The call came on the morning of July 13, 2011, from the historic Spreckels Mansion, a lavish beachfront property in Coronado, California, owned by pharmaceutical tycoon and multimillionaire Jonah Shacknai. When authorities arrived, they found the naked body of Jonah's girlfriend, Rebecca Zahau, gagged, her ankles tied and her wrists bound behind her. Jonah's brother, Adam, claimed to have found Rebecca hanging by a rope from the second-floor balcony. On a bedroom door in black paint were the cryptic words: SHE SAVED HIM CAN YOU SAVE HER.
Was this scrawled message a suicide note or a killer's taunt? Rebecca's death came two days after Jonah's six-year-old son, Max, took a devastating fall while in Rebecca's care. Authorities deemed Rebecca's death a suicide resulting from her guilt. But who would stage either a suicide or a murder in such a bizarre, elaborate way?
Award-winning investigative journalist Caitlin Rother weaves stunning new details into a personal yet objective examination of the sensational case. As compelling as it is troubling, this controversial real-life mystery is a classic American tragedy that evokes the same haunting fascination as the JonBenet Ramsey and O.J. Simpson cases.
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"This book explores the mysterious death of Rebecca Zahau, who was found hanging from a second-story balcony of her multimillionaire boyfriend's Coronado, CA mansion in 2011. She was naked and gagged, with her ankles tied and hands bound behind her. The death was called a suicide, but there's a lot more to the story...
When authorities arrived, they found the naked body of Rebecca Zahau gagged with her ankles tied and her wrists bound behind her. The home owner's brother claimed to have found Rebecca hanging by a rope from the second-floor balcony. Rebecca's death came two days after Jonah's young son, Max, fell from a staircase while in Rebecca's care. Authorities deemed Rebecca's death a suicide resulting from her guilt, but, was it? "
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Julie (5 out of 5 stars)