case. These kind of details might be less appropriate for the level of evidence in a civil trial, IDK. I'm recalling Mr. Greer's interview comments where he said they had to make decisions about what to present, and not all details, lab tests, and experts were necessary for them to win their case.

Rest in peace, Rebecca-- lots of people are on your side fighting for you, and love survives the grave.

The scenario is complicated largely by the rope being attached to a movable object.
Had the rope been attached to the railing, rather than the bed, it would have been far easier to look at precisely what energy was acting on the neck of Rebecca.
As usual, you make some very good points. As you say, the damage to the front of Rebecca’s neck is very significant, and this reduces the likelihood that she was staged on the rope from below without sustaining a fall.
A hanging is an effective way to cover manual strangulation injuries and I believe she was manually strangled because of fractures and trauma sustained below the furrow line – especially as there were no marks indicating the rope slid upward. I concede that traction forces may have been responsible for some of the trauma below the furrow line.
What has troubled me from the beginning is the complete absence of trauma to her spine and surrounding soft tissue.
I know Dr. Wecht will address the four blows to the head of Rebecca and the possibility of manual strangulation. He has addressed the absence of posterior neck injuries on at least two occasions, (Websleuths Radio and Dr. Phil,) and from what I understand he will do so at trial.
I’ve attached a link to Dr. Wecht’s comments regarding Rebecca’s neck injuries from a Websleuths Radio show.
[video=youtube;VJxvWoC_jes]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJxvWoC_jes&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[Tricia]

Mr. Greer said he would call shortly. He has had a very long day so I am not sure if I can get to any questions.

 

[MsFacetious]

K_Z - What do you think about her legs being bent?
That has always confused me. How would they be bent if she was hanging?

 

[SillyPants]

Can someone answer Sillypants? I'm also thinking of attending. I've been informed the case may take 4-5 weeks so we can still sit in, I believe.

Hi Bourne, I did go over there today at about 1:30 (court usually breaks for lunch approx 1200-130) and there were about 15-20 seats still avail. If you go, when you walk in the courtroom door, try to sit to the left so you can see the screen that they use to project photos, etc. Bailiff will ask you to turn off your phone (not just put it on silence).

 

[Tricia]

Mr. Greer just now texted and we have rescheduled for early tomorrow morning. I'm glad. We all can only imagine how tired he is.

Tricia

 

[screecher]

Mr. Greer said he would call shortly. He has had a very long day so I am not sure if I can get to any questions.

Lol. Sorry Tricia

One more question, was there a palette found ?

Or did the LE leave it behind ???

Hard for me to begin imagining the door painter squirted the black paint on the brush or on the door, using either of those two methods, painting the rageful, taunting, sarcastic without a palette.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

 

[Tortoise]

[FONT=&quot]Expert witnesses called to testify about handwriting and DNA evidence in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Rebecca Zahau. A knot expert takes the stand on Wednesday to talk about rope bindings on Zahau's hands and feet. [/FONT]@KUSINews

https://twitter.com/SashaFooKUSI

 

[Truthy]

Great post! I think as a follower you might be meaning Dina got someone so upset and mad at Rebecca, that this person murdered her. Am I right?

I think if Jonah and Dina were pissed at Rebecca there might of been talk about discarding her. And Adam might have always thought she was hot and looked at it as a last chance to take a shot at her, thinking his brother wouldnt care. Unfortunately he might have been inspired by that Asian bondage *advertiser censored*, and I doubt she was into any of it.

Is his *advertiser censored* going to be admissible?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[feelinghip]

I have a few questions, why was Adam even in Coronado ? Did he even see Max ? Did he even see Jonah ? It makes no sense. When was the last time Jonah and Adam had seen each other before this happened ? If Adam was there for support of his brother he would have been at the hospital not the mansion.

 

[bourne]

I have a few questions, why was Adam even in Coronado ? Did he even see Max ? Did he even see Jonah ? It makes no sense. When was the last time Jonah and Adam had seen each other before this happened ? If Adam was there for support of his brother he would have been at the hospital not the mansion.

Adam saw Jonah the day he arrived. Rebecca picked him up and brought him to hospital to speak w Jonah. They had dinner together that evening along with Rebecca and Dr Luber. Then Rebecca drove Adam and herself to Spreckela mansion. Then something happen that night and Rebecca was dead next am.

 

[Hraefn]

Handwriting comparison Cynic posted awhile back -

So did only her driver's license signature get into evidence (and I saw it was objected to even), or did other samples of her handwriting get in, like those shown above?

 

[Lezah]

K_Z - What do you think about her legs being bent?
That has always confused me. How would they be bent if she was hanging?

If the bindings between her hands and feet were connected, it would account for the bending of the knees, and also perhaps the injury to the front of the ankles. ( suggested/referred to in the new amended (4th) complaint that was filed.)

**I also understand that Mr Greer’s websleuths interview was also mentioned by one of AS defense attorney’s in one of the court filings....it seems they are ‘very familiar’ with the RZ postings....

 

[K_Z]

Here is the latest update from Mary Zahau on the Zahau fundraising site, from about an hour or so ago:

I apologize for not posting an update yesterday. (Day#2 of week #2) was rough. The defendant’s attorney’s tried to keep out Rebecca’s handwriting samples and the comparison chart made by the handwriting expert. It took almost all day but Mr Greer finally was able to get it in after proving that they are Rebecca’s handwriting samples. The samples and comparison chart with the writing on the door clearly shows Rebecca did not write the message on the door. The handwriting expert testified multiple times that between Adam Schacknai and Rebecca Zahau, Adam is most likely the author and Rebecca is NOT. Because this took most of Monday and all day yesterday, the DNA expert was on the stand for only for about 45 min at the end of the day. She waited in the hall 7 hours on the clock but did get to testify that the crime scene was wiped down. She will resume her testimony Thursday afternoon.

The court will resume at 9 am today and the Knot expert will be first to testify.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support, I wouldn’t be here without them.

Help spread the word!

Very, very excited to hear that the DNA expert believes that the crime scene was wiped down! Of course, many of us have felt strongly that the lack of any DNA in so many places where DNA would typically be found, is extremely significant as to a crime being committed.

I wish we could all hear all of the testimony!