Rebecca Zahau Case: Mystery Surrounds 2011 Balcony Death at Coronado Mansion

Rebecca Zahau was found dead in her boyfriend's home

On the morning of July 13, 2011, Rebecca Zahau, 32, was found hanging naked from the second-story balcony of her boyfriend’s mansion in Coronado, California. The disturbing discovery occurred just days after her boyfriend’s 6-year-old son, Max Shacknai, suffered a critical injury in a fall down the mansion’s staircase—an incident that later proved fatal.

Zahau, a certified ophthalmic technician from Arizona, had been in a relationship with pharmaceutical executive Jonah Shacknai. At the time of Max’s accident, Rebecca was the only adult present in the 27-room Spreckels Mansion, an opulent Italian Renaissance estate that Jonah used as a summer residence. Max died four days later, on July 17, from injuries sustained in the fall.

Rebecca’s body was discovered by Jonah’s brother, Adam Shacknai, who was staying in the guesthouse after arriving in California following Max’s accident. He told authorities he found Rebecca bound—her hands and feet tied—and gagged, hanging from a balcony. He claimed to have cut her down before calling 911.

Authorities later revealed that Zahau had received a voicemail informing her of Max’s worsening condition just hours before her death. A cryptic message was found painted on a guest room door: "She saved him can he save her."

Rebecca Zahau and Jonah Shacknai

Initially suspected to be a homicide, the case took a surprising turn when the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department ruled Zahau’s death a suicide. Investigators presented evidence including Zahau’s fingerprints on a knife used to cut the rope, toe prints on the balcony floor, and a reenactment video theorizing how she could have tied her own limbs and hanged herself. Authorities speculated that Zahau was overwhelmed with guilt over Max’s accident.

Despite the official ruling, Zahau’s family fiercely disputed the conclusion. Her mother and sister filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging that Adam Shacknai was involved in her death. They claimed he sexually assaulted and murdered her, then staged the scene to resemble a suicide.

In 2018, a civil jury in San Diego found Adam Shacknai liable for Rebecca Zahau’s death, awarding her family $5 million in damages. Adam, who maintained his innocence throughout, expressed shock at the verdict. The Zahau family’s attorney argued the case was one of assault and murder, not suicide.

The high-profile case, which unfolded in the exclusive community of Coronado across the bay from downtown San Diego, remains one of California’s most perplexing and controversial death investigations. It has since been the subject of books, documentaries, and widespread online speculation.