Rebecca Nalepa Zahau Found Hanging, Bound Mansion of Jonah Shacknai (Suicide)

[Puzzler]

Mother of Shacknai Child Wants Case Re-classified As a Homicide
August 6, 2012

http://coronado.patch.com/articles/mother-of-shacknai-child-wants-case-re-classified-as-a-homicide-zahau-spreckels-mansion

(snip)  Her contentions echo those of Rebecca Zahau's family, who have long argued that the woman who died two days after Max's fall was a homicide victim. They have asked that the state re-open both cases.

[KittyMom]

I wonder if she had a stalker that was surprised that the boy was home?

[Puzzler]

http://media.utsandiego.com/news/documents/2012/08/06/Dr.Bove_Report.pdf

August 6, 2012
.pdf of report submitted to Dina by Dr. Rove, Exponent, Failure Analysis Associates

Includes a rendition of Max's height vs the height of the stairway balcony rail

[Puzzler]

this is a link to a .pdf "Summary of Reports"

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102202462/Max-Shacknai-Summary-of-Reports

[Puzzler]

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1208/07/ijvm.01.html

Note: I'm only posting the portions of the show pertaining to the interviews with Dina and Anne Bremner and I hope it's okay to post all of this.

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

Mother Calls for Re-examination of Accidental Death Ruling

Aired August 7, 2012 - 19:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: And tonight new twists and turns in the mysterious deaths at a tycoon`s beachfront mansion. A 6-year-old boy and his multi-millionaire dad`s girlfriend dead within days of each other last summer.

Police said young Max Shacknai had an accidental fall down the stairs. And Rebecca Zahau committed suicide. Case closed. But, no, now tonight Max`s mom is saying her son`s death was a homicide, and she is insisting this case be reopened. She joins me live in a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL (voice-over): Tonight, a shocking new twist in the million-dollar-mansion death mystery. A little boy`s supposedly alleged death and the allegedly balcony suicide of his dad`s girlfriend, all within one week, devastated a pharmaceutical mogul`s family.

Now the little boy`s mother says she has proof her son`s death was actually a homicide. If so, who did it and why? I`ll talk to the mother live tonight.

And brand-new developments in the hunt for a man accused of faking his own death. Cops have now arrested his 22-year-old son, claiming an e-mail chain proves the son knew what his dad was planning and even helped him carry out the sinister plot. Tonight, why does the missing man`s wife now say she is in fear for her own life?

Also, more Miley Cyrus drama-rama. The 19-year-old starlet tweeted a photo showing her bare midriff, sparking people to ask is the former Disney star just too thin? I`ll show you the photo. And I`ll take your calls.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The case is suspicious. There`s no question about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Max Shacknai fell down the stairs of this 27- room mansion near San Diego.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The home`s registered owner at 1043 Ocean Boulevard is Jonah Shacknai, an Arizona pharmaceutical tycoon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The body was found at the bottom of these stairs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Max was under the care of Rebecca Zahau at the time of his fall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I got a girl hung herself.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, sir, is she still alive?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her hands and feet tied together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was naked, her wrists and ankles tied with rope. These eerie photos show two knives used to cut the rope on the floor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The condition of the victim and the circumstances surrounding the scene are suspicious in nature.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Suicide and homicide at times can look very, very similar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The manner of death appears to be somewhat of a violent nature.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s still a mystery exactly what happened.

DINA SHACKNAI, MOTHER OF MAX: I hope that they will now make it right and reopen the case. And really find the truth about what happened to Max.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Good evening. Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live. Stunning new developments tonight in the San Diego mansion deaths that gripped the nation last summer.

Both the young son and the girlfriend of pharmaceutical tycoon Jonah Shacknai died within days of one other. Six-year-old Max`s death was ruled an accident. Girlfriend Rebecca Zahau`s death was ruled a suicide.

But tonight, Max`s mom says her child`s death was not an accident at all. And she`s got a brand-new report from experts that she says proves her son was assaulted and killed?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHACKNAI: The results are we`re looking at a homicide. Real science doesn`t lie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Max`s mother is my very special guest tonight. Will police listen to her and reopen the case?

Investigators say Rebecca found little Max unconscious at the bottom of the staircase at his father`s mansion. Two days later, as Max lay hospitalized in a coma, Rebecca was found hanging off a balcony at the very same mansion.

The circumstances of her death were beyond bizarre. Police say Rebecca was naked, her hands and feet bound behind her with a rope and a T- shirt stuffed in her mouth. A cryptic message painted on the door saying, quote, "She saved him. Can you save her?"

Four days after Rebecca`s body was found, Max tragically died from his injuries.

Even though a lot of people found the double deaths very weird and suspicious, police insisted there was no foul play involved in either of these two deaths.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were these deaths the result of criminal conduct? Was Max`s death a homicide? The answer is no. It was a tragic accident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joining me now, Max Shacknai`s mother, Dina Shacknai, and her attorney, Angie Hallier.

Dina, thank you so much for joining us. And first of all, my heart goes out to you over the loss of your precious son, Max. I know you are searching for the truth. And that`s why you hired your own team of forensic experts who have finished their report. So tell us about this report. Tell us what they concluded.

SHACKNAI: Well, thank you for having me on the show tonight. There were -- the independent experts that I retained have been working diligently for nine months. And the findings, after working in collaboration with one another, were that Max suffered from an assault first -- an assault scenario and then was the victim of a homicide.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the people who were there, tell us exactly in your opinion who was at the mansion at the time that this incident with your son occurred.

SHACKNAI: From what I understand, the persons present, according to the coroner`s department, were Rebecca and her sister Dia (ph) Zahau.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So essentially, what do you say happened? Who did what to whom in your opinion?

SHACKNAI: I think that the experts that we have retained, Doctors Bove and Dr. Melinek, were so thorough in their -- in their investigatory process, and they have presented us with science. Dr. Bove really ruled out the scenario that Dr. Gomez presented. And the scenario that the Coronado Police Department presented really defied gravity. Max couldn`t have gone over that railing like he did.

And Dr. Melinek, a forensic pathologist and a chief -- a medical examiner substantiated this basically and said that there was an assault scenario. And the injuries that he had and the multiple plains of injury all over his body, including the top of his head, above his eye, on his back, abrasions on his back, bruises on his neck, that they were not consistent with an accident.

So I am really hoping and think that the Coronado Police Department will reopen this and that they are the experts who can determine what happened to Maxie.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me say this. You`re saying that Rebecca, the girlfriend of your ex-husband, 32 years old -- and my understanding her kid sister, who`s about 13, are the only two individuals who are in the mansion at the time that this incident occurred with your son?

There is a picture of Rebecca, who is also deceased at this point.

Dina, our affiliate, 10 News, is reporting that you had instructed that Max should not be left alone with Rebecca, who, again, was the girlfriend of your ex-husband. You saw a picture there of them together. Is that true? And if so, why did you feel Rebecca should not be with your son when your ex-husband was not present?

SHACKNAI: Jonah and I had an agreement based on a meeting that she and I had the September prior to this. And at the time that I met her, she gave me a name that she had never used, as far as I knew, in this country. So she had used the name -- she gave me the name Rebecca Zahau, but at the time, her name was Rebecca Nalecka (ph). I didn`t -- she didn`t share with me that she was married at the time. And she didn`t share with me that she did have a shoplifting incident. And so these things were concerning.

