Rebuttal to Sheriff Bill Gore’s press conference

[dovebar]

It sort of sounds like he doesn't believe she was hung at all.

Of course, AS is the only witness claiming she was.

 

[chantal8991]

Thank you for this information. A lot to read up on. Paul Pfingst is mentioned as well.
I'm familiar with some of these cases, however, most I am not.

YW arielilane ~ Yes Paul Pfingst was involved during the time of several of these cases. He is now a defense attorney. Go figger! :crazy:

 

[SunnieRN]

I thought about that but AS was a guest at the Spreckels mansion and not a close friend/family member of Rebecca. In order to officially and positively identify a dead body, you need someone who has known the deceased for a certain length of time (not merely from a few visits and phone calls). Since Jonah didn't show up, this identifier was likely Dina Romano Shacknai.

A guest who had previously met Rebecca at JS sons Bar Mitzvah and the previous afternoon was picked up by Rebecca at the airport, rode to the hospital with her, had dinner with she and Jonah, then rode to the mansion. If he couldn't identify her the next morning, there is something amiss for certain. This is without allowing for any other potential meetings, for Jonah's daughters Bat Mitzvah, holidays with family, vacations with family, vacations for Adam, or visits with his niece and nephews, etc.

This does lead credence to the reports of Dina being present at the mansion that morning. There were several witness statements that Dina was seen entering and leaving the mansion with a Coronado police officer around 10 am.

 

[lauriej]

---point of interest article..

---the gym that rebecca and jonahS belonged to has closed..

http://coronado.patch.com/articles/hollywood-fitness-closes
A Village Gym Closes, Moves

The decision appeared to be sudden. The doors were locked on Tuesday and by Wednesday afternoon the facility was stripped of equipment and furnishings. Members were not officailly notifed.

Most learned of the closing when they came to work out.

The Ochoas spent thousands of dollars upgrading the gym with new equipment, though Holman wouldn’t give an exact figure. All the equipment has been moved to the new gym in East Village.

To cover the expense, the gym was forced to raise monthly fees to $49 per month, but the owners found that people in Coronado did want to pay it or could not afford it.

Hollywood Fitness received exposure outside the community last summer when Holman and others discussed Rebecca Zahau's and Jonah Shacknai's workouts at the facility.

 

[Vera_75]

I apologize if this has been discussed, but I just started to become interested in this case. There are questions regarding why Gore backed away from this case, with so many unanswered questions out there.

For instance, the footprints on the balcony that RZ alleged jumped off of. Apparently, there is evidence that EVA soles were imprinted on top of RZ bare right foot print. As if somebody may have been lifting RZ, and carrying her out to the balcony, but at a few points on the balcony, this person put RZ's body down on her right foot only. If so, this person must have been lifting her from behind, and had their arm wrapped around some portion of her torso, and her left leg in the other hand,...in order to carry her outside.

Also, there are statements that though her boyfriend said he was staying at the Ronald McDonald House, that evening, that he could not be accounted for. That coupled with the fact that her boyfriend's brother was in the house with RZ, at the time she allegedly jumped, seems to be something Gore is ignoring.

I have read that RZ's boyfriend called her late on the second day that Max was hospitalized, allegedly to tell her that Max was 'not going to make it.' However, the investigators say that RZ did not pick up that message. Also, Max's mother, and sister, were allegedly outside of the house, and allegedly heard a woman scream for help. The neighbor also heard this scream.

There are reports that RZ had a light blue, long sleeved t-shirt over her head, and the sleeves were stuffed into her mouth. Couple that with the blunt force trauma (4x) to her head, I cannot believe that nobody has been charged! My guess is that the t-shirt stuffed in her mouth was a call-out to the fact that when Max fell, the doctors said that, over the time it took him to die, he suffered from lack of oxygen, causing severe brain damage.

Also, why did RZ send her 13 yr. old sister home the next day after Max fell?

From what we know, there could be four people, that are suspects in this case. I doubt that she committed suicide from everything that I have read.

