SD County Sheriff death investigation discussion

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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...sion-deaths-rebecca-zahau-jonah-shacknai.html

Coronado mansion death: Early homicide theory was quickly dropped
September 21, 2011 | 10:18am
Tony Perry in San Diego

A sheriff's homicide detective believed that the girlfriend of Coronado mansion owner Jonah Shacknai was the victim of foul play when he first arrived on the scene, according to a search warrant unsealed Tuesday.

But San Diego County Sheriff's Det. Brian Patterson quickly changed his mind about Rebecca Zahau's death once he had the legal authority to search the mansion.

In the application for the warrant, Patterson said he suspected Zahau had been murdered because her legs and feet had been tied.

Based on that suspicion, a judge approved the warrant for detectives to search the Spreckels mansion owned by Shacknai, Zahau's boyfriend and a multimillionaire pharmaceutical executive.

But the search warrants suggest that Patterson and other investigators quickly decided that, although the circumstances were unusual, Zahau had committed suicide by hanging.
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BBM
From SW 41227, page 3:
[ame="http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149535"]Search Warrants Unsealed Shacknai Zahau - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]
I, Detective Brian Patterson, am employed as a Peace Officer for the San Diego County Sheriff's Office (SDSO) and am currently assigned to the San Diego County Sheriff Department's Homicide Detail. I have been assigned to this unit for about one month. Prior to this assignment I was assigned to the Santee Sheriff Station's area investigative unit for about four years and the United States Secret Service's Financial Crimes Task Force (45days). I have been employed by the SanDiego County Sheriff's Department for over 15 years. I have investigated homicides, serious bodily injury batteries, robberies, the sales and possession of narcotics, thefts, identiy theft cases, fraud cases, counterfeiting and other financial type thefts. I have investigated over 100 cases involving such crimes.
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Hmmmmm. :rollercoaster:
 
This may be out there, but with all the LE mistakes, no follow up, etc., does anyone think there might be a possibility that this was on purpose? That there might have been pressure, don't know from who, to sweep it under the rug, and in 'protest' they made glaring mistakes in hopes that someone would notice and question when the case was closed. Again, I know nothing about the dynamics/history of the LE, but I would rather believe that these errors were made on purpose so that justice would be served. Now if you want to send me off to the 'fairy tale thread' I'll go quietly.
 
Yoda said:
This may be out there, but with all the LE mistakes, no follow up, etc., does anyone think there might be a possibility that this was on purpose? That there might have been pressure, don't know from who, to sweep it under the rug, and in 'protest' they made glaring mistakes in hopes that someone would notice and question when the case was closed. Again, I know nothing about the dynamics/history of the LE, but I would rather believe that these errors were made on purpose so that justice would be served. Now if you want to send me off to the 'fairy tale thread' I'll go quietly.
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:floorlaugh: Sorry, but your referral to a 'fairy tale thread' cracked me up!!

Seriously, I can not see this agency making errors on purpose. What would be the point of that? Just do not give a PC or release any statements on the case.

The errors made can not be 'undone' also. This would prevent other investigators being able to find the information necessary.

All in all it seems a case of misconduct, ignoring and surpressing evidence and a failure to protect and serve a member of the public.
 
That Brian Patterson needs to be fired or sent back to a non serious duty. What the heck is wrong with him and why would they send an inexperienced cop to investigate this murder. The whole thing stinks. The errors are just incomprehensible. How does the SD LE live with themselves???
 
Yet another 'discrepancy' between LR reports and MSM. Sorry, but at this point I can not with good conscious believe anything the SDSO says.

http://www.10news.com/news/29237354/detail.html


"This case is so goofy," said McKenna. "There are so many things that don't add up."
McKenna said she had questions about blood, abrasions and more.
"How did the balcony doors get closed? How did the music get turned off? How did her clothes get down in the guest house?" asked McKenna.
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore emphasized that Rebecca Zahau's death was a suicide.
"Science is our best witness in this case," he said during a press conference earlier this month. "Science is not biased and it does not lie."
But Mary Zahau said she thinks experts should take another look at the investigation and recreate the scene.
 
SunnieRN said:
Yet another 'discrepancy' between LR reports and MSM. Sorry, but at this point I can not with good conscious believe anything the SDSO says.

http://www.10news.com/news/29237354/detail.html


"This case is so goofy," said McKenna. "There are so many things that don't add up."
McKenna said she had questions about blood, abrasions and more.
"How did the balcony doors get closed? How did the music get turned off? How did her clothes get down in the guest house?" asked McKenna.
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore emphasized that Rebecca Zahau's death was a suicide.
"Science is our best witness in this case," he said during a press conference earlier this month. "Science is not biased and it does not lie."
But Mary Zahau said she thinks experts should take another look at the investigation and recreate the scene.
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Incidentally, (celeb forensic pathologist) Michael Baden came out soon after the presser and called the investigation a top rate job. Of course that was taking the presented facts at face value; a lot of water under the bridge and many more facts which had been at first concealed by LE since then. He has been mum since I believe. I thought it odd how he came out so quickly as if to lend credibility to the LE "show". I'd be interested to hear what he has to say now that he has perhaps looked at the mass of evidence as it exists today. Once again, of course, if he was hired by the Zahau's no doubt he would have questions. If he wanted he could rip some new holes with all the errata we've seen get exposed since the premature and unilateral LE "Verdict". I wonder whether the LE/Sitrick/Medicis/Shacknai (or any combo of the above) team had retained him to sign off on the original presentation conclusion. I'd think he'd be embarrassed with his original, relatively uninformed opinion.
 