As a mother you want to know who`s -- who`s taking care of your child. So not to share your name seemed very unusual and gave me cause -- concern to talk with Jonah, have an agreement and then go forward and learn a little bit more about why she didn`t share, you know, al that information in our first meeting.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. So you had concerns about your ex-husband`s girlfriend.

Listen to what cops believe happened to 6-year-old Max at his father`s mansion. And this is from affiliate KGTV.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something caused him to trip. Whether it was a ball, whether it was the dog or something that he then tripped and fell over that railing, grabbing the chandelier, twisting him around to where his back impacted the railing on the other side, went down to his knees and then to his head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now our affiliate 10 News reports that your independent investigation showed it was not possible for somebody as short as little Max, who was 6 years old, to accidentally fall over the railing. And also that there were no injuries, according to your experts, on Max`s hands from grabbing the chandelier.

So Dina, I want to cut to the chase here. You`re saying that you don`t think this was an accident. So in your opinion what are you saying about who did what to your son?

SHACKNAI: What I`m saying is that I have received -- it`s been very hard to really remain silent about this. But what I`m saying is I`ve received reports from experts who have -- independent experts who have a great degree of knowledge in their fields -- their respective fields and they have presented me with compelling evidence that Max was assaulted and he was a victim of a homicide.

So I can`t say who did that. And I would hope that the -- given that we have presented the Coronado Police Department with real science -- and science doesn`t lie. And I hope that they take the science and then they open this investigation and they change the disposition of the case. And that`s what I`m asking for.

I know Rebecca`s family is grieving because she -- they have experienced the loss of a sister and a daughter. And I`m not in the position to say, because I`m not an investigator for the Coronado Police Department. I think it is their responsibility to more carefully look at this based on science that we have provided. And I hope they will do that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: One question, Angie Hellier, you`re the attorney for Dina. You`re sitting right next to her. These experts came up with a very different conclusion from police. So if it`s so evident to your experts, how did the police miss this?

ANGIE HELLIER, ATTORNEY FOR DINA SHACKNAI: You know, we don`t know. Dina was debriefed on what they were going to announce at the press conference, the accidental finding, just shortly before the press conference. At that time all she saw was the diagram. She received a copy of the Coronado Police Department`s biomechanical engineer`s report three weeks later, and that`s when the questions arose.

I don`t know if they didn`t have enough time. Our experts had nine months. I can`t speak for their investigation, but I can say that our experts thoroughly, thoroughly looked at the evidence locker. We were given access to the police records. We were given access to the medical examiner`s office. Jonah Shacknai provided us access to the residence where this occurred.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to jump in for a second. Do you think that Rebecca Zahau was involved in Max`s death?

HELLIER: I don`t know. All I know is that we have the scientific evidence. We`ve presented it to the police department. We believe it`s their job. And we hope they will reopen the investigation. And as part of the reopening do further investigation to determine exactly what happened.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. I want to thank you, Dina and Angie. Dina, again, there are no words. I know you are suffering as a result of your son`s tragic death. And I know you want the truth. And that`s all we want too. So we ask those questions. Thank you so much.

SHACKNAI: Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: On the other side we`re going to talk to an attorney for Rebecca Zahau`s family. And feel free to stay. And we`re going to, again, search for the truth.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rebecca Zahau was hanging from a second-floor bedroom balcony. Jonah`s brother, Adam Shacknai, was staying in the guest house across the courtyard. He told detectives he ran up after spotting her and cut her down. He called 911. Paramedics responded and performed CPR but couldn`t revive her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Was that a suicide? And a couple of days earlier, Max`s fall, was that an accident? Two very strange and suspicious incidents two days apart at the mansion. Cops basically saying both of them not foul play.

But you just heard the mother of this precious child, Max, who tragically died. She`s hired independent experts who say, "Unh-uh, we feel that this little boy did not accidentally die, that there was an assault, that this was a homicide."

I want to go now -- and by the way, we reached out to Jonah Shacknai, who is the pharmaceutical tycoon -- there he is -- whose mansion this was, the father of this child. And obviously, he has suffered tremendously, as well. We did not hear back. He`s invited on our show or his representatives any time.

But I want to go to Anne Bremner. You represent the Zahau family. What is your reaction to what you heard from the mother, the devastated mother of little Max saying it was no accident, it was an assault?

ANNE BREMNER, ATTORNEY FOR ZAHAU FAMILY: Well, first, Jane, great to be on with you. And there`s too much grief to go around in this case. And I have, like you`ve said, so much empathy for Dina and Jonah Shacknai; of course for the family of Rebecca Zahau, my clients. She has parents that are grieving her loss, too.

But this case, we`ve been around now for a year going to the San Diego sheriff, going to the attorney general, going to the D.A. with investigation, talking to witnesses showing that this was not a suicide of Rebecca Zahau. I can count the ways, too. I know we`ve talked about this case before.

My reaction to what I just heard is you can`t get over the loss of a child. You want to look for answers. But these are not independent experts. They used the words "our experts." Dr. Melinek is charging $600 an hour, and she does point to Rebecca Zahau in these reports.

But these are independents, basically saying, "I see injuries on this boy`s face." What we heard from the experts from Coronado was that he fell on his face.

It`s just speculation and conjecture and baseless to say that this was a homicide.

And Dr. Bove, the other expert, said he couldn`t conclude anything. So that`s really what we have today. It`s a horrible loss, I know, but it`s not a homicide.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Now you -- your family, the family you represent, doesn`t feel that Rebecca killed herself.

BREMNER: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s -- let`s show this. A woman is trying to do a re-enactment here, and she loops the ropes around her wrist. We`re going to show you this re-enactment video. It`s pretty extraordinary. And then you see this.

he police did this to prove that, oh, yes, Rebecca could have tied her hands and bound her feet and stuck a T-shirt in her mouth and still have jumped off the side of the mansion and found hanging naked from a balcony.

But what about this cryptic comment, "She saved him. Can you save her?" that was supposedly written on the door? And what about people who say women do not commit suicide naked, that it`s just not plausible?

BREMNER: Right. And this can take a Cirque du Soleil artist. And women don`t commit suicide this naked. In fact, there`s never been a case reported like this ever. And she had lividity in her back, which meant she died on her back, where her blood settles when you die. Not in her extremities where you go from hanging. And she had blunt force trauma to the top of her head. So this truly was not a suicide by any shape or form.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So what are you saying? Who did what to whom? I`ll ask the same question I asked the boy`s mother.

BREMNER: You know, it`s funny, Jane. In listening to what has just been said and what we`ve been looking at in all this case, we`ve asked for Max`s case to be reopened too. We asked for both cases to be reopened because we think there`s more questions about Max`s death.

We don`t say it`s a homicide. And we`re not pointing fingers in either case. These are horrible deaths. Seven weeks they took to investigate. That`s it. We`ve been involved since before they said it was a suicide. I think...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Are you saying that there`s some kind of cover-up? That police...

BREMNER: No. No. I think they just didn`t get anywhere. It`s not a cover-up. They just didn`t investigate the case fully. And I`d hate to say cover-up because I don`t think it was that sophisticated. They just didn`t finish.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Jon Lieberman, investigative journalist, your thoughts.