Why did the brother, who found RZ's body the next morning, cut her down, why did cut the bindings on her writs and legs? Plus, if somebody is going to hang themselves, they would know how much rope to use in order to do the job. Evidently, the rope used, which nobody could say where it came from, was almost too long,...long enough to almost touch the ground. None of the above makes any sense pointing to suicide.

I imagine that Max's family were extremely upset when they all learned, that night, that he would not survive his injuries. Could one of them, in the heat of passion, have taken revenge on the adult who was babysitting Max, when he was critically injured? That's my guess.

Evidently the boyfriend is wealthy, and I hate to say it, but his money, and possible collusion with the person who committed this crime, is the reason Gore has back-peddled. I hope this is not going to be another case of money talks,...

 

[IWannaKnow]

To answer your question, please take time to research the following cases, all San Diego Law Enforcement. Just when you think you have heard it all.......along comes the Rebecca Zahau case. As disgusting as the following cases are, I feel that they have reached a new low.

1. Stephanie Crowe
2. Jim Wade
3. Cynthia Sommers
4. Scotty Neaves
5. Dale Akiki
6 Cheri Dale
7. Jane Dorotik

And another coming soon. IMO SDLE will stop at nothing to "solve" a case no matter what the consequences.

Thank you for this information. A lot to read up on. Paul Pfingst is mentioned as well.
I'm familiar with some of these cases, however, most I am not.

YW arielilane ~ Yes Paul Pfingst was involved during the time of several of these cases. He is now a defense attorney. Go figger! :crazy:

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/s...cle_50b5e03e-b592-57b7-ab80-34bbaeaab608.html
EXCLUSIVE: Deputy district attorney sent angry email before suicide
By MORGAN COOK mcook@nctimes.com
Posted: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 6:00 pm

San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Christine Trevino sent an email with "My Death" in the subject line to at least 50 people, including District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, two weeks before she shot herself to death Thursday evening in Oceanside, according to documents obtained by North County Times.

Allegedly the email warned the administration not to try to cover her death up as a 'mental health issue'. She was having an disagreement with another employee and claims Dumanis sided with the other person.
http://books.google.com/books?id=nP...#v=onepage&q=paul pfingst 2002 defeat&f=false

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/...836-ex-da-winner-across-aisle/?page=1#article

Ex-DA a winner across the aisle
Pfingst considered to be a top defender
By Greg Moran
2 a.m., April 26, 2009

“Jurors are generally going to think the client is guilty,” he said. “But, they are open to the possibility that there is reason this guy could be not guilty. So what you need in a trial is a point of view.”

Interesting that AS's LDT was inconclusive but not followed up on and administered the same day as the visit by Mr. P IMO. Wonder how that timing works out?

You need a really big canvas to map out all the parts of this case. I think there are multiple things going on all at the same time.

 

[Mrs. Holmes]

Thanks I Wanna Know...

'San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Christine Trevino sent an email with "My Death" in the subject line to at least 50 people, including District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, two weeks before she shot herself to death Thursday evening in Oceanside, according to documents obtained by North County Times."

How tragic!! Things are clearly NOT RIGHT in that office. I wonder if Gore got one? A good while back in the comments section of one of the articles someone posted they were with SDLE and had pushed for further investigation in the Zahau case and had been told to backoff. If anyone knows where it is.. please post. I will try to find it. It is haunting in the light of this woman's death.

 

[IWannaKnow]

http://www.10news.com/news/28425709/detail.html

Detective Claims Harassment In SDPD Sex Crimes Unit
Officers Claim Harassment In SDPD Sex Crimes Unit

POSTED: 6:42 pm PDT July 1, 2011
UPDATED: 3:34 pm PDT July 5, 2011

In the documented claim a female detective said sexual comments "created an intimidating and hostile work environment."
Three male officers are named -- she cites examples like, "offensive emails, photographs, sexual comments and innuendoes regarding females and female sex crime victims."
"No police chief would be able to tolerate that because you'd have to wonder if those same people were treating crime victims the same insensitive way," Pfingst said.