Yoda said:
This may be out there, but with all the LE mistakes, no follow up, etc., does anyone think there might be a possibility that this was on purpose? That there might have been pressure, don't know from who, to sweep it under the rug, and in 'protest' they made glaring mistakes in hopes that someone would notice and question when the case was closed. Again, I know nothing about the dynamics/history of the LE, but I would rather believe that these errors were made on purpose so that justice would be served. Now if you want to send me off to the 'fairy tale thread' I'll go quietly.
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Interesting thought. One element that has me puzzled is the extensive, and no doubt very selective, release of crime scene photos. Is it standard to have photos of knives and footprints and so forth not only at a live broadcast press conference and also posted for the general public on the sheriff dept site?

Maybe a misinformed effort at "full transparency" but the sheriff website seems as staged as the crime scene.
 
I still journey back to the fact that JS is permitted a statement at the very end of the Sheriff's page of information released, and that to me is very peculiar. Is the Sheriff's office backing Jonah or is Jonah backing the Sheriff's office and all the items above that statement, and where the H is a statement from Rebecca's family .. oh yes, I remember now .. they do not agree with any of it.
 
Bonepile said:
I still journey back to the fact that JS is permitted a statement at the very end of the Sheriff's page of information released, and that to me is very peculiar. Is the Sheriff's office backing Jonah or is Jonah backing the Sheriff's office and all the items above that statement, and where the H is a statement from Rebecca's family .. oh yes, I remember now .. they do not agree with any of it.
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It appears that both Coronado PD and Jonah Shacknai share a HUGE mutual interest in keeping this case closed. That puts Dina Shacknai in an interesting position.

  • If she wants to believe RZ death was a suicide, then she'll have no interest in a reopening of the case.
  • If RZ's death was murder and Dina had any involvement in it, then she'll have no interest in a reopening of the case.
  • If RZ's death was a murder and Dina had no involvement in it, she may still have no interest in a reopening of the case due to financial support from Jonah Shacknai.
  • If RZ's death was a murder and Dina had no involvement in it, AND she wants to make life hell for all the Shacknais, she may ally herself with the Zahau family.
  • In any event, a thought: if she and her sister are innocent, they have some financial leverage over JS right now.
 
Yes, the pc, including power points used and their extremely selective evidence produced seems to want to indicate full transparency.. Which the entire concept is indeed odd amd seems they very much are attempting very hard to convince someone of their findings.. Who?? Us the public or themselves??

So, the only reason evidence would ever be released to the public would be if the cases were complete.. As we know they are being presented as being complete.. So, why the selective choosing of the evidence?? The cases are complete why then not release all the evidence(meaning photos, records, findings, etc anything that doesn't compromise someone's privacy rights..) Which as is appropriate we usually see certain numbers and identifying info is blacked out.. So, why need truly give the transparency that they are attempting to falsely portray.. Release all the photos(again within appropriate privacy taken into consideration.. And again which is always taken into consideration and is edited or omitted prior to releasing to the public..) and that's in cases across the country.. Not just this case.. Why if they are satisfied and believe their investigations to be thorough and complete why only selectively release evidence that supports their theory.. What about the mountains of other evidence?? I want it all released.. It's complete.. So why the he!! Not?????
 
Bonepile said:
I still journey back to the fact that JS is permitted a statement at the very end of the Sheriff's page of information released, and that to me is very peculiar. Is the Sheriff's office backing Jonah or is Jonah backing the Sheriff's office and all the items above that statement, and where the H is a statement from Rebecca's family .. oh yes, I remember now .. they do not agree with any of it.
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Le Seems in JS's hip pocket if anybody's. When Gore stated in his dismissive and patronizing manner that it was "unfortunate" that the Zahau's wouldn't accept LE's summary verdict in the case, one knew where this guy was coming from.
 
It's a complicated chess game, but at its core the problem seems to come from LE's actions. Potentially explosive when all the parts come together. Current theory...

  • Whether or not RZ death murder or suicide, the case was only investigated as a suicide, apparently due to assumption that RZ killed MS. (Treatment of crime scene and RZ body suggests medieval times of putting heads on stakes.)
  • Rumors that JS, as "concerned father," gave a large anonymous donation to sheriff's dept. Did he?
  • When it came to LE's attention that MS death caused by RZ, I'm guessing LE could not re-investigate without admitting that they hadn't investigated in the first place.

The dog and pony show press conference seemed like LE effort to cover their *advertiser censored*, strained and weird in ways already well explored here. Under circumstances as per above, what options should/could LE have pursued to revisit POI? What would make it too late to do so and box them into obviously forced rush to judgment?
 
---another brilliant article from Valhall of 'the hinky meter':

http://www.thehinkymeter.com/2011/09/26/rebecca-zahau-case-floorplans-and-yet-more-issues/

Rebecca Zahau case: Floorplans and yet more issues

---snipped---

Valhall: Hinky member Monkey King passed me the pdf containing the Spreckels mansion floorplans last Thursday and I’ve been studying them off and on ever since; comparing them to the autopsy report, the SDSO’s drawings, etc. (Thank you Monkey King!)

Things just keep getting more nonsensical. It seems the more information we get, the less palatable the suicide theory we’re asked to accept becomes.

Let’s start with the dimensions for the “drop height” the medical examiner gives in the autopsy report. Let’s go to page 3 of the autopsy report, shall we?
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