JON LIEBERMAN, HLN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: I think that Anne brings up a good point. And perhaps they should open both of these cases up. I read this entire report. A few things stuck out to me, Jane. One was that -- a line in here, "An unassisted accidental fall, as depicted in Dr. Gomez` scenario, does not explain the subsequent resting position of the Razor scooter on top of Max`s leg, where there`s no bruising, and the complete lack of glass shard dicing injury to Max`s body." That stuck out to me.

Also this report does take a shot at the police, as well, saying that they saw no thorough psychological assessment of Rebecca Zahau, her mental state or inquiries into previous aggressive acts.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, on the other side we`re going to talk to somebody who talked to Rebecca, possibly hours before she died, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I got a girl hung herself.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Sir, is she still alive?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you alive?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Now, Jon Lieberman, tell us about who made that 911 call. Because that was the person who discovered Rebecca`s body hanging from the balcony.

LIEBERMAN: Yes. And that is so tragic. You heard that. I want to go back to what we were just talking about in the break, which is that also medical examiners and coroners, they can`t say that it`s murder, for example. They can say it could be criminally negligent homicide. They could say manslaughter. There are so many scenarios as to what this report indicates could have happened to that little boy. So I did want to point that out.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, now, the person you heard on that 911 call was the brother of the mogul. And he, by the way, was a tugboat captain who had heard about Max, his nephew, having this injury. And he raced in only to find his brother`s girlfriend hanging naked from the balcony. How bizarre.

Now, right before she died, Rebecca, the girlfriend, called a local day care company for dogs to arrange so she could go to the hospital where Max was being treated. Here`s what the dog day care owner told me last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very, very quiet. I would say very upset. But definitely not distraught or anything that would indicate she would have been suicidal. She did ask about the cost of us taking the dog to the veterinarian for the vaccination.

So that alone would indicate that, you know, if you`re going to commit suicide, why would you even care about the cost?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Good question, Anne Bremner.

BREMNER: Absolutely. And not only that. We have other people, of course, her sister, that talked with her. And she was fine.

And here`s no history of depression at all with Rebecca. And there`s no history of her having any kind of issues other than using her married name. I think we heard earlier she used her married name. A lot of people do from a prior marriage.

But there was absolutely nothing to indicate she would want to kill herself. She didn`t kill herself.

And then you also have other things we had in experiments where pulling on the bed with ropes, they were expert knots. She didn`t know how to tie those kind of knots. And pulling on the bed, it only went seven inches. May have been picked up and moved with those ropes. With an experiment done it went seven feet. You can go on and on about this case, but she wasn`t depressed. She didn`t kill herself. And it needs to be resolved.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unbelievable mystery. We`ll stay on top of it.

[Puzzler]

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1208/07/ddhln.01.html

DR. DREW

Mansion Death Accident or Murder?

Aired August 7, 2012 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


 (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
 
DR. DREW PINSKY, HOST (voice-over): Last summer, 6-year-old Max Shacknai fell over a staircase balcony at his father`s mansion and fell into a coma. Two days later, tragedy struck again. His father`s 32-year- old girlfriend, Rebecca, was found dead at the same home, hanging naked from a second story balcony, her hands and feet bound.

Three days later, tragically, Max died from his injuries, a double tragedy at the same estate in less than a week. Police ruled Max`s death accidental and Rebecca`s a suicide. But many were skeptical, voicing their doubts right here on this show.
 
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She didn`t speak like that she wasn`t -- I don`t know. It just doesn`t sound like something she would say.
 
PINSKY: A year later, there are serious questions as to whether Rebecca could have bound her own hands and feet and hung herself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s a very curious thing to be able to tie yourself in knots.

PINSKY: And now, Max`s mother wants the investigation reopened to get justice for her little boy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)
 
PINSKY: And those of you that have been with us through following this mystery are familiar with some of those details. Those of you for whom this is new, we`ll try to recap and please hang with us.

At this point, we are going to welcome Dina Shacknai to the show.

Now, Dina, the police ruled your son`s death an accident. You would like them to reinvestigate. Tell me why.
 
DINA SHACKNAI, SON MAX SUFFERED FATAL FALL: Yes. Well, based on the findings that were presented to me by independent experts with impeccable credentials, one of whom, Doctors Bove and Melinek, one of Dr. Bove from Exponent, and Dr. Melinek from the San Francisco medical examiner`s office, presented information and -- to me that definitively stated that Max suffered an assault scenario and consequently, he died of a -- he was the victim of a homicide.
 
PINSKY: Now, we actually called the Coronado Police Department and we got this statement on the case from public information officer Leah Corbin (ph). Quote, "We did meet with Dina and her team on July 26th. We will review the information that they have provided."
 
Now, Dina, here`s the thing for me. This case came to light for me today because I saw some pictures of your son sick in the ICU bed. And I got to tell you, I was -- it was heartbreaking. It was just absolutely heartbreaking.

And I don`t know -- I don`t know how you get over something like that. And I -- is this -- is this what that`s about, part of the search for justice, helping you grieve?
 
SHACKNAI: I think as any parent would, I want to find the truth about what happened to my son and I agree with you that those pictures were shocking and horrific. Seeing him in person was even worse.
 
Having gone through all of the medical examiner photos myself, it was a horrible experience. I wouldn`t wish on anybody and certainly not a parent. The resolution for me in this -- in his death is to find the truth for him so that he has justice and then going forward, maybe other kids moms and dads and families can be helped and that is the resolution -- truth and help.

PINSKY: Dina, I`m looking -- yes, Dina, I`m looking at a picture of him.
 
A couple things -- first, I want you to tell me what kind of kid he was. And I`m going to ask your permission, can we show some pictures of maybe just his back and his hands so people get a sense of who we are talking about here?
 
SHACKNAI: Yes. Yes, you can. Yes.

PINSKY: And tell me about him. Max.

SHACKNAI: So, Maxi was -- Maxi was -- he and I were the best fit. I told him every day I was the luckiest mommy in all the universes to have him. And when I saw him in the morning, he had an enormous smile. He would look up at me and I really felt like I won the lottery every day.
 
I know you have seen pictures of him smiling. It`s not just that we caught him at a moment. He was like that every single day. He was the most loving, smart, funny, generous boy. I mean, I`m -- obviously, it`s subjective, I`m his mom. But I couldn`t imagine a better son.
 
So this loss of Max is devastating -- devastating for me.

PINSKY: I`m so sorry. Just, you know, again when you bring it to life like that, it`s just like getting kicked in the stomach. There you are together.

Let`s show some of the viewers where he ended up in the ICU. Let`s at least show the hands and the back. I guess what is at issue here is whether somebody assaulted him before he fell over the railing and whether -- there`s his back, I think some of the injuries that he suffered.
 
Let`s see his hands, if you could show us. Again, something about seeing human hands brings somebody to life. I will not show the pictures of his face. That is just too much.

But -- do we have the picture with the back, the railing, the matchup that Dina has sort of put together? There is his little hand. Gosh, it is just so -- this whole thing is devastating you.
 
So, let me take it to the -- why we are here again and why are we talking about this. You think wrongdoing -- you think somebody did something sinister with him. How could that happen?
 
