Every Town - 2 Days, 2 Deaths - Mysterious Death of Rebecca Zahau - Coronado, CA

Episode Date: May 13, 2022

32-year old Burmese immigrant Rebecca Zahau whose name means “springtime beauty” was found  bound and hanging nude from a balcony of a 27-room, historic beachfront mansion in Coronado, California. Even crazier is that it happened just 2 days after the 6 year old son of Rebeccas boyfound Jonah, had died, by falling down the stairs in that very same mansion. A lot of the players in this story have some sketchy details behind them and not everyone agrees with the cops ruling of suicide. Now, let’s head back about a decade to Coronado in San Diego, California: And learn about The Mysterious Death of Rebecca Zahau.🥇 Watch This Episode on Youtube! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_lTOg8SFoU&ab_channel=ScaryMysteries🎉 Patreon (videos too hot for youtube) -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJVtrLuIxoI🎧 More Podcasts, we got you - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1235579 Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you love true crime, grab your favorite mug and pour yourself a dose of creepy true crime every single morning with a morning cup of murder. This short daily show is the perfect podcast to incorporate into your morning routine because in less than 15 minutes, you'll hear about a true crime that took place on a day's date in history. Each day's dark history lesson will kickstart your morning with intriguing tales of murder, abduction, serial killers, cults, and everything in between.

With over 20 million downloads, Morning Cup of Murder has something for every true crime lover. One listener describes the show as a small package with a powerful punch of crime. Another writes that the show is an absolute delight in the morning. Support yourself a piping hot cup of murder every single morning with Morning Cup of Murder. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every town has a dark side. Today, we'll look into the bizarre death of 32-year-old Burmese immigrant Rebecca Zahau, whose mean named Springtime Beauty in her native language.

Why was it so bizarre? Well, she was found bound and hanging nude from a balcony of a 27 Rome historic beachfront mansion in Coronado, California. Even crazier is that it happened. two days after the six-year-old son of Rebecca's boyfriend Jonah had died by falling down the stairs in that very same mansion. Apparently, it was a very strange coincidence. As investigators ruled the boy's death as an accident and Rebecca is a suicide.

But a lot of the players in this story have some sketchy details behind them. Not everyone agrees with the cops ruling. I'm Amanda Fitzgerald. Welcome to this week's episode of Everytown. Now let's head back about a decade to Coronado in San Diego, California, and learn about the mysterious death of Rebecca Zahau. The Zahau family originated from Burma, now named Myanmar, where Rebecca was born on March 15, 1979 in Phalaam, a small town in northwestern Burma.

She and her siblings were raised as Protestants and Rebecca strongly adhered to her religious beliefs. The family went on to live in Germany, Nepal, but finally settled in America in the early 2000s living in New York and California. Most of Rebecca's family members lived in St. Joseph, Missouri, though. Rebecca's older sister, Mary is a howlinner, admired her sibling for being a health nut who was disciplined in keeping her healthy diet. This perhaps explains how Rebecca maintained her youthful beauty. and spelt figure.

She weighed only about 100 pounds, which is evenly distributed on her 5 foot 3-inch frame. But the most important thing about Rebecca was her kindness, warm personality, and sense of humor. Mary detailed, she could make you laugh even on your worst day,

and she would take the clothes off her back if she thought you needed it. She just has this warm personality that just lights up the room. With her exotivoccur. beauty and winsome personality. Rebecca caught the eyes and won the hearts of men. In her late teens, she attended the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Austria, where she met Neil Nalepa of Scottsdale, Arizona. In 2002, they got married when Rebecca was just 23 years old, while the then 36-year-old

Nalepa was still a nursing student. They then moved to Phoenix in 2007, where Rebecca worked as a technician at an eye clinic. The couple's marriage experienced some ups and downs, of course, and it lasted for eight years until they finally divorced in 2011. They were childless, and Rebecca then had her name legally changed to her maiden name, and through all this, Rebecca remained committed to helping her parents financially. Her family experienced difficulty, so Rebecca vowed to give her parents a comfortable life, and she and her sister Mary agreed to take care of their parents because they didn't want them to work as aging immigrants in America. It's fair to say that Rebecca was truly kind-hearted, but she wasn't perfect and had misgivings as well. She was arrested and

pleaded guilty for shoplifting in August of 2009, after she had stolen a piece of jewelry that was worth $1,000. Then, while still technically married to Nalepa, Rebecca started dating a prominent individual around 2008. His name was Jonah Shanknigh. He was 54 years old at the time, was the founder, chairman, and CEO of the multi-million dollar Medicus Pharmaceutical Corporation, which had headquarters in Bridgewater, New Jersey. That company made a fortune manufacturing and selling products that treated acne and facial wrinkles. Jonah's position at Medesis made him the ninth highest paid CEO in all of Arizona,

earning him $6.4 million in 2010. Rebecca first met him while working as the technician, and soon they began dating, and it eventually led to a serious relationship. This despite Rebecca's marriage to Nalepa, and Jonah's two previous marriages. His first one, up in divorce in a three-year custody battle over his two daughters.

