Rebecca Nalepa found Hanged

[McMorbid]

No doubt! We need details mrtibbs1. I like that name BTW.

[mrtibbs1]

Max's mother, who has been very determined to link Rebecca with Max's death has a twin sister named Dina who is apparently confirmed to have contacted Rebecca the night of her murder. One witness places her in front of the house that night. All are things that raise some flags and should have been better investigated. I think the money Rebecca's boyfriend had has impacted the investigation. Where is Dominik Dunne when you need him, this reminds me of this book "An Inconvenient Woman"

[cash]

Rebecca Zahau's sister is suing Jonah Shacknai's brother for $10 million. Good luck. She is not suing Jonah. Interesting.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...,5047100.story

[Gabby]

I remember when this happened and I remember them calling it a suicide and me thinking "her hands were bound, she was naked and had something in her mouth how the hell is that a suicide am I in crazy town now?"

after reading through this thread I'm still completely baffled by her killing herself in this way unless she WANTED it to look like murder otherwise what a bizarre way to off yourself if you felt guilty for a childs death. this almost seems like a way a narcissist would do it making it all about themselves because they knew they would be blamed so they wanted to amp up their own sympathy even in death instead of feeling guilty and grieving for what she'd done. So very odd.

[TheWrath of MadelineKahn]

Here's a video showing a couple of pics of the knots used and a couple of censored crime scene photos I hadn't seen before.

http://youtu.be/yb9hr99rYVQ

The Zahau family is trying to raise $100,000 to hire their own experts.

[Gabby]

Here's a video showing a couple of pics of the knots used and a couple of censored crime scene photos I hadn't seen before.

http://youtu.be/yb9hr99rYVQ

The Zahau family is trying to raise $100,000 to hire their own experts.

if I had the money I'd contribute because this story has always been crazy to me.

[McMorbid]

Good find Wrath. Those are some pretty big knots to be tying behind her back.

[pkstracy]

I have always said I feel she was murdered, a woman will not put a rope on her neck, bind her feet and hands stuff a tee shirt in her mouth and hang herself naked. All those things done to her were to humiliate her. Bound feet and hands show submission that someone has power and owns you, stripping a woman naked and hanging her also is to humiliate and punish. Someone killed this woman.

[TaupinJohn]

I have always said I feel she was murdered, a woman will not put a rope on her neck, bind her feet and hands stuff a tee shirt in her mouth and hang herself naked. All those things done to her were to humiliate her. Bound feet and hands show submission that someone has power and owns you, stripping a woman naked and hanging her also is to humiliate and punish. Someone killed this woman.

^This. All of it.
There is simply no other way (for me, anyway) to see this.

Also, it is incredibly difficult for loved ones surviving a suicide victim. I know that, for me, I tried so hard to pin my brother's suicide on someone else... anyone, just not him. I felt that I could possibly survive life without him, but I highly doubted I could live with the guilt that came with knowing he chose to leave (me alone on) this good earth.

Shame on investigators and the worm who (I think is) responsible for putting her family through the additional hell of not knowing what happened and not seeing her murderer punished. Money can buy many things, but it shouldn't excuse anyone from being held accountable for friggin' murder.

[babyblujems]

I have always said I feel she was murdered, a woman will not put a rope on her neck, bind her feet and hands stuff a tee shirt in her mouth and hang herself naked. All those things done to her were to humiliate her. Bound feet and hands show submission that someone has power and owns you, stripping a woman naked and hanging her also is to humiliate and punish. Someone killed this woman.

As someone who is studying forensic psychology, I completely agree. First off most women do not hang themselves. They are more likely to overdose and to do so in the bathroom not in public like the balcony. Nevermind the virtual impossibility of the person tying themselves up and then somehow managing to hang themselves.

[Gabby]

As someone who is studying forensic psychology, I completely agree. First off most women do not hang themselves. They are more likely to overdose and to do so in the bathroom not in public like the balcony. Nevermind the virtual impossibility of the person tying themselves up and then somehow managing to hang themselves.

and tying their wrists in that nature behind their back. I couldnt even do that to my feet much less behind my own back. why would someone stuff their tshirt in their own mouth? I really dont even understand where the suicide thing comes from unless there's surveillance of it(and if there was I'm certain we'd know by now... because that makes NO sense at all, even if there was a note and there wasnt right?

[Shejay]

Nothing they say will ever make me think she did this to herself. The knots, the t-shirts, naked - don't buy it...

[pkstracy]

As someone who is studying forensic psychology, I completely agree. First off most women do not hang themselves. They are more likely to overdose and to do so in the bathroom not in public like the balcony. Nevermind the virtual impossibility of the person tying themselves up and then somehow managing to hang themselves.

I studied forensic science and pathology, worked for a bit in that field, until personal health issues made me stop. Exactly on what you said about a woman not doing it in public.

[atomicbettie]

I too think it was not suicide. I hope they are able to find out. Reminds me of boxer Arturo Gatti (there is a thread in other deaths). Sadly they did hire their own experts who (imo) proved without a doubt there is no way he hanged himself but the medical examiner in Brazil (where it happened and his wife was from) would not look at the evidence and change her opinion. It was pretty crazy stuff... from the strap he supposedly was hanging with to the way his body was found on the floor, etc.. there is a great episode of I think 48 Hours about it. Sadly, his wife who was jailed for a while was released and I think got all his money and opened herself a store in Montreal.