I mean, I would think the only people -- here`s what was alleged to have happened, looking at the pictures, Dina, of the fall down the stairway. He fell onto the railing, the chandelier went with him.
 
Let me go to Angela, your attorney, and look back at what they -- what the police allege happened and what your investigators think, in fact happened.
 
Can you tell me about that, Angela?

ANGELA HALLIER, ATTORNEY FOR DINA SHACKNAI: Yes. The investigators for the Coronado Police Department in conjunction with the sheriff`s department, announced at a press conference a number of weeks after Maxi`s death that it was an accident. They provided a diagram that they allege depicted what had happened.

PINSKY: I`m going to show it again so understand what I`m talking about.

If you guys could throw that over there.
 
They say he fell over the railing the very top of this three-story staircase.
 
Come on, guys, show that for me.

And then he -- that is actually the staircase. There we go. Somehow fell over the railing here, tumbled, hit the rail on his back, we showed the injuries on his back they claim came from this particular rail and then down and hit his head and that was the terminal event.

But your investigators say something different. First of all, how does a kid fall over a rail like that? It just doesn`t happen. They have to jump over it. Maybe he`s trying to swing on a chandelier or something, I mean, if they want to allege, I don`t think he was that kind of kid. What -- how do they come up with that stuff?

HALLIER: Well, we weren`t part of the investigation from the Coronado Police Department what we did see was the diagram, which didn`t make sense to Dina to begin with. Three weeks after the press conference when the accidental scenario was announced, we got a copy of the -- Dr. Gomez`s report, who actually was hired by the Coronado Police Department to do this re-enactment.

Again, it didn`t make sense that is when Dina decided she really need to find out if that was true. And when we hired these individuals who didn`t know each other, we didn`t know them, we looked for people with great credentials and they told us, we are going to find the truth based on science. Whether you like it or not, we`re going to tell you what they find.

Not only did they -- oh, sorry.
 
PINSKY: No, I was going to say. Now you want the police to reopen this case.
 
I know your ex-husband`s girlfriend`s family has been asking for this as well because of the mysterious circumstance of her death. I`ve had rope experts in here who have said it`s just impossible for her to tied her own hands behind her back the way she was found. And again, there`s lots of sort of questionable aspects of her death.

So this whole thing is not tying together.
 
Now, again, Maxi`s death is one of the first at the same house in the same week.
 
We are going to talk more to Dina and we`re also going to talk to the attorney representing your ex-husband`s girlfriend.
 
And we are taking your calls, 1-855-DRDREW5. Please call in. We`ll be right back.
 
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
 
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
 
SHERIFF BILL GORE, SAN DIEGO COUNTY SHERIFF`S DEPARTMENT: Were these deaths the result of criminal conduct? Was Max`s death a homicide? The answer is no. It was a tragic accident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)
 
PINSKY: Well, it`s quite an accident if that`s the case. It sounds like a soap opera, a millionaire`s 6-year-old son dead after falling over a banister at a California, San Diego mansion. A few days later, his father`s girlfriend found hanging naked. Again, women don`t hang themselves naked, with her hands and feet bound. The police closed both cases quickly.
 
But tonight, after a year-long silence, this young boy, Max`s mom, claims she has proof, scientific proof, that there was foul play.
 
So, Dina, I want to cut right to the chase. I want to get to some -- by the way, I`ve got Dina Shacknai and her attorney, Angela Hallier.
 
I want to cut right to the chase before I go to calls. That is what do you think happened? I mean, we had -- basically Maxi under the care of your ex-husband`s girlfriend who is now herself deceased and there was a teenager in the house as I understand, too. What do you think happened?

And by the way, before you answer that before you answer, I want to say if there was really sort of overt wrongdoing -- I would expect the person doing the wrongdoing would have had a history. So I`m going to ask you, if you give me a little theory -- is there some history there that spores those ideas or we just don`t know?

SHACKNAI: I would say that the reason that I`ve come forward now is - - and it`s been very hard to be silent for all this time, is due to the expert findings that we have been given. So I think that the Coronado Police Department, they are the experts. Chief Lou Scanlon and Commander Lawton are the ones who can reopen this case and amend the disposition and do the investigative work to determine what happened to max and they are the ones, you know, it is their responsibility and their area of expertise to do that.

PINSKY: And, Dina, have you at least made an appeal, as a grieving mom, like would you guys, please, I need this to be OK? Have you made an emotional appeal to these guys or would you like to now?
 
SHACKNAI: Well, I think that I have been -- I have tried to do that. I`m doing that now for Max. And I think going forward, it`s important that he have justice, just like it would be important for you or for me or for anybody, and that means knowing the truth about what happened to him.
 
And through this, maybe going forward, other kids and moms and dads and families wouldn`t have to go through the things that we have gone through as a family.
 
And I know that having lost him was a soul-searing loss. It is the worst thing that has ever happened. And having to go through this every day since he has died and try to do my own investigation -- I`m a mom. I had no previous experience at any of this. So, having to do that has been an additional horrific, in and of itself --

PINSKY: Can I ask you something?

SHACKNAI: Horrific, period. Sure.

PINSKY: How do you hold it together? It is such a horrible story.

SHACKNAI: Well, I think that Max`s memory is always with me. I always have him in my thoughts. And he, I know, when he was alive, would tell me, even when he wasn`t with me, he would say to me, I always have you, mommy, I have you in my thinking thought, my mommy thoughts.

So I would say the same thing, that I have him in my thoughts. And so, I think that has given me strength and also obviously the very strong and supportive people around me who have helped try to find the truth, wherever that will lead, wherever that has led.

PINSKY: That`s, again, so important, getting through something like this, having people that genuinely care about you. Dina, you were robbed. I`m so sorry.

Let`s go to calls. Kathy in Ohio. Kathy, what do you got?

KATHY, CALLER FROM OHIO: Yes. Dr. Drew, my question is this -- I was wondering if there was any DNA found possibly that would connect the lady who had also died, Rebecca, with the son`s death?
 
PINSKY: Well, as you know, the San Diego investigators did not feel there was any wrongdoing. I know there was all kinds of consternation over the DNA on the rope that they found Rebecca tied to, but, Angela, maybe you can sort of clear that up real quick.
 
HALLIER: Yes. It`s our understanding from the records we have been given access to that DNA was taken from underneath Max`s fingernails but we have no indication that it was ever tested.

PINSKY: Interesting. Blair in Texas - Blair.
 
BLAIR, CALLER FROM TEXAS: Hi, Dr. Drew. Thank you so much for taking my call.
 
PINSKY: Pleasure.

BLAIR: Ms. Shacknai, where was your husband during this time of your son`s fall? And my condolences go to you. I`m so sorry for your loss.
 
SHACKNAI: Thank you. Thank you.
 
As reported by the police, the only two people home at the time that this happened were Rebecca and Xena, so, that`s what I`ve been told.
 
PINSKY: OK.
 
SHACKNAI: I wasn`t there, but that`s what was reported to me in police reports.

I would also like to add to that. This -- the idea of what happened to Max was such a shock, it wasn`t until Thursday afternoon that I was even informed by a doctor at Rady Children`s Hospital that they suspected something and CPS was called. Really, I feel during the week, it was such a traumatic shock, I was really, you know, not apprised of all the other information going on with I guess the Coronado Police Department`s investigation.

