CA - Rebecca Nalepa - suicide or murder? #9

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Salem

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Please continue here.

Here is a link to the rules and tips on dealing with your fellow posters. Please take a moment to look the rules over. We have a lot of newbies here.

The Rules - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

ALSO - please remember, we do NOT sleuth minors, we do NOT post identifying information about minors, we do NOT name minors.

If a minor is a victim or has been publically named by LE as a perp, then their name may be used. In this particular case, the ONLY minor that may be identified by name is Max, because he was a victim. ALL other minors are OFF THE TABLE.

This is a strict rule and your cooperation is appreciated.

Thanks,

Salem

ETA: Further explanation on minor names. Even when quoting from MSM or other sources, if the minor is not the victim or the perp, we change the name to initials. We do NOT quote the name of the minor. This is to protect the minor. Please keep that in mind. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the parent of that minor. What would you think if your child's name was splattered all over the web.

Thanks Guys!


Thread 6

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I am reminded of the Samantha Runnion case where she was snatched by Avila from the front yard while under her grandmother's care. It was mentioned many times that "if only" she had watched more carefully.....
It crosses everyone's mind-but in this case and in that case it seems as if reasonable care was taken and there is no issue with negligence. Bad things happen even under the tightest supervision.

So, let's not derail this topic with blame placing on Rebecca as it relates to the care of Max. Those that feel it is her fault-that's fine most of you have made your point and it is posted.
But we are not going to make it a talking point in this thread. Whatever really happened is a tragedy no matter how you slice it-so let's move on from blaming Rebecca it is just not constructive at this point. If that changes for some reason-the discussion may roll with that in the future.
 
I heard on my Sirius radio station HLN #116 an interview with Ann Bremner, the lawyer. There was a male on the program with Ann and between the two of them, there were three statements that were totally different from what was said at the official press conference. One was that Max was planking and fell to his death;

So it is actively being spread on the airwaves that the Z family believe this was a planking accident. I wonder why they are going head on against LE like this?
 
Thanks a lot, moderator - when I started writing my message on the last thread, it was still open. I went to post it, was told the thread was closed, and the message I had spent 20 minutes writing was lost! Now I'm too tired to try to rewrite it! Bah humbug!
 
I heard on my Sirius radio station HLN #116 an interview with Ann Bremner, the lawyer. There was a male on the program with Ann and between the two of them, there were three statements that were totally different from what was said at the official press conference. One was that Max was planking and fell to his death;

So it is actively being spread on the airwaves that the Z family believe this was a planking accident. I wonder why they are going head on against LE like this?

I'm not sure I'm willing to believe a word this Anne Bremner says. I wasn't sure who exactly she was, so googled for a bit and am a bit stunned...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012832729_bremner08m.html

Not the most upstanding, trust worthy person out there. IMO I would venture to guess she sought out the family of Rebecca for more television face time.
 
1.) The additional evidence we saw after the LE press conference just raises more questions, doubts and suspicions.

2.)However, these evidence can be "tailored" to support a suicide theory, although as implied in # 1, the evidence for suicide as a cause is not convincing.

3.)my speculation is that LE went the "safe" route and declared the cause a suicide, reason being, there are "powerful" special interests who can make their presence felt in various ways. Furthermore, LE was banking on Rebecca's family making a request for re-investigation(which they did). My reason for # 3 is that I cannot believe that for a city a big as san diego , that the 15 investigators assigned to the case can, deep in their hearts, firmly believe 100% in their suicide findings or am I being too generous ? :floorlaugh:

4.) In other words, if they declared the cause as homicide, the defendants lawyers can use a lot of tactics to drop the case, etc. Declaring the cause of death as suicide before re-investigating is more step-wise, more deliberate and eliminates or lessens the impact of variables that can affect the prosecution's case if this is initially declared a homicide.

5.) With LE going the route of declaring the death first a suicide before opening a re-investigation, they are lessening road ahead of obstacles such as legal wrangling, lawsuits, political or internal pressure, etc

this are just my speculations.
 
That Jonah Shacknai or LE or both are betting the farm on abruptly closing the cases, shutting out the Zahaus, sealing warrants, etc., seems like pure hubris.

Who does a rush to judgment benefit? LE $$$ in the short term. The “witnesses” to some degree. The down side for all: Makes LE’s “ironclad” findings appear flimsy and forced, thus intensifying public/media interest.

I would think the cases will be a hot potato in SD elections that ultimately burn some LE members. And even if the Max Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau cases are never reopened, all the Shacknai “witnesses,” guilty or innocent, for better or for worse, will all be regarded by some people as murderers or potential murderers or relatives of the murderer(s). No doubt in the works: a news feature or three, the TV movie, books, a cold case….
 
If I was even going to beleive this was a suicide, I highly doubt that she would have had a shirt wrapped 3 times around her neck and stuffed in her mouth....I definatly think this needs to be re-investigated...there are just to many loose end with this case (no pun intended).
 
If I was even going to beleive this was a suicide, I highly doubt that she would have had a shirt wrapped 3 times around her neck and stuffed in her mouth....I definatly think this needs to be re-investigated...there are just to many loose end with this case (no pun intended).

I haven't participated in awhile as I was waiting for the autopsy results (and I would just be speculating anyway). But the recent news of the gag in the mouth, the tape residue, and the black spraypaint on the door REALLY bothers me. In short, I can equate my feelings to saying the Coleman children comitted suicide vs. their own father killing them. That's how ridiculous I think the outcome of this investigation is.

What does the statement mean:

'She saved him. Can he save her?'