 

[Serpico]

Sheriff Bill Gore’s press conference. Wednesday. November 16, 2011
Sheriff Bill Gore, Dr. Jonathan Lucas, (Medical Examiner) and Mike Grubb, Director, San Diego Sheriff’s Department, Crime Lab
http://www.760kfmb.com/story/16068012/mixed-dna-all-over-zahau-death-scene-some-evidence-not-tested

I thought I would start a thread for a response to the information presented at the presss conference.

Here is an exchange between a reporter and Jonathan Lucas regarding the head injuries on RZ:
Lucas: Evidence at the scene supports and the bindings support the notion that she leaned over the balcony shifted her body weight over and went over in that fashion and you can imagine that she would be going with her head down or at least sideways. It’s my thought that one of those impacts on the head was probably from the edge of the balcony as she went over. There were 4 impacts, one of them was two inches by one inch, that’s the one that I think was probably from going over the balcony, the three others were smaller than a nickel, not only did they not represent enough force to cause unconsciousness they may not have even given her a headache, these were small injuries. I do not know exactly how they happened, but they were minor and inconsequential.
Reporter: Could the 2 x 1 inch injury have caused unconsciousness?
Lucas: I don’t know.
Reporter: You are aware that the balcony has no lip that sticks out, right, there is nothing to hit on the way down, because there is no lip that sticks out beyond the railing.
Lucas: I still think that she could have hit, the railing, there is spaces between the railing. I think she could have gotten her head on the edge, it may not stick out, but there is still space for her to get her head in there.
Reporter: Do you think it’s unlikely that after she went down and became vertical, maybe the swing a little bit, it would be unlikely for her to hit her head at that point?
Lucas: I think that’s a possibility
One other option was when she was cut down there may have been possibly an impact in that way, it could have bled a little bit, even post mortem you can get a little bleeding after death.

Three options are presented as the possible cause of the head injuries.
1. Impact with the railing.
2. Presumably, although not specified, impact with something else such as the house by virtue of some sort of swing motion.
3. Presumably, although not specified, impact with something else such as the table or ground when RZ was cut down by AS.

I will start with the first point, impact with the railing.
I find this ridiculous, and I can’t believe that Lucas seriously believes this.
If he does than why don’t they do an animation of how this allegedly happened.
They won’t because there is nothing in the trajectory of RZ’s fall that would account for the head injuries.

With respect to the second point, the house was two feet away from the plane of RZ’s fall, there would have to be a serious swing motion for her to travel to the point of impact. I can see no likely interaction that would lead to a swing of that length. Even had such a swing occurred, the rope would have held her head away from any impact with the house. It is completely inconceivable that the top of RZ’s head could impact anything once under tension from the rope.

In terms of the last point, this should not even be discussed because how is it that the investigators would not have asked AS what his specific actions were as he cut RZ down and how she was moved to the final location on the grass, not to mention if he allowed her to drop rather than holding her up.
And again, all of these possibilities would need to account for four separate injuries, not just one.

Furthermore, as has been mentioned previously, where are the injuries to RZ’s face and torso? Why are there numerous abrasions to RZ’s back and just two to the back of her arms?

Hey Cynic -

Could the abrasions on RZ's back be caused by a high voltage STUN GUN ? Thanks.

 

[cynic]

Hey Cynic -

Could the abrasions on RZ's back be caused by a high voltage STUN GUN ? Thanks.

Stun guns leave burns and can be identified as burns through microscopic tissue analysis. IOW, a Medical Examiner has the “tools” to make the identification.
The autopsy report does mention “paired” marks on the back,” however, the distance between the marks is too small. Stun gun prongs are typically separated by approximately 1.5 inches on average.
RZ Autopsy Report:
Back: There are many punctate, linear, and slightly irregular abrasions on the back, extending from the neck to the mid buttocks and from each side of the back to the other. They are slightly more concentrated on the right thoracic back, with other ill-defined groups across the lower lumbar back at the upper buttocks and on the left scapular and lateral mid thoracic back. Some appear to be paired and separated by a distance of 3/8 - 1/2 inch.