PINSKY: What did you think had happened at that point?
 
SHACKNAI: It was so shocking to walk in and see those photographs of Max. The first thing that I was told was that he had a heart attack. I didn`t understand how that had happened and that somehow the chandelier had came down. I didn`t understand that had happened.
 
I thought and as the week progress, I thought the most important thing to do was focus on Max and so I brought his favorite stuffed animals. I even brought my favorite -- his favorite perfume that he knew that I wore, thinking maybe it would stir some memory for him so I never thought Max was not going to walk out of that hospital. I thought that I would maybe need a tutor and he would be able to play on his Blackhawks team and maybe he would sit out a few games.

So then my focus that week was on being with him, speaking to him, reading to him, singing to him, hoping to, you know, elicit and stir some, to let him know that I was there.
 
PINSKY: And then you -- when he died, you didn`t have any expectation that was going to happen?
 
SHACKNAI: I didn`t. I -- it happened on Friday, the first. He suffered from brain death and on Friday morning, approximately 6:30 in the morning, the EEG went flat and I thought something was wrong with the machine.
 
And it was soon clear that the doctors came in and said, you know, that he was brain dead. So, it was a shock to me and, you know, going through the next 24 hours and sitting with him was just as hard.
 
And I have to say the thing that Maxi did, even in his death, was he saved three people. He donated his liver and two kidneys. So he saved an 11-month-old and two adults.

So, in death, he was as generous and beautiful and amazing as he was in life.
 
PINSKY: Oh, Dina, the story -- I`m going to ask my control room, can I keep my guests here through this next segment? Is that OK? OK.
 
We are going to keep you guys. Let me just read this. Two days after 6-year-old Max fell off a staircase, his father`s girlfriend was found hung. I think those of you that follow the story know. Her hands and feet were bound.
 
A rope expert questions whether or not it`s even possible to have done this. So, check it out. Don`t go away. I`m not going anywhere.
 
Stay with us.
 
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
 
PINSKY: All right. Dina Shacknai and her attorney, Angela Hallier.

Angela, I want to thank you for bringing Dina in here with us tonight, Angela.
 
And, Dina, I don`t understand -- first of all, thank you for being so courageous and sharing this story. I don`t understand how the appeal of a mom on the level you`re appealing can`t be met by some sort of satisfaction by the San Diego Police.
 
Don`t you think, Angela?

HALLIER: Oh, yes, and it is not just the appeal, it`s the science. I mean, that`s really what we relied on. I hope that`s what they rely on is the science we gave them.

PINSKY: And, Dina, you just let out a big sigh. Did you want to say something?

SHACKNAI: I absolutely agree. And I agree with your sentiment and I hope and I really think that they will do the right thing. I believe that they will and I believe that Max deserves justice.

PINSKY: OK. This block is rather short.

I want to get some calls.
 
Pete in Pennsylvania -- Pete.
 
PETE, CALLER FROM PENNSYLVANIA: Yes, Dr. Drew. I got two questions. Number one, did he find out what happened to Max, how he died?

PINSKY: He had a head injury and the head injury was massive and he eventually died of brain death.

PETE: Do they know how he fell from this --

PINSKY: Well, if you guys want to -- my control room wants to please show the cartoon again. This is the part that`s in sort of contention.
 
And, Dina, I will let you sort of address -- no, not the staircase, here it is, this thing. This is the police rendition of what happened. What do you think happened?

SHACKNAI: Well, according to doctors, Bove and Melinek, Max was assaulted, there was an assault scenario at the top of the --

PINSKY: So, somebody assaulted him. Somebody assaulted him and threw him over the rail? Is that what we are saying?

SHACKNAI: And given the planes of injury on his body, the face you can the back, the neck, the eye, the top of the head as well as the front over the front eye, so that along with the skull fracture and the cerebral contusion, which is eventually what led to his death.

So, yes, so somebody -- there was some force or movement that moved him over the railing on the top of his head.
 
PINSKY: OK. Well, ladies, thank you for joining us. We will keep appraised of your progress.
 
I have Ann Bremner up next to talk on behalf of the family of your ex- husband`s girlfriend who died as a part of this whole mystery.

But, Dina, I`m not going to soon forget this conversation. It`s just gut-wrenching, this entire experience. So many of our -- I guarantee you tonight, many people`s thoughts are with you.
 
SHACKNAI: Thank you for your care and attention to max and to listening to his story.
 
PINSKY: OK. Listen, we will be following this -- what we are calling this Coronado mansion mystery as it develops. More calls, Anne Bremner, after the break.
 
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
 
PINSKY: Now, the Coronado mansion mystery continues. 6-year-old max was laying in a coma in an ICU. His father`s girlfriend, a couple days later, found hanging naked, her feet and hands bound in a way that was inconceivable for her to have done -- two deaths in two days in the same house.

Joining me now is Rebecca Zahau`s, that is Dina`s ex-husband`s girlfriend, Rebecca Zahau`s attorney, and she`s also the house family attorney, Anne Bremner.
 
Anne, you and I talked about this over the last year. I`m very concerned something untoward happened to Rebecca. Now, Max`s demise was thrown into question.

Do you feel both these cases should be reopened and why?
 
ANNE BREMNER: Yes. And I wanted to thank you again, Dr. Drew, on behalf of the family for how much attention you have devoted to this case. And yes, I think they both need to be reopened.
 
You know what? We have asked for both to be reopened. We have been to the San Diego Sheriff`s Department. We have been to the D.A. And now, we are in front of the A.G. asking to have Max`s case reopened and Rebecca`s. And I think both, there`s serious question on both of these cases.

We`re not saying that Max`s case is a homicide. But we are saying that Rebecca`s a not a suicide. If you look at one, you look at both. And I think -- you know, all the things been through when we talked about before that women don`t kill themselves this way, the rope expert that you had.
 
Of course, she would have been like a Cirque de Soleil artist, you know, to kill herself in this manner. Dr. Cyril Wecht did an independent autopsy and found lividity, remember?
 
PINSKY: Yes.
 
BREMNER: It`s on your show actually.
 
PINSKY: And, Anne, I`m going to interrupt. Right, she had the signs of pooling of body fluids in the back even though she`d been hanging from her neck allegedly. And I don`t know if we have the footage of that rope expert I brought in, but he literally -- not only did he say it`d be impossible for her to have tied herself behind her back that she would have to have been a sailor in the 16th century -- this is the police -- this is the police version of it.
 
She literally would have had to have been a sailor in the 16th century on a schooner to know how to do that kind of rope work, as I understand, had never handled a rope, is that correct?
 
BREMNER: Exactly. Exactly. Such a wonderful job, Dr. Drew, on all of these things. Exactly. Just outrageous, you know, that all of these discrepancies were there and the case has yet to be reopened. It was closed after only seven weeks. And I know you paid a lot of attention to it and you still have with this case.
 
I do want to say one thing today to Dina and her family. There`s so much grief in this case to go around.
 
PINSKY: Yes.
 
BREMNER: But Becky`s family lost a daughter and a sister and it`s just heartbreaking. And I think when there`s questions like we have on both cases, let`s just see blue sky law, so to speak. Let`s look at these cases anew.
 
