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A leading pathologist has questioned an autopsy report that concluded that Rebecca Zahau, the woman found hanging at billionaire Jonah Shacknai’s mansion, had committed suicide.
Dr Cyril Wecht, who has consulted on high profile cases including the assassination of president John F Kennedy, the drug overdose of Elvis Presley and the alleged OJ Simpson murder, said a number of factors in the ruling did not add up.
Ms Zahau was found dead on July 13, hanging from a second-floor balcony at a historic mansion in suburban Coronado, California belonging to Mr Shacknai, whose son had a tragic fall two days earlier.
Suicide: Rebecca Zahau, right, was found hanging naked at Jonah Shacknai's mansion in Coronado, California
A copy of the autopsy shows that tape residue was found on the 32-year-old's legs and a T-shirt was discovered stuffed in her mouth - facts which were not disclosed when authorities gave a press conference on Friday to announce their findings.
While Dr Wecht stopped short of saying it was murder, he is not content to rule it a suicide. He thinks the report needs a lot more scrutiny.
Max was revealed to have broken his spinal chord in his fall, and was not breathing and had no pulse when he was found
'When you put all of this together, it just is bothersome' Dr Wecht told KFMB-AM. 'The manner of death I would have left as undetermined.' On the T-shirt, which was removed from her mouth by Mr Shacknai's brother Adam when he cut her down, Dr Wecht told KFMB-AM: 'What does she care for that? "Gee, I don't want to wake anybody up who may come to rescue me."
Anyone who has followed this case closely realizes this was no suicide. Too bad they claim the evidence for murder isn't clear.....would you go to these depths, nude, tied up, dangling from a balcony, to kill yourself?
Lots of easier ways. I think the brother killed her...he was the only one home with her, the one to "find" her body....with the death of Max the contributing factor.
Hoping the civil suit succeeds....maybe some new clues will come to light in the future.
Shacknai apparently supports his brother, stating he is not going to fund the civil suit payments....he certainly was in a difficult spot, with his lover dead, thought to possibly be at the hands of his brother.
Anyone who has followed this case closely realizes this was no suicide. Too bad they claim the evidence for murder isn't clear.....would you go to these depths, nude, tied up, dangling from a balcony, to kill yourself?
Lots of easier ways. I think the brother killed her...he was the only one home with her, the one to "find" her body....with the death of Max the contributing factor.
During opening statements last week, an attorney for Zahau's family said Adam Shacknai hit Zahau over the head four times before binding her hands and feet, putting a noose around her neck and throwing her naked body off a second-story balcony.
An attorney for Adam Shacknai said no evidence supports the claim that Zahau was killed and four law enforcement agencies all agree Zahau's death was a suicide.
Pathologist Cyril Wecht performed Zahau's second autopsy when her body was exhumed in 2011.
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.
Generation Why did a podcast about this case and it fascinated me. I never thought she committed suicide. Hopefully the civil case will present what really happened and justice is served.
Generation Why did a podcast about this case and it fascinated me. I never thought she committed suicide. Hopefully the civil case will present what really happened and justice is served.
Do you have a web link to the pod cast you mentioned? I would like to see it.
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