His second marriage with Dina Romano bore a son in 2005. His name was Maxfield Aaron, who was nicknamed Max. But they two divorced before 2011. Rebecca must have loved Jonah so much so that she gave up her job at the Valley Eye Clinic in order to spend more time with him and helped take care of his children. She put her entire life on hold to move to Coronado and be a part of Jonah's life. And it wasn't just an ordinary life as she lived in his mansion. The historic Spreckles Mansion in the resort city of Coronado in San Diego County, California.

Located at 1043 Ocean Boulevard in Coronado, this mansion was built in 1908 by real estate empire builder John Sprekels. this 10,500 square foot ocean front building and 27 rooms and a separate guest house. For some people, Rebecca was probably living a dream. A Burmese immigrant living a privileged life with an affluent businessman sounded like the stuff fairy tales were made of. But Rebecca's life was real, and, in reality, even the late Princess of Wales had her sufferings. Rebecca's life with Jonah and his children, was generally fine, although there were rough patches. In particular, his two teenage daughters with his first wife, resented Rebecca.

It reached a point wherein she considered ending her relationship with Jonah, or at the very least putting it on hold. Religion was also important to her, but she stopped going to church because Jonah wasn't into it. But Rebecca's great consolation was establishing a strong bond with Jonah's youngest child, six-year-old Max, whom she took very good care of. Some people even thought that Rebecca was Max's real mom, when she took the boy to and from his soccer practice, read him stories, played with him, and prepared his meals as part of their daily routine. She may not have had the luck of experiencing motherhood herself during her marriage with Nalepa, but Rebecca

sure did have a wonderful time playing mother to Max. But then, just like that, tragedy struck. And the Spreckles' Mansions, rich history, added another layer. But this time it sent shivers down the spines of the Coronado Populous. In just a matter of two days in July of 2011, Rebecca and Max figured in separate yet presumably connected circumstances that took their lives. Despite his hectic schedule, Jonah was assured his children were in good hands as Rebecca took the responsibility of taking care of them when he was away. However, the events and the Shacknize Coronado Summer Estate, took a shocking turn on July 11, 2011. Rebecca, Max, and Rebecca's younger sister, Zena, who lived in Missouri, were present at the mansion.

Apparently, while Rebecca was in the bathroom, Max fell face first over his second floor banister and suffered serious injuries to his face and spinal cord, which affected his heart rate and breathing. Rebecca rushed out when she heard the crash, and Zena then called 911. Max was unresponsive and was brought to the Rattie's Children Hospital, which is the largest pediatric hospital in all of California. The Coronado Police Department, headed by commander Mike Lawton, investigated the case, and on July 26th, determined the death of Max is accidental. Lawton explained that Max appeared to be running down a hallway at the top of the stairs when he pitched over his second floor railing.

He then either hit or tried to grab onto a chandelier, then hit a banister on a stairway landing and crashed to the floor. Rebecca just found Max face down on the floor with the chandelier next to him. Dr. Jonathan Lucas of the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office performed the autopsy on Max. He said that although rescuers were able to get the boy breathing, he was without oxygen for nearly 30 minutes and suffered irreparable brain damage. The physician concluded that Max suffered hyper extension of his spinal cord

which stopped his heart and cut off oxygen to his brain. Five days later then Max succumbed to death. Max's mother, Dina Romano, a clinical psychologist specializing in child and family relations, believed otherwise. A year after her son died, Dina petitioned to reopen the case of Max based on new forensic evidence. She commissioned Dr. Judy Mellinick, a forensic pathologist at the San Francisco Medical Examiner's office to review Max's case. Interestingly, the results of her investigation were contrary to the police findings.