PINSKY: Well, yes. It just -- it would help this family complete their grieving. I know the Zahau family feel incomplete. They can`t close the chapter, at least, not to their own satisfaction.
 
Let me go to some calls. Let`s go to Cindy in California -- Cindy.
 
CINDY, CALIFORNIA: Yes, I`m here. Thank you, Dr. Drew.
 
PINSKY: Go ahead, Cindy.
 
CINDY: I just want to give my condolences to both Dina and also Rebecca`s family. My heart goes out to them. I had beloved sister who was my whole world, who was murdered when she was 34 years old. The shock, heartache, and loss never goes away for me. And it`s just very tragic. So, my heart goes out to everyone.
 
PINSKY: And Cindy, can you understand them from -- having been through an experience like that, of course, really hard for any of us to put ourselves in those shoes.
 
CINDY: It is.
 
PINSKY: But the need to have some sort of closure and questions answered. Can you appreciate that feeling?

CINDY: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. For both Max and Rebecca, I wanted to say with Max, the diagram of that child trying to get over a wall and grab a chandelier and fall like that just seems like an impossibility. And I did want to ask was the chandelier fingerprinted or DNA taken off of it to prove the child had grabbed it?
 
PINSKY: I don`t know if -- Ann is shaking her head no and the -- Dina`s attorney said they had tested under the fingernails but did not test -- they did not have any DNA result. Thank you for that call. Cassidy in Alabama -- Cassidy.
 
CASSIDY, ALABAMA: I have a couple of questions. My first question is, I heard nothing about the father. Is he a suspect in either homicide, supposedly homicide?
 
PINSKY: Well, yes. To call these homicides at this point is jumping the gun a little bit. And Anne, I`ll rephrase the question for you. I know you`re having trouble hearing Cassidy, which was --

BREMNER: Yes.
 
PINSKY: Where does the dad fit into this -- the story? Was he a suspect at one time?
 
BREMNER: Apparently, he was not. His name is Jonah Shacknai. He was cooperative through all of this. He had an alibi, and it was on video. They didn`t call anybody suspects in this case, Dr. Drew. They simply closed it out as a suicide, at least, with Rebecca, and then with Max, an accident. So, they never got to the point of using that type of terminology with anybody.
 
PINSKY: Because it was an accident and a suicide. Judy in Washington -- Judy.
 
BREMNER: Exactly.
 
JUDY, WASHINGTON: Yes. I was wondering about the teenage sister of the girlfriend that was also in the house at the time of Max`s fall, if she`s ever said anything or she was questioned or about what happened.
 
PINSKY: Yes. Judy, it`s a great question, because Anne, I got to be honest, I didn`t -- I didn`t pay attention. I didn`t know the teenaged sister was in the house at the time. What do we know about her?
 
BREMNER: You know, it was a little known fact, Dr. Drew, but she was there. She was in a bathroom taking a shower at the time of the fall and came out and helped to collect the glass and helped with Max. She`s the one that called 911. And you can hear Rebecca hysterically, you know, screaming and trying to perform CPR on Max at that time.
 
And she did give a statement to the police, and they even went to see her back east and spent time with the child specialist to make sure they got it right in terms of the interview.
 
PINSKY: And one of the things I think people may, Anne, find curious, something I said at the opening of this segment was that women do not hang themselves naked. Do you want to clarify why that`s the case?

BREMNER: Right. Well, it`s not only that, yes, they don`t -- part of it is just modesty. Women don`t do it. There`s never been a case ever in reported history of a woman hanging herself naked this way, bound, and gagged over the side of the railing, leaving no DNA, of course, on the railing either.
 
And part of this was cultural, too, in terms of what the experts have said. But, they agreed with me in Coronado and San Diego, the authorities, that they`ve never heard of any such a case as suicide ever before.
 
PINSKY: Yes. We`ve had lots of questions. I don`t understand the resistance to reopening. And you said, it`s in front of the attorney general now. And are you getting any traction there?
 
BREMNER: Yes.
 
PINSKY: OK, well --

BREMNER: We are getting traction. And I`m happy to say. And it`s been since the beginning of July that they`ve had it. They`ve had questions, have inquiries. And, I believe we`ll have a meeting with them as early as next week.
 
PINSKY: Great. We will keep in touch with you, Anne, to see how that goes. And next up -- and by the way, thank you for joining us -- the shooter in Sunday`s temple massacre is said to be a White supremacist. When we come back, I`m going to speak to a former skinhead who reveals his secret life inside that world of hate. Don`t go away.

[Puzzler]

New Claims Rebecca Zahau Murdered Jonah Shacknai's Son Are 'Preposterous,' Says Zahau's Sister
Aug 08, 2012

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/08/rebecca-zahau-sister-claims-murdered-max-shacknai-preposterous

(snip)  "Rebecca loved Max as if he was her own son. While our family shares the grief over Max's death, the thought that Rebecca would cause Max harm is preposterous. The California Attorney General is presently reviewing the file at our request. We urge the public and the media to wait for facts and to not be distracted by shiny press releases sent by public relations firms touting paid experts' speculation. We also urge those who caused Rebecca harm to turn themselves in to law enforcement. Only then can both families begin the healing process."  (snip)

[Puzzler]

New Claims Rebecca Zahau Murdered Jonah Shacknai's Son Are 'Preposterous,' Says Zahau's Sister
Aug 08, 2012

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/08/rebecca-zahau-sister-claims-murdered-max-shacknai-preposterous

(snip)  "Rebecca loved Max as if he was her own son. While our family shares the grief over Max's death, the thought that Rebecca would cause Max harm is preposterous. The California Attorney General is presently reviewing the file at our request. We urge the public and the media to wait for facts and to not be distracted by shiny press releases sent by public relations firms touting paid experts' speculation. We also urge those who caused Rebecca harm to turn themselves in to law enforcement. Only then can both families begin the healing process."  (snip)

another snip:

As previously reported, Jonah Shacknai was dating Rebecca Zahau, who was found nude and hanging from a balcony at the Medicis CEO's mansion in Coronado, a wealthy suburb of San Diego, just two days after young Max Shacknai was found unconscious at his father's house. Max later died from his injuries. The San Diego Medical Examiner determined that Max's death was accidental, and the San Diego Sheriff's Department concluded that Rebecca's death was a suicide, something her family vehemently disputes.

[Puzzler]

8/13/2012

Atty on mansion death: 'Time to re-open this'
Here's a link to Dr. Meleniek's portion of tonight's interview on Dr. Drew with Dina Sacknai:

http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/08/13/atty-mansion-death-time-reopen

[Puzzler]

Link to transcripts of Dr. Drew's show on 8.13.2012 - interview with Dina and expert Dr. Meleniek

Mansion Death Accident or Murder?

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1208/13/ddhln.01.html

[Puzzler]

 Re: Rebecca Zahau Found Dead at Historic Mansion 7/13/11 #2
 by Alessandra_Deux Today at 1:28 am

Dina Shacknai seeks answers in son's death



By Jennifer Thomas
GMAZ interview by Kaley O'Kelley
Posted on August 14, 2012 at 9:15 AM
Updated yesterday at 9:20 AM

PHOENIX -- Just more than a year ago, Dina Shacknai's son, Max, died after falling down the stairs in his father's California home.