I agree with alot of what AB discusses in this article, and am gobsmacked that this incident has been labeled as a suicide and filed away.

http://www.examiner.com/news-analys...ahau-family-attorney-debunks-suicide-findings

Rich people, rich town, politics -- anything can happen.

MOO thanks!

Melanie
 
Ok, here's some random comments/thoughts since I'm too lazy to copy/paste from the closed thread.

1. Someone asked why DS wouldn't allow RZ to visit Max on his death bed - basically saying it would be the right thing to do. Are you kidding me? I am the friendliest person in the world and I'm nice. However, if my child (my ONLY child) was gravely injured under the supervision of my ex's "young girlfriend" there's no way she would be allowed in the hospital room. I would probably attack her if she tried.

2. I guess we'll never know why RZ didn't answer the phone when JS called. I thought it was commented the other day the time of the call (and it wasn't when she was talking to her family). I would have thought she would keep her phone with her closely waiting for an update. I find it odd.

3. Planking or no planking? It doesn't matter to me what Max was doing when he fell. If it was planking, a 6 year old doesn't realize he needs a photographer to have count as planking. He just does it. Regardless, it was a horrible accident and it wasn't RZ's fault. A caregiver/parent/psuedo-parent/girlfriend is allowed to pee (or take a shower). He wasn't a toddler. He was 6. Presumably in school. He probably walked in and out of school without someone holding his hand. He was learning to be somewhat independent. He can have play time without someone watching every move. Of course, this is assuming he didn't have a history of lighting fires, jumping out of windows, etc.

4. There were questions of the timing of GS posting on Facebook and when she could have known Max wouldn't survive, etc. I would assume the teen siblings (from another mother) would not be in the loop every second for his medical update. They were probably told A. he was gravely injured and then Z. he wasn't going to make it. They may have been spared all the details between A-Z.
 
Another thing about the spray painted message. I think it's probably easier to spray paint block letters than cursive. How you paint on a standing door/wall would not typically represent how you write on a piece of paper with a pen.
 
I just found out about this case on CNN.com; http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/09/02/california.mansion.deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_bn5 Evidently people here have been talking about it a lot.

All I know is that the little boy fell down the steps and died in an "accident". Also, that she was found hanging naked with her hands tied behind her back and they're ruling her death a suicide. :waitasec:

I'd have to see the hand tying, but I think the only person I know of who could tie their own hands behind their back would be Harry Houdini. The police said they found no poisons in her blood, but her live in boyfriend founded a pharmaceutical company.

Several things set off my hinky meter here;

How many people actually die falling down the steps? I saw a Forensics Files or something similar where a cop stated that almost nobody dies from falling down the steps. It's a Hollywood myth.

Why would she strip naked to hang herself? It doesn't make sense.

It seems there is a lot more to this than I know and I'm too lazy to go back and read eight threads so if someone could summarize the case for me I'd be much obliged. TIA
 
This is what she spray painted;

She saved him. Can he save her? :waitasec:
 
by Stella5: IMO from viewing the pictures that particular rope does not. It's covered in a really light plastic type material (supposedly to cut down on mold growth). It could have rebounded a bit in the room, making it higher than when he cut it though. I hate those ropes, they are a pain. Someone up thread asked if you could cut them with scissors... I can't. I use a straight blade, you bend the rope where you want to cut it and then just pull the blade (or knife) right through the rope, it's easy. Scissors aren't sharp enough IMO.

Did Rebecca boat? How would she automatically know that she couldn't cut that with scissors? That would be my first instinct....not kitchen knives. And yet AS went straight for a kitchen knife to cut her down. The tug boat worker. I know that my block of knives have a set of scissors right in the middle....no searching for them. If there were a pair of scissors up there along with the knives, I could buy this better. Two knives? One to threaten with and one to cut rope with???
 
It seems there is a lot more to this than I know and I'm too lazy to go back and read eight threads so if someone could summarize the case for me I'd be much obliged. TIA

Steely:
Max fell on the staircase on Monday 7/11. Rebecca and her younger sister were the only ones home (allegedly). Sister was upstairs showering and Rebecca was in the restroom downstairs. Max was without a pulse or respiration for 25-30 min. Rebecca was forbidden from going to the hospital to visit Max and was found hanging from a balcony, nude, hands and feet bound, tape residue on her legs, a blue t-shirt wrapped around her neck and in her mouth on 7/13 at 6:48 am. The boyfriend's brother found her and cut her down with a kitchen knife. She supposedly did all this herself, in the bedroom with the balcony. She wrote the note on the door to the bedroom (allegedly) with paint and a brush, cut the rope with two kitchen knives. Max was pronounced dead on 7/16 and his organs were donated. Rebecca's family has hired an attorney because they do not agree with the suicide ruling.

You can view parts of the media briefing and photos here:
http://www.sdsheriff.net/coronado/index.html

Don't have a good link for the full media briefing....sorry.

Here is a floor plan of the house:
http://www.trulia.com/property/photos/1039341000-1043-Ocean-Blvd-Coronado-CA-92118#item-1
 
I'm beginning to think that counsel, Paul P represented GS. Hence, the reason nothing further is being discussed as to her presence at the mansion that day. jmo
 
I heard on my Sirius radio station HLN #116 an interview with Ann Bremner, the lawyer. There was a male on the program with Ann and between the two of them, there were three statements that were totally different from what was said at the official press conference. One was that Max was planking and fell to his death;

So it is actively being spread on the airwaves that the Z family believe this was a planking accident. I wonder why they are going head on against LE like this?
To be honest the planking makes more sense to me than falling over the railing.
 
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