Dr. Mellinick said that Max was too small to fly over the railing. and that his injuries were not consistent with the cardiac arrest and brain swelling due to his fall. The medical examination suggested that Max may have been assaulted and suffocated before his fall. Dina didn't name a suspect and the police declined to reopen Max's case while standing firm on its original conclusion that it was in fact an accident. In honor of her son, Dina created Maxie's house in 2012, which is a foundation, that promotes safety measures for children living in blended households. While the Shacknai family was still coming to terms with Max's death, an equally tragic incident then unfolded on July 13th,

shaking the core of the Zahau family. The day after Max had an accident, Rebecca dropped off her sister Zena at the airport for her flight back to Missouri. Later, she picked up Adam Shacknay, Jonah's younger brother, who flew to Coronado from Memphis, Tennessee, upon learning about Max's predicament. After the brothers and Rebecca had dinner that evening, Jonah visited Max in the hospital, while Rebecca and Adam headed to the Spreckles Mansion.

With a guest house, within the sprawling property, awaited its guests from Memphis. 48-year-old Adam, a tugboat pilot for a company that operates on the Mississippi River, had flown to be with his brother and nephew. He and Rebecca were the only occupants in the mansion that July 12th night. There were reports of loud music coming from the mansion as the night progressed, and buried in that noise was a crime that created a lot of uproar. At around 6.45 in the morning, on July 13, 2011, Adam woke up to an appalling scene in the mansion's courtyard balcony.

It was the nude body of Rebecca, who was hanging from the bedroom, balcony, her hands behind her back with bound wrists and ankles. The poor woman was also gagged with a blue long-sleeved t-shirt wrapped around her head, with the sleeves, double-knotted and stuffed into her mouth. What is your emergency? Adam called 911, while talking to the dispatcher, he cut down the rope and freed Rebecca from being suspended. He then also tried to resuscitate her, and later texted Jonah about the shocking news. The emergency responder tried to revive Rebecca, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Then the San Diego Sheriff's Department did an investigation and found puzzling evidence at the crime scene.

Inside Rebecca's room, one end of the rope used in hanging her, was tied to the bed's footboard, while the other led to the balcony where police found her toe and heel prints. Also found was the book Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft. which showed drawings of a naked woman with her hands tied behind her back. On the door of the bedroom was a cryptic message written in black paint that said, She saved him, can you save her? And this, investigators believed, was Rebecca's suicide note. Police initiated forensic and toxicology exams on Rebecca's remains

as part of an autopsy to determine the cause of her death. Her DNA was found on the knots of the breast. rope, and on a kitchen knife she used to cut that rope, her hands and the rope had black paint smears as well. And no other DNA nor fingerprints were found. The autopsy results revealed four instances of head trauma on Rebecca, which according to San Diego medical examiner Jonathan Lucas, and German-American forensic pathologist Werner Spit, were possibly due to hitting the balcony while Rebecca was on her way down. All this ruled out the early suspicion of foul play.

Then on September 2nd, 2011, the Sheriff's Department formally announced their findings that Rebecca committed suicide out of remorse for Max's fatal accident two days before taking her life. In supporting their claims, the investigators shared their detailed findings, including a demonstration on how Rebecca could have possibly bound herself. It started when she received a call from Adam late in the night, telling her Max was in critical condition and may not survive.

Just before 1 a.m. on July 13th, Rebecca began to carry out her suicide plan. After undressing, she tied one end of the rope to the bed's footboard and fashioned a news using the other end. She then slipped it over her head, cinched it, and tied her ankles together. Next, Rebecca made her way onto the balcony, put her hands behind her. her back and bound them. The binding was such that she could slip one hand in and out of the binding, while the other side remained secured around her other wrist. When the time came, she could put both hands behind her back and into the binding, and finally she leaned far over and went down nine feet below. Rebecca lost consciousness within 15 seconds and died about 20 minutes later.

clearly the investigators had ruled it as suicide and considered the case closed. But expectedly, Rebecca's family rejected that. They fought back to prove it wasn't suicide. But in fact, a case of homicide. Never for a second to Rebecca's family members, even her first husband, Neil Nalepa, believed that she had taken her own life. Just the day before her death,

