Everyone loves a good mystery and the Rebecca Zahau case has more twists and turns than anything Alfred Hitchcock could have dreamed up. I will preface this by stating that there is no mystery according to the San Diego Police Department. They investigated and found that Rebecca Zahau, 32, committed suicide, a result of being distraught over the grave injuries her boyfriend’s 6-year old son sustained after a fall two days prior. Case closed. Her family has fought hard to have the case reopened with the help of their lawyer Anne Bremner, as they believe Rebecca was murdered. But by whom?
The mystery starts July 11th when 6-year old Max Shacknai was found unconscious at the bottom of a carpeted staircase in the famed Speckels mansion in Coronado, once owned by the owner of the Hotel Del Coronado. Max was the son of Jonah Shacknai, the wealthy founder and CEO of Medicis pharmaceutical company. Rebecca, Jonah’s longtime girlfriend and a teenage relative were the only ones home at the time of Max’s accident. Sometime after Max was taken to the hospital a physician voiced suspicions that the boy’s grave injuries were not consistent with the fall, but perhaps the result of something that happened prior to the fall. I do not know if the family was aware of the doctor’s suspicions, but Jonah did not stay at the mansion any of the nights following the accident, choosing to stay at a hotel or the Ronald McDonald house, despite the mansion being only a 15-minute drive from the hospital. Rebecca did not join Jonah, but stayed at the mansion in Coronado alone. Max’s mother and Jonah’s ex-wife, Dina Shacknai, who lived only a few blocks away in Coronado felt comfortable enough to go home for 12 hours the day following Max’s accident, despite his dire condition.
The information that came to light this past week was that Dina’s twin sister, Nina Romano, texted Rebecca at 10:41 p.m. on July 12 to ask if she could come over to talk about Max’s accident. This text became public knowledge only after Rebecca’s family released her phone records. On the release of the records, Nina acknowledged that she sent the text, but stated the time stamp was an hour off, saying it was 9:41 p.m. and added that Rebecca never responded. This week it has come out that not only did she send a text but she admits to being at the Spreckels mansion at around 10 that night, but again got no answer from Rebecca. Anne Bremner, the Zahau family lawyer, stated on her Facebook page and in an interview this weekend that she thinks it was Dina, Max’s mother, not Nina who was at the Spreckels mansion that night. She stated there is an eyewitness who spotted a woman outside the mansion that looked like Dina with the long dark hair. That would be a bombshell since the police have placed Dina at the hospital the entire night. But if true … wow. What the heck did either one of them want to “talk” to Rebecca about that late?
There was a witness who came forward and stated they heard a woman scream around 11 the same night this text and visit occurred. This is the same night Jonah told police he left a voice message for Rebecca after midnight stating the news that Max was not likely going to survive his injuries. That voice message was retrieved and erased forever at 2 a.m. Despite Max’s impending death, Jonah left the hospital soon after leaving Rebecca the voicemail. He did not go home to Rebecca but checked into the Ronald McDonald house for a five-hour rest. The next morning, July 13, Rebecca was found naked, bound, gagged and hanging from a guest balcony in the back of the Spreckels mansion. There was a suicide note of sort painted on the door to the room she hanged herself from. It was written in third person and said “She saved him can you save her.”
Adding additional intrigue to the tangled web is that the person who found Rebecca hanging was Jonah’s brother, Adam, who was staying in the guest house. He cut Rebecca down, called 911 and at some point sent a text (Yes, I said text) to tell his brother Rebecca had hanged herself. Jonah did not call back to say “What the heck?”, but called his ex-wife Dina to tell her Rebecca had killed herself. He left the Ronald McDonald house, went to the hospital and did not go home that day after hearing that his longtime girlfriend had just been found dead. Adam was questioned by police and took a polygraph for which results were “inconclusive.” A repeat polygraph was not obtained, though it was recommended.
After Max was taken off life support later in the week it was determined upon autopsy that his injuries were consistent with a fall and the cause of his demise. Rebecca’s autopsy raised many questions in itself as there were several spots of tape residue noted on her legs, subgaleal hemorrhages on her head, scratches and spots of blood on her legs. The family of Rebecca has been raising money through donations from the public and recently paid to have Rebecca exhumed. The famed pathologist, Dr. Cyril Wecht, completed a second autopsy on Rebecca October 28 and the results of this second autopsy will be released on Dr. Phil in a two part show released next week on November 14th and 15th for discussion with Anne Bremnar and Rebecca’s sister, Mary.
Two deaths ruled and accident and suicide, a famous mansion, wealth, ex-wife, twin sister, a brother, millionaire CEO boyfriend, motives, public speculation; all the makings for a convoluted tale of suspense and intrigue. Enough to give Hitchcock vertigo.
The mansion was sold within months to a group of investors. It’s now for sale again, if you have an extra $14 million. Stories and all.