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Thread: Rebecca Nalepa (32) - Girlfriend of Millionaire Found Naked and Dead at Spreckels Mansion

  1. #251
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jezebelle View Post
    QUESTION:
    If the Zahau family wins the civil suit against Adam, and there's enough evidence against him, could the DA legally charge him for Rebecca's murder in a criminal trial?
    [I've never heard of a civil trial coming before a criminal trial, but maybe it's possible?]
    I hope someone with proper legal knowledge can weigh in, because I want to know too. I did some googling tonight and her death is still classed as suicide by the ME. So unless that changes, I am not sure if a criminal trial could ever start?

  2. #252
    Senior Member Jezebelle's Avatar
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    Adding to my second-to-last post (above):
    "Jonah & Dina & Nina & XENA..."

  3. #253
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jezebelle View Post
    QUESTION:
    If the Zahau family wins the civil suit against Adam, and there's enough evidence against him, could the DA legally charge him for Rebecca's murder in a criminal trial?
    [I've never heard of a civil trial coming before a criminal trial, but maybe it's possible?]
    I was talking to a friend about your questions and she mentioned the Kathleen Savio/Drew Peterson case which has similarities.

    1 - Kathleen was found dead in the bath and her death was ruled accidental.
    2 - Her family bought a civil suit against Drew in 2009. http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local...it-042009.html
    3 - Criminal trial in 2012 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/drew-pet...athleen-savio/

    Of course, they probably reopened the Savio case after Drew's other wife disappeared, but it does show that it can be reopened and a criminal trial started?

  4. #254
    Senior Member Jezebelle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Olivia View Post
    I was talking to a friend about your questions and she mentioned the Kathleen Savio/Drew Peterson case which has similarities.

    1 - Kathleen was found dead in the bath and her death was ruled accidental.
    2 - Her family bought a civil suit against Drew in 2009. http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local...it-042009.html
    3 - Criminal trial in 2012 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/drew-pet...athleen-savio/

    Of course, they probably reopened the Savio case after Drew's other wife disappeared, but it does show that it can be reopened and a criminal trial started?
    Thank you! If the brother killed her (and he looks good for it), I hope they can convict him in a criminal court too. Thank God they finally put that prick Drew Peterson behind bars.

  5. #255
    Moderator bowieluva's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Olivia View Post
    I hope someone with proper legal knowledge can weigh in, because I want to know too. I did some googling tonight and her death is still classed as suicide by the ME. So unless that changes, I am not sure if a criminal trial could ever start?
    I'm 100% sure that you are right. If the official cause of death isn't murder, there's not much legally that can happen aside from a civil case.

    A similar situation arose with a kid at my school. The local coroner's office declared it death by accidental drowning and the Buffalo County coroner said homicide when they conducted their own autopsy, but since the homicide didn't occur in Buffalo County and the local coroner would not change his verdict (lo and behold, he was in the same frat as the guys accused of murdering the kid, all of whom were VERY wealthy) so they couldn't be charged with homicide.

  6. #256
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/11/28/a...nsion-suicide/


    An attorney for Rebecca Zahau's family claimed Tuesday that further analysis of evidence proves that she did not commit suicide in her boyfriend's Coronado mansion in 2011.

    Attorney Keith Greer filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Zahau's family that alleges that Adam Shacknai, the brother of Zahau’s boyfriend, killed her. Tuesday, he told FOX 5 that new evidence boosts their case against him.

    Zahau, 32, was found naked and hanging from the second-story balcony of the Spreckels Mansion in Coronado in July 2011.

    “She was actually strangled and killed before she was hung off the deck,” Greer said.

    Greer said his team of investigators has uncovered a new piece of evidence which calls into question the suicide ruling by the San Diego County Medical Examiner. He said the evidence indicates that Zahau was sexually assaulted on the night of her death.

    In court documents filed by Greer, experts stated Zahau’s DNA was found all over the handle of a steak knife. The original investigation confirmed that Zahau's blood was on the handle. A later investigation determined it was Zahau's menstrual blood, Greer said.