Max Shacknai was just 6 years old.

The case was ruled an accident, but his mother thinks there's more to it.

Shacknai talks about her quest for answers.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/mobile/Dina-Shacknai-seeks-answers-in-sons-death-166125956.html.

[Puzzler]

http://www.phoenixmag.com/lifestyle/valley-news/201208/boy--interrupted-full-version/

Boy, Interrupted
Phoenix Magazine
Issue: August, 2012, page 124

A year after the much-publicized Coronado mansion deaths, Dina Shacknai – mother of 6-year-old Max Shacknai – talks for the first time about the tragedy and her efforts to create a legacy for her only child. (snip)

[Nut44x4]

interesting...

[Sister]

Yes, very interesting.

[Puzzler]

*AB needs to clarify if it is actually Mon the 10th or Tues the 11th. New season for Dr. Phil begins Sept. 10th*

http://www.drphil.com/

FACEBOOK-

Anne Bremner
 

The Zahau family and I will be on the Dr Phil Show Monday, September 11. The AG is still considering our request for an independent investigation. Thank you all so much for your support.

https://www.facebook.com/AnneMBremner

[Puzzler]

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/2012/09/03/20120903b-deal-buy-scottsdale-based-medicis.html


Scottsdale-based Medicis being sold for $2.6 billion
Sept. 3, 2012

A Canadian pharmaceutical company on Monday said it has agreed to purchase Scottsdale-based Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. in a $2.6 billion deal.

Montreal-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals International would purchase Medicis for $44 a share in an acquisition that represents a 39 percent premium over Medicis' closing price of $31.56 on Friday.

The boards of both companies have approved the deal. If shareholders approve the merger and other regulatory requirements are met, the deal could close by mid-2013.
(snip)

[Puzzler]

http://10newsblogs.com/pdf/shacknai_response_release_091012.pdf


Despite New Expert Reports Brought Forth by Boy’s Mother, Coronado Police
Department Will Not Reopen Investigation into Max Shacknai’s Death
Dina Shacknai Vows to Find Justice for her Son

Scottsdale, Ariz. (September 10, 2012) – The Coronado Police Department (COPD) has
refused to reopen the investigation into the death of six-year-old Maxfield Shacknai who died
tragically on July 16, 2011 after allegedly falling over a second-story stairway railing inside his
father Jonah Shacknai’s Coronado mansion. The decision comes after the boy’s mother, Dina
Shacknai, presented the COPD with reports from independent experts refuting the department’s
accidental death ruling.

“In light of the evidence we provided, it is shocking that the Coronado Police Department has
refused to reopen the case,” said Dina Shacknai. “As a mother, I will leave no stone unturned
and I am prepared to do whatever it takes to pursue justice and find the truth behind my son’s
death, however long that may take. We presented scientific evidence and legitimate science
does not lie. It is more than disappointing that despite the depth and detail of the evidence we
presented, the system has failed us and it has failed Max. I just hope we can make a meaningful
difference in many other children’s lives through our experience and through the recent creation
of Maxie’s H.O.U.S.E.”  (snip)

[Puzzler]

http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/09/06/4241669/law-office-of-brodsky-smith-llc.html

Law Office of Brodsky & Smith, LLC Announces Investigation of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation
September 6, 2012

BALA CYNWYD, Pa. — Law office of Brodsky & Smith, LLC announces that it is investigating potential claims against the Board of Directors of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation (“Medicis” or the “Company”) (NYSE:MRX) relating to the proposed acquisition by Valeant Pharmaceutical. (“Valeant”).

Under the terms of the transaction, Medicis shareholders will receive only $44.00 in cash for each share of Medicis stock they own. The investigation concerns possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law by the Board of Directors of Medicis for not acting in the Company’s shareholders' best interests in connection with the sale process to Valeant. The transaction may undervalue the Company as an analyst has set a price target for Medicis stock at $45.00 per share.  (snip)

[Puzzler]

http://coronado.patch.com/articles/dr-phil-re-visits-spreckels-case-zahau-shacknai#photo-10650785


Dr. Phil Re-Visits Spreckels Case
The talk-show host, who focused on the case last year, has taped a new episode featuring visits from the Zahau and Shacknai families.
September 10, 2012

The Spreckels case soon will have a second go-round on the Dr. Phil show, after Monday's taping, in which the host conducted interviews with Rebecca Zahau's family and the mother of Max Shacknai, the boy who suffered fatal injuries at the home.

Dr. Phil McGraw hosted Zahau's sister for a two-part show in November that included the results of a second autopsy on Zahau's remains.

This time Zahau's loved ones will be joined by Dina Shacknai, according to CBS8, which airs Dr. Phil's show.  (snip)

No air date has been set for the new Spreckels-focused show.

[Puzzler]

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1209/10/ddhln.01.html

DR. DREW - Show transcript

Aired September 10, 2012

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(Snip)
Now, you`ve seen Dina Shacknai on our show pleading for police to reinvestigate the death of her six-year-old son Max. He died at his father`s Coronado mansion. Dina is back with an exclusive update after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DR. DREW: Dina Shacknai`s son Max died tragically after a fall at his father`s Coronado mansion. Dina is back with us with her attorney with an exclusive update. Before you say so, I would say you seem emotionally spent today. So do the best you can. Whatever you`ve got to tell us, we`re here to support you.

DINA SHACKNAI, SON DIED AT CORONADO MANSION: Thank you. Well, we`ve heard from the Coronado police department. They have elected not to reopen Max`s investigation.

DR. DREW: Did they acknowledge all the investigation and the forensic work you guys had done? Did they look at it even? Angela`s shaking her head no.

ANGELA HALLIER, ATTORNEY FOR DINA SHACKNAI: What we learned was as you know we had a biomechanical engineer and a medical examiner --

DR. DREW: Last time they were here they reviewed for us all this tremendous forensic work that suggested that this was not an accident or there were lots of missing pieces. And I`d hoped they`d look at that.

HALLIER: They did not have their biomechanical expert they contracted with when they did their initial investigation even look at our biomechanical engineer`s report, which played a critical part in the analysis. So they had no biomechanical expert on their team review our biomechanical work.

DR. DREW: I watched this one`s body react to that statement. She was literally like --

HALLIER: Right.

DR. DREW: You`re pissed.

SHACKNAI: I was shocked.

DR. DREW: Shocked, yes.

SHACKNAI: I couldn`t imagine that -- when we were debriefed by Dr. Jonathan Lucas about Max`s death, he cited Dr. Gomez`s report as the linchpin for his report on death. So for them not to even -- so for me not to -- for them not to include their own expert in a re-evaluation didn`t make any sense. They said that Dr. Lucas and the medical examiners round tabled this but there`s no one who is an expert.

DR. DREW: I`m going to ask you to dig deep. Mom, what have they done to you?

SHACKNAI: Well, I think that they made a commitment to -- I feel a disingenuous act and they really encourage us to present our information, fly our experts in and they would listen. There was nothing. We got a three line letter without even an explanation. With me they dismissed the importance of a life and their own accountability to citizens.

DR. DREW: As Max`s mom did you expect a phone call or something? I mean, they`re not heartless, I`m not accusing them of anything. But it`s like they`re saying move along.