[babyblujems]

Unfortunately, in our world this happens more often then we would like to think. Anyone who believes that our justice system, or any other system, actually carries out justice even 75% of the time is, in my opinion, delusional.

[GuiltyLittleDeathHag]

Still truly can't believe this case went no where...Who the hell bounds their own feet and hangs themself off a balcony? I have no doubt this was a murder, likely covered up cause the guy has money...

[MHR]

I find it very hard to believe that a woman would choose to hang herself in a public fashion while naked.I find it impossible to believe she would do so while menstruating. That goes beyond self humiliation, far beyond it.

[cash]

This case still bothers me. A good examination and re-enactment of her alleged suicide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfBxOHmufnY

The civil lawsuit is scheduled for March 2017

http://www.cbs8.com/story/31451134/r...ll-go-to-trial

[cash]

this thread should be moved back to Police Blotter

[McCourt]

I find it very hard to believe that a woman would choose to hang herself in a public fashion while naked.I find it impossible to believe she would do so while menstruating. That goes beyond self humiliation, far beyond it.

But she wasn't sane or in her right mind, so what makes the most sense to us wouldn't necessarily be for her. I think she did it but she wanted to be remembered/talked about and that is why she did it this way. Maybe she felt marginalized in life and wanted to be anything but in death.

[TheWrath of MadelineKahn]

A civil case jury found the brother Adam Shacknai responsible for her murder and awarded her family $5 million.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/jury-awards...ry?id=54236047

[pkstracy]

I knew she didn't kill herself. and my post from 2013
08-28-2013, 12:59 PM #308
pkstracy
Renowned Death Hag


Join DateOct 2008LocationSan Diego CAPosts4,796

I have always said I feel she was murdered, a woman will not put a rope on her neck, bind her feet and hands stuff a tee shirt in her mouth and hang herself naked. All those things done to her were to humiliate her. Bound feet and hands show submission that someone has power and owns you, stripping a woman naked and hanging her also is to humiliate and punish. Someone killed this woman.

[triccelli]

At least some kind of accountability and justice...I have been following this case for years being the pharmaceutical industry. There is NO WAY Rebecca died by her own hands PERIOD!!!!

[atomicbettie]

Oh wow. And I had completely done a 180 since my post in 2013 to thinking she did actually commit suicide. I want to see that new Marcia Clark show about this case.

[Mansfield67]

I saw a reenactment on Youtube, and it is very possible that she could have been a suicide. My question is why go to all that trouble, unless she wanted the blame put on someone else. My guess that would be his ex wife. If she was that distraught over the son, I'm thinking she was terrified of what the wife would do, which would be to blame her for what happened to her son. It sounds crazy, but you never know what goes on in someone's head. I think the ex had it in for her from the get go, the whole story is not being told.

[Demgirl]

Finally, justice for Rebecca. There was a lot revealed about the evidence in this trial that hadn't been seen or heard before. Her fingerprints were found on the blade of a chef's knife, one of two knives at the scene. Prints were in such an unusual position that the only way she could have held the knife was if she had it behind her, with the blade facing her back, trying to cut the rope binding her. There was also evidence that she had been hogtied when she died, making it even more impossible for her to have thrown herself over the balcony railing. Her DNA and blood were also found enveloping the handle of a steak knife found at the scene - the same knife her brother in law used to cut her down. Since she was menstruating at the time and not bleeding anywhere else on her body, her attorney surmised she had been sexually assaulted with the handle of the knife.

Her body was left uncovered, outdoors in full sun for 13 hours, though police were there the whole time. It's assumed the purpose was to destroy evidence (DNA decomposes in sunlight) and to hinder estimating her time of death, change patterns of lividity, etc. There was also evidence that many areas of the crime scene had been wiped down, including the frame and handle of the door she would have opened to go out on the balcony. Latex gloves were also found at the scene, one pair which was not tested or saved and one which was tested incorrectly, messing up the DNA evidence inside.

The brother in law's DNA was nowhere to be found, even on items he claimed to have touched (the knife he used to cut her down and the rope she was hung with, which he grabbed). He was also caught changing his story several times about when he discovered her and how he went about calling EMS and cutting her down. A second autopsy also found a big bruise on her lower back, not mentioned in the original, indicating someone pressed their knee into her back while she was lying face down. Another wound left out of the original report was a bruise and abrasion across her right shoulder, also unexplained.

Her family's attorney will be holding another press conference to reveal all the evidence that was left out of the original police report.

[atomicbettie]

Very interesting. I guess I change my mind back.

It's probably in this thread somewhere but why is she sometimes listed as two different last names? Sometimes it's Nalepa and the other times Zahau. I've actually only seen/heard Zahau lately, but I knew I'd heard Nalepa before, probably thinking of this thread.

[Mansfield67]

Hmm, that is interesting. Looks like I'm back to thinking this WAS a murder cut and clear.