Death on Ocean Boulevard: Inside the Coronado Mansion Case

“[This] is one of the great crime mysteries of modern times. It
took an author of Caitlin Rother’s caliber to bring it into sharp
focus. A riveting read.”
—Gregg Olsen, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“I got a girl, hung herself in the guest house.”

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 ora 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. She explores its many layers—including the
civil suit in which a jury found Adam Shacknai responsible for
Rebecca’s death, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
bombshell decision to reconfirm its original findings. 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.

“Rother’s meticulous journalism shines through in this
authoritative account of the Rebecca Zahau death incident. If you
think you know this case, think again. And read this book.”
—Katherine Ramsland, professor of forensic psychology and author of
The Psychology of Death Investigations


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