    “She was violated by the handle of the knife that was inserted into her,” the attorney alleged.


    Greer also said evidence in the form of a mysterious message painted on Zahau's bedroom door links Adam Shaknai to the scene of her death.

    “There were characteristics of the handwriting on the door that were similar to characteristics that were similar to Adam's and not similar to Rebecca's,” he said.

    Sheriff's investigators concluded that Zahau painted the message on the door, and the official ruling on Zahau's death has always been suicide. The Zahau family has never accepted that ruling, and Greer said the blood evidence and handwriting analysis presented in the wrongful death suit boosts their case against Adam Shacknai.

    Expert witness Dr. Cyril Wecht found Zahau had suffered four blows to the head and she had marks on her neck indicating strangulation, Greer said. It shows not only was she knocked unconscious, but she was strangled to death prior to hanging off the balcony.

    Greer also pointed to a rope in the case. He said it was a ski boat rope cut in three pieces. A knotting expert found these knots tied in the rope were nautical/maritime knots. Greer said one of the knots was similar in nature of a boat being docked to shore and the noose tied to the bed had these similar knots.

    "The defendant Adam Shacknai was a tugboat captain, someone who was very familiar with maritime knotting," Greer said.

    Shacknai and his attorneys have maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings.

    The defense attorney filed a motion in November against Greer to exclude the expert testimony in the case.

    The civil trial is scheduled for February 23.

    The Zahau family is not pushing forward with their lawsuit to collect money, Greer said. “The family says even if [Shacknai offers a monetary settlement it] doesn’t matter what it is, they are going to say no to it because it’s dirty money," he said. "It’s a matter of honor at this point. They want to clear their sister's name and expose the person who did this."

  7. #257
    Most awesome Member emmy_dreamy's Avatar
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    I'm just wondering how much freakin evidence is required to call this a murder? I remember thinking it was a murder from day one because I don't think she could have tied her own hands behind her back.
    http://mydeathspace.com/vb/signaturepics/sigpic8247_1.gif

  8. #258
    I'm fancy ketchup HockeyGirl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Olivia View Post



    The civil trial is scheduled for February 23.


    The Zahau family is not pushing forward with their lawsuit to collect money, Greer said. “The family says even if [Shacknai offers a monetary settlement it] doesn’t matter what it is, they are going to say no to it because it’s dirty money," he said. "It’s a matter of honor at this point. They want to clear their sister's name and expose the person who did this."
    Im only bumping this because the trial has finally started

  9. #259
    Senior Member of_corpse_not's Avatar
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  10. #260
    Senior Member of_corpse_not's Avatar
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    Jurors determined Adam Shacknai was responsible for the death of Rebecca Zahau, a woman found hanging from the balcony at a Coronado mansion in 2011.
    Jurors were asked to answer two questions in this civil trial: Did Adam Shacknai touch Rebecca Zahau before her death with the intent to harm her? The jury's vote was yes 9 to 3.
    For the wrongful death verdict, did that touching cause the death of Rebecca Zahau? The jury's vote was also yes 9 to 3.
    They determined Shacknai owed Zahau's mother, Pari Zahau approximately $5,167,000 in damages.

  11. #261
    Senior Member DiaDeLosMuertos's Avatar
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    I am watching the Marcia Clark First 48 on this now. Such an interesting case. I have always thought he was guilty.
    Jenn

  12. #262
    Senior Member DiaDeLosMuertos's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DiaDeLosMuertos View Post
    I am watching the Marcia Clark First 48 on this now. Such an interesting case. I have always thought he was guilty.
    Ok just finished the show and reread the thread. The brother totally did it. HE was a tugboat captain- she has seafaring knots on the ropes. The bed didn't move enough to be attached to someone thrown over. The table he supposedly stood on to cut her down had 3 legs. There were 10 separate items scrubbed of dna (knives, rope, door knobs). He failed the polygraph.
    Jenn

  13. #263
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    This story is on Dr. Phil right now. Now I need to go read all the updates I?ve missed!