There were a great deal of abrasions on RZ and I suppose the possibility exists that something such as stun gun marks may have been missed because of overlap from other abrasions but I think it’s doubtful, JMO.

I should also mention that stun guns have been largely misrepresented, especially in television and movies.
I posted on this topic in a different forum and this is largely based on posts from there.

A stun gun falls under the category of Electronic Control Device (ECD.)
Taser is a brand name for a particular and popular type of ECD.
What sets a Taser apart as an ECD is that it has two ways in which it can be deployed.
• Probe Mode:
In this mode the Taser fires two probes up to a distance of 35’ from a replaceable cartridge. These probes are connected to the Taser by high-voltage insulated wire. When the probes make contact with the target, the Taser transmits electrical pulses along the wires and into the body of the target, through up to two inches of clothing for anywhere from five to 30 seconds. This is a 'window of opportunity' for an arrest to be made.
• Drive Stun Mode: (direct contact)
In this mode, the user drives the device into the body of victim and the electrical pulses are transmitted between two prongs as long as contact is maintained.

All other ECD’s operate as single mode devices, that is, direct contact.

There are many myths surrounding stun guns:
Many of these myths have their origin in promotional material involving stun gun sales and the exaggerated displays sometimes seen in television and movies.
The greatest myth is that they render a victim unconscious.
Perhaps it would be best to separate what a stun gun is INTENDED to do versus what may happen in rare circumstances.

There are ONLY two things that a stun gun is DESIGNED to do:
• Produce pain.
• Incapacitate TEMPORARILY by causing involuntary muscle contractions WHILE THE WEAPON IS IN CONTACT WITH THE VICTIM.

Often the following will result of the victim falling and as a consequence of skin contact with the prongs of a stun gun or barbs from the firing of a Taser:
Falls may result in abrasions, scratches, minor lacerations, swellings and areas of redness on the skin.
Some of the barb penetrations will exhibit small circular burns; areas of skin where current has entered the body from barbs retained in clothing may also exhibit burns. These burns are likely to resolve within a few days, without complications and the need for medical intervention.

In RARE circumstances, the following may happen:
Impaired breathing and respiration.
Seizures.
Involuntary urination.
Involuntary defecation.
Fractures from severe muscle contractions.
Death, however, studies implicate other factors such as pre-existing heart disease and drug use as the primary contributor.

Normal after effects may include some or all of the following:
• Being dazed for several minutes;
• Muscle twitches;
• Loss of memory of the event;
• Unsteadiness and a spinning sensation;
• Temporary tingling;
• Weakness in the limbs;
• Local aches and pains and tissue swelling

The following explains things rather well:

The University of Oklahoma Police Department
Do these gadgets really work?
There are many devices available on the market to enhance personal safety. Some can be effective. Some are not effective. Some are junk.
On this page we'll present two issues:
Which devices may work, and which may not work.
Why your "self-defense strategy" shouldn't be built around a device.
First, some of the devices:

Stun Guns (zappers)
Here are some vendor "claims" regarding "stun guns" sold on the web, as well through catalogs and in retail stores:
"...instantly stops attacker..."
"...merely touching a person with the gun, they are immobilized for several minutes, with no permanent damage..."
"...causing the assailant to drop . . .trying to remember how to move his arms and legs..."
"...the sound alone is enough to scare any attacker away..."
"...used by police departments. Strong enough to take down any attacker!..."

Sounds effective, eh? WRONG!!!
Stun guns supposedly use electrodes to, when pressed against an attacker's clothing or flesh, send high voltages (50,000 to 300,000 volts at a tiny fraction of an amp) of electricity streaming through the assailant's body, instantly disabling them by overwhelming the assailant's nervous system.
When these devices first came on the market, some police officers and others were even video-taped in demonstrations where the stun guns supposedly "knocked them down" — carefully staged demonstrations where the person being "stunned" had been set up -hyped- into thinking they were going to be knocked down.
Through lengthy discussion of how it was going to feel, signing liability waivers, placing cushions/mats below where they would surely fall, placing strong men on either side to catch them before they hit the ground, and other psychological tricks to "prep" them into truly believing they were going to be physically knocked off their feet.
Well, if you believe something strongly enough, it may happen. Unfortunately, your attacker will probably not be so carefully prepped into believing that your stun gun is going to have the desired effect...
Our OUPD self-defense instructors became aware of the the problem of all the bogus "zappers" on the market several years ago at an Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) school where the trainers advised that the FBI had conducted testing on a number of "stun gun" devices on the market and had found: 1) none that worked as claimed (i.e. disabling an attacker) and, 2) some that didn't even produce enough power to cause any significant pain to the attacker.