Rebecca was talking on the phone with their sister, Mary who said that Rebecca didn't show any sign of someone depressed or suicidal, although she expressed much concern over Max's condition. Besides, Rebecca's strong religious beliefs and love for her family would definitely prevent her from committing suicide. Rebecca was laid to rest on July 27, 2011 in St. Joseph, Missouri, but as a how family's quest for justice was just beginning. They publicly questioned the findings of the investigators whom they believed rushed the probe. They set out to prove that Rebecca was murdered and thus hired investigators, retained legal counsel, and insisted the reopening of the case. And when they did, they raised

some valid points. For one, there was the forensic evidence that suggested Rebecca may have been hit on the head, which was downplayed by the medical examiner. A lie detector test was administered to Adam, and those results were inconclusive. And the police also hadn't downloaded information from Adam's cell phone or retrieved his messages to Rebecca on the night that she died. Upon the Zahal family's request, a second autopsy was then conducted by famed pathologist Dr. Cyril Wech. He testified that fractures in Rebecca's throat were caused by manual strangulation and not

by suicidal hanging. Thus, her death was a homicide. In addition, other inaccuracies were found with the sheriff's department's investigation, including evidence that indicated that Zahau was sexually assaulted before her death. Zahau family pointed their fingers to just one possible suspect, Adam Shanknigh. In February of 2018, Rebecca's kin filed a $10 million wrongful death case, accusing Adam of conspiring with Dina and her twin sister Nina Romero in the killing of Rebecca.

Their motive? It was payback time for Max's fatal accident while under Rebecca's care. When surveillance footage showed Dina and Nina were with Jonah at the hospital the night Rebecca died. The twin sisters were dropped from the case, though. Adam then remained the sole defendant in the civil lawsuit. as a how family's lawyer, Keith Greer, argued Adam beat his brother's girlfriend after a heated confrontation about Max's accident, then sexually assaulted and strangled her. Then Adam stayed Rebecca's death to appear as a suicide. In retaliation, Adam's defense attorney countered there was no evidence connecting him to the murder, and that only Rebecca's fingerprints and DNA were found on the knife and the robe she used to bind herself. and most importantly, Adam had been questioned and cleared by homicide investigators in Rebecca's death in 2011. After a month-long civil trial in April of 2018, the 12-member jury found Adam guilty in Rebecca's death in a 9-to-3 vote

and awarded $5.2 million to the Zaha family for loss of love and companionship and 167,000 for financial support, Rebecca could have provided to her family. Because it was a civil trial, a unanimous verdict wasn't needed, and Adam wouldn't face any criminal charges and couldn't be sentenced to prison. Despite the guilty verdict here, the San Diego Sheriff's Department in December of 2018, decided it wouldn't change its initial findings in the case. Rebecca's official cause of death would still remain a suicide. Since civil verdicts are often appealed in February of 2019, Adam appealed the judgment with the defense arguing procedural errors and juror misconduct. However, prior to the final arguments being presented to the judge,

Adam's insurance company, and the Zahaw family, reached a $600,000 settlement, resulting in the civil case being dismissed with prejudice, and vacating the original $5.2 million judgment. This settlement angered Adam, who said it was done behind his back. He called the judge incompetent for allowing the settlement to be reached without any comments from himself or his attorney. Just to make it clear, the dismissal of the civil case does not negate the jury's findings that Adam was responsible for Rebecca's death. Greer said, that puts to rest the civil case. The jury verdict that came out finding Adam Shacknight guilty,

of murdering Rebecca Zahau in civil court still stands. But still, the Zahau family wanted more. So what's next for Rebecca's family? Attorney Greer said they would ask that the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office change its determination in the case from suicide to homicide. Otherwise, they will bring the matter into court and have a judge look into it. The Zahaw family vowed not to stop until Adam is behind me. bars. In August of 2019, they offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who may come forward with a lead

about what actually happened on the night of Rebecca's death. It's now time to step up and get the evidence out there so we can compel this sheriff as quickly as possible to reopen the investigation and prosecute Adam Shackney. Greer underscored. As Rebecca's sister, Mary, empathetically said, I know she fought the night that she died. She left plenty of clues and plenty of evidence that was ignored. I refuse to stand down. I have to fight for the injustice that was done to her. Thanks so much for tuning in,

and if you want even more creepy stories from us, then check out our YouTube channel and podcast called Scary Mysteries. Over there on the YouTube channel, you'll find each episode of Everytown as well, complete with a cool video component if you'd rather watch it like a show. And if you really want to show us some love and support and watch truly terrifying videos, then check us out at patreon.com slash scary mysteries. There's a new video every week over there,

plus the chance to get involved with ideas and picking the videos that we post each week. So head on over there to get involved, and I'll see you soon. So that's it for this week's episode of Everytown. Tune in next week for another one filled with scary, strange, and mysterious stories, because who knows? Maybe your town will be next.