  14. #264
    Senior Member DiaDeLosMuertos's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by YayMe View Post
    This story is on Dr. Phil right now. Now I need to go read all the updates I?ve missed!
    I am watching this now. This story makes me so sad. This guy is walking free after killing her.
    Jenn

  15. #265
    Senior Member Jezebelle's Avatar
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    It?s been SIX years? That seems like a hell of a long time for her family to have to wait for this civil case to finally be closed.

    I just watched an episode about this case on the program... I wanna say it?s called Breaking Homicide (?) on ID last week.

    Thing is- they reviewed a lot of the evidence and concluded it was suicide!

    I?m not inclined to agree with them, but they had a professional stunt woman lean over a balcony railing with her wrists & ankles tied, and the injuries to Rebecca?s head were consistent with hitting the railing on the way down. They had another woman who was an expert (or maybe she was just an experience sailor? Anyway, she?s familiar with the kind of rope that was used & with different kinds of knots & etc) who was able to tie herself up, and boy oh boy was I surprised at how relatively easy it was. They talked to all these other experts in psychology and handwriting analysis and yada yada yada, and it DID make me look at this case very differently!

    That being said, I still feel like the brother did it, but if you get the chance to watch that show, I highly recommend it!

  16. #266
    Senior Member nclexusgirl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jezebelle View Post
    It?s been SIX years? That seems like a hell of a long time for her family to have to wait for this civil case to finally be closed.

    I just watched an episode about this case on the program... I wanna say it?s called Breaking Homicide (?) on ID last week.

    Thing is- they reviewed a lot of the evidence and concluded it was suicide!

    I?m not inclined to agree with them, but they had a professional stunt woman lean over a balcony railing with her wrists & ankles tied, and the injuries to Rebecca?s head were consistent with hitting the railing on the way down. They had another woman who was an expert (or maybe she was just an experience sailor? Anyway, she?s familiar with the kind of rope that was used & with different kinds of knots & etc) who was able to tie herself up, and boy oh boy was I surprised at how relatively easy it was. They talked to all these other experts in psychology and handwriting analysis and yada yada yada, and it DID make me look at this case very differently!

    That being said, I still feel like the brother did it, but if you get the chance to watch that show, I highly recommend it!
    I watched that the other night too and it left me thinking suicide too
    I can be your *ADDICTION* if you wanna get hooked on something!!

  17. #267
    Senior Member Jezebelle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nclexusgirl View Post
    I watched that the other night too and it left me thinking suicide too
    Right?!
    When I read about it, my reaction was ?That was NOT a suicide!? After watching that program, though, I can easily see how some people might think it truly was.

  18. #268
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    I definetly don't believe it was suicide. There's too many working parts to it and I had read somewhere that the brother was watching Asian bondage porn that night. It's a little too much of a coincidence.
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  19. #269
    Senior Member DiaDeLosMuertos's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boston Babe 73 View Post
    I definetly don't believe it was suicide. There's too many working parts to it and I had read somewhere that the brother was watching Asian bondage porn that night. It's a little too much of a coincidence.
    I heard that too. With his being a boat captain and all that it seems like him. Also no one of the shows- I think Marcia Clarks, the bed only moved 6 inches and would have jerked her neck more than the injuries she had, but with the simulation they said the bed moved almost 2 feet when something was suddenly thrown over. It is more likely that she was hoisted up than fell over. Or strangled and tied up and left there on the ground while he set up the rest. The table he allegedly stood on to cut her down was broken with 3 legs. It just doesn't make sense. I wonder if the brothers have been cool with each other all this time or if they are estranged. I mean did Jonah believe him and was just like over it? The fact that Cyril said in all his years as an ME he's NEVER in all his years had a woman commit suicide naked and outside. I think he said he's never had one naked indoors either.
    Jenn

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