Our self defense instructors have attended CLEET training where we've repeatedly "zapped" each other with various brands and models of "stun guns". The effects?
Being "zapped" by a stun gun just made us MAD!
And that's very likely what will happen if you use a stun gun on an assailant...just make them very mad.
We've been zapped on bare skin and through clothes. We've been zapped on various body parts, including on the neck at the base of the skull. We've been zapped for a second, and for five seconds, and for longer.
We've seen a defensive tactics instructor zapped on bare skin on the neck, continuously, for over a minute, with the most powerful "stun gun" the state training center could find, while fighting an opponent. The effect? It made him EXTREMELY ANGRY. It actually caused him to fight harder because of the pain.
Yes, they can be "painful". And if you zap someone long enough you can cause tiny burns, and likely cause bruises where the metal leads are jammed into the skin if you press hard enough. A very hard "pinch" would probably cause as much pain and injury.
If your idea of self-defense is to "pinch" the assailant as hard as you can and make them very angry, then a "stun gun" may be for you!
We've even had instructors go out and buy the latest-greatest stun gun they've seen advertised, with their own money, and bring it back to work where they could zap each other with it to test its effectiveness. Painful, sure. But much less painful than "a good swift kick" and nothing that would dissuade a determined attacker. Painful enough, however, to make almost any attacker very angry at you.
The only scenario we can think of where such a device WOULD be effective is against very stupid criminals who might "think" one touch from a stun gun will lay them out on the floor. It's probably not a good idea, however, to plan your defense strategy around being attacked by someone who's very stupid.
Note: There are some electrical-shock based devices, available to police and corrections officers, that are reported to be effective, in some circumstances, including some devices like the "Air-Taser" that fire wire-line projectiles into the skin (bypassing skin resistivity) — but none that we'd recommend for the average citizen.
And, if the fact that they "just don't work" isn't enough, the stun gun is a device that requires that you prolong immediate contact with an attacker. We want you to get AWAY from the attacker!
Also, stun guns may be illegal to buy, carry, or use in your state.
http://www.ou.edu/oupd/zappers.htm

The above information has been confirmed many times:

Girl being stun gunned:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_mpldYwSBE&feature=player_embedded"]StunGunGirl - YouTube[/ame]

Mythbusters:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz5ASBeeCeA"]StunGunMyth - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Zinn]

I've always wondered if the evenly spaced back abrasions could have come from the wicker chair, especially considering the tape residue on RZ's lower legs and the chair being found tipped over. I wondered if perhaps RZ was restrained in the wicker chair while naked. If the chair tipped backwards with her in it, for instance, would the pressure of her naked back falling against the wicker be strong enough to create abrasions? I don't know, but it could explain the even spacing.

All of the above is just my opinion.

 

[Carioca]

I've always wondered if the evenly spaced back abrasions could have come from the wicker chair, especially considering the tape residue on RZ's lower legs and the chair being found tipped over. I wondered if perhaps RZ was restrained in the wicker chair while naked. If the chair tipped backwards with her in it, for instance, would the pressure of her naked back falling against the wicker be strong enough to create abrasions? I don't know, but it could explain the even spacing.

All of the above is just my opinion.

Boggles the mind as to WHY that overturned wicker chair at the crime scene was not taken into evidence. If RZ had been forced to sit on it and her calves had been taped to the legs, there would have been skin flakes, if not more critical evidence.

I wonder who determines what is taken into evidence and what is ignored, seeing as the ignored list in this case is extensive.