SHACKNAI: That`s what it is. Saying thank you very much but we`re sticking with what we think in the first place. After nine months and after Max`s death and going through this every day to find out what happened to him, it was a three-line letter and a phone call from the commander --

DR. DREW: You did get a phone call?

SHACKNAI: I called him. I called him.

DR. DREW: And how`d that go?

SHACKNAI: Well, it was a long phone call. Because I was pretty upset about it. I learned on the phone call Dr. Gomez was not included. I also learned that the diagram -- I think you`ve seen that -- of that figure, that tall figure was prepared by somebody at the San Diego district attorney`s office. Prepared the independent expert`s work. Why? and the inaccuracies of the diagram are striking. The person is eight inches taller than Max.

DR. DREW: What do you want people viewing out there to know about what you`re going through?

SHACKNAI: I want people to know to please -- I want them to please contact their -- the sheriff`s department. Think about it in terms of this can happen to anyone.

DR. DREW: So this is as a mom you`re appealing to other moms.

SHACKNAI: To other moms, other dads. I`m saying this can happen to anyone. And none of us are immune. And we cannot ignore it.

DR. DREW: And you`re squeezing my hand very firmly, which I`m encouraging but is that anger or is that holding back emotion? What is that?

SHACKNAI: It`s frustration. And it`s incredulous they would dismiss it.

DR. DREW: It`s anger.

SHACKNAI: I`m angry and I`m frustrated and demoralized. I believed in a system, a system that failed me and failed max.

DR. DREW: Okay. Listen, I have to take a quick break. We`re going to take calls on this and we`ll hear more on this story. And how -- the topic today has been about kids and divorces and this is part of that story. I mean, your story is that too. And how to move on when there`s been a tragedy and you`re sharing custody of a child that things go poorly for. We`ll talk more about that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DR. DREW: We have been discussing all show divorces and children caught in the crossfire. Now we`ve got Dina Shacknai`s tragic story. Joining us, TV`s divorce court judge Lynn Toler and Ramani Durvasula.

I`m so story about your loss. It`s nothing we can get our heads around. You have to remourn these losses. Does this get in the process of moving forward? Getting lost in the forensic data and details, how do you move forward from this? How do you move on? How are you going to do that?

SHACKNAI: That`s a great question. I think that it`s so important because Max will never come back.

DR. DREW: Right.

SHACKNAI: But through this, other children can be saved. And so with Maxy`s House, we are creating safety programs for children not only in Arizona but throughout the United States. So parents can proactively consider a safety plan for their child that can go along with a joint custody agreement. So we are creating some web interactive programs that it will be applicable in each state so parents don`t have to wait until after the fact. So that`s one of the things. And I know that Max would want -- if he were here he`d say mommy make sure you do the best you can to make sure this doesn`t happen to other kids.

DR. DREW: The other question is you`re doing so much for Max`s memory and you`re doing with so many difficult institutions. My concern is you taking care of you and being able to move forward. Again, you`re having to mourn multiple losses especially with how this investigation is ending now. That`s my concern for you. I know you are very wise and you know all of this better than just about anyone. But I want you to move forward from this. It`s been so many losses. You need to take care of you at this point.

SHACKNAI: I agree. I agree and I want to say that I think everybody has to look at themselves in the mirror every night and live are themselves. You have to make a choice about what you can live with. And you can either say I can go forward and I can help other kids. Or you say and for me, i`ve thought about it every -- so many moments. For me I couldn`t just step back and say I`m not going to think about this anymore. That I wouldn`t be able to live with.

DR. DREW: Judge Toler, I wanted to know your thoughts as well. I`m running out of time for this block, but your thoughts?

TOLER: I think that Ramani is right about the system. It`s a good one but it`s return by fallible people. It doesn`t make it right, but to have positive efforts towards helping people so they don`t have to get into it or having the positive plans is a good way to focus your energy when you can`t fix what you`re in.

DR: DREW: I have time to slip a call in here from Tammy from Tennessee. Tammy?

TAMMY, CALLER: Yes, Dr. Drew.

DR. DREW: Yes ma`am.

TAMMY: I was wondering is the investigation where she said that it was the bio --

DR. DREW: Biomechanical expert.

TAMMY: Right. Why can`t they do that?

DR. DREW: Right.

TAMMY: Actually do it?

DR. DREW: That`s the question we all sort of shake our heads and wonder. I mean, why not do something really careful with this? And Angela, you`re the attorney in this. Are you going to push on this?

HALLIER: Push with him or other ways? There`s other ways to go.

DR. DREW: Fair enough. I have a break here. Your calls up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DR. DREW: Want to thank my excellent panel. It`s been a show where we`ve been discussing divorces, its consequences, getting tangled with exes, and the Shacknai story is an example of that. I`m anxious to hear what comes next. I know my viewers will watch carefully. We`re going to take a couple more calls. Jeannie in Michigan.

JEANNIE, CALLER: How are you?

DR. DREW: I`m great.

JEANNIE: I really want to tell Miss Shacknai how sorry I am. I`ve followed this case from the beginning. My heart goes out to her. I wonder how can they expect someone from this tragedy to move on so quickly? my husband passed away and he was not my child, but it took me a whole year just to realize he wasn`t coming home. And I have a son who happens to be a neurosurgeon patient. When I was reading about accidents I could picture being there. It is a horrible thing to go through. There are many times children have died. How can she move on quickly? can she go to the supreme court with this or higher court?

DR. DREW: I knew that`s how my viewers were thinking. Go further. Where do you go?

HALLIER: There`s other agencies that we can ask to review this. Because this wasn`t a court decision, there`s not an appellate process available, but there`s also a public interest, public pressure, political pressure and changing the laws in the future. So things like this doesn`t happen.

DR. DREW: Thank you for that call. Up next, who do I have up there? I don`t see a name yet. Kathryn, what do you got for me? Kathryn, are you there?

KATHRYN, CALLER: Yes.

DR. DREW: What you got?

KATHRYN: I`m wondering if Rebecca Zahau`s minor sister who was also in the house with Max and playing with him supposedly has been investigated for the death of Max.

DR. DREW: Would you like to address that?

HALLIER: From what we can tell, the police department never looked at this as a possible homicide. All their investigation was focused on was it being an accident and how the accident happened. She was interviewed. We`ve seen the transcript, but it does not appear she was interviewed with an eye towards someone did something to max.

DR. DREW: Lynn, you`re the one sort of off the set for us today. Do you have any final thoughts for us?

RALPH: I just want to point out something that her attorney said. You know, the great shadow power in the world is prosecutorial discretion. Whether or not we`re going to prove something. And I think people should be aware of through this case that that is very important. And public pressure and stuff does change that. And prosecutors and charging agencies have a lot of power. People should be knowledgeable about that.

DR. DREW: Very interesting. Guys, thank you. Thank you to Judge Toler. Thank you Ramani for joining me. Thank you ladies for keeping us updated. You see the interest people have for this. A note about tomorrow now. I am bringing back the special guest we had before. Her name is Liz Cy Velazquez. Internet bullies called her the ugliest woman in the world. She wants people to tweet what`s the horrible thing done with you. This woman brushes that all off. We`re going to talk about body image, how people get through this kind of bullying. Call us tomorrow. Thanks for watching. Nancy Grace is next.

END