Coronado Murder House: The Deaths, Trial, and Settlement

The “Coronado murder house” is the Spreckels Mansion at 1043 Ocean Boulevard in Coronado, California, where two people connected to pharmaceutical executive Jonah Shacknai died within days of each other in July 2011. Six-year-old Max Shacknai fell over an interior staircase railing on July 11 and died five days later; his father’s girlfriend, Rebecca Zahau, was found hanging naked and bound from a second-story balcony on July 13. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department ruled Max’s death an accident and Zahau’s a suicide. A civil jury later found Jonah’s brother Adam Shacknai responsible for Zahau’s death, but that judgment was vacated in a settlement, no one has ever been criminally charged, and the sheriff’s rulings still stand.

The House and Who Was There

The mansion was designed by architect Harrison Albright in 1908 for sugar magnate John D. Spreckels. It has 27 rooms across roughly 19,000 square feet on three beachfront lots, with a main house, a guest house added in 1928, apartments over a four-car garage, an enclosed courtyard, and a pool.¹ It was declared a historic resource in 2008.²

In 2011 the estate was a $13 million summer home owned by Jonah Shacknai, then 54, chairman and CEO of Scottsdale-based Medicis Pharmaceutical.³² His girlfriend Rebecca Zahau, 32, had recently left her job as an ophthalmic technician in the Phoenix area to spend more time with him and his family.

Max Shacknai’s Fall

On July 11, 2011, Max Shacknai was in Zahau’s care along with her 13-year-old sister Xena. Zahau was in a downstairs bathroom and Xena was showering when Zahau heard a loud noise and found Max at the foot of the stairs, seriously injured, with a scooter on his leg, soccer balls scattered nearby, and a chandelier on the ground.⁴ He had struck the carpeted floor face-first and fractured his forehead. Paramedics found him without a pulse.⁵ Max died on July 16 at Rady Children’s Hospital from brain damage, spinal cord injuries, and facial fractures.

The Coronado Police Department classified the fall as a tragic accident, with investigators theorizing Max may have tripped on his Razor scooter, a ball, or the family dog. Sheriff Bill Gore said publicly the death was not the result of criminal conduct. Max’s mother, Dina Shacknai, later hired forensic pathologist Dr. Judy Melinek, who in 2012 concluded it would be “more accurate to certify that manner as a homicide,” theorizing an assault near the second-floor bannister and disputing Zahau’s account that Max spoke before losing consciousness.⁴ Max’s death remains officially classified as an accident.

How Rebecca Zahau Was Found

Two days after Max’s fall, and while he was still hospitalized, Adam Shacknai — Jonah’s younger brother, a tugboat pilot from Memphis staying in the guest house — said he discovered Zahau at about 6:45 a.m. on July 13, 2011, hanging from the balcony outside her room. He told investigators he cut her down, performed chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and called 911.⁶

Zahau was nude, her feet bound, her wrists tied behind her back with red polypropylene rope, and the rope’s other end tied to a bed inside her room.⁷ A T-shirt was stuffed in her mouth. On a door inside the room, someone had painted “She saved him can you save her” in black block lettering.⁸ A copy of “Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft,” which contained illustrations of a naked woman with her hands bound behind her back, was in the room.⁶

Why the Sheriff Called It Suicide

After a months-long investigation, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department concluded Zahau took her own life. The department’s theory was that she was consumed with remorse after learning from a voicemail that Max was in grave condition, and that she bound her own hands and feet, placed a noose over her head, and went over the railing.⁷

Investigators said only Zahau’s fingerprints and DNA were found at the scene, and that only her footprints appeared on the balcony alongside a boot print left by a responding detective.⁷⁶⁹

Why the Family Rejected the Ruling

The Zahau family arranged a second autopsy in Pittsburgh in October 2011 by forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht. He identified four hemorrhages on the right side of Zahau’s scalp that he attributed to blunt force trauma, a fractured band of neck cartilage and injuries he said were consistent with manual strangulation rather than suicidal hanging, and a bruise between the ribcage that he considered evidence of a struggle.¹⁰

The family’s attorney, C. Keith Greer, pointed out that although Adam Shacknai said he performed chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth on Zahau, none of his DNA or fingerprints were recovered at the scene. A handwriting expert Greer hired said the painted message showed similarities to Adam’s handwriting; the defense rejected that comparison as unreliable.⁷ The California Attorney General’s Office and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department both declined the family’s requests to reopen the case.¹¹

The 2018 Civil Trial

In July 2013, Zahau’s mother Pari Zahau and her sister filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Adam Shacknai in San Diego Superior Court, alleging that after Max’s fall he confronted Zahau, struck her on the head, sexually assaulted her, strangled her, and staged the hanging.¹²¹³ Dina Shacknai and her sister Nina Romano had also been named, but hospital security footage placed Dina inside Rady Children’s at the time of Zahau’s death and both were dropped from the case.¹⁴

Trial began in March 2018. Forensic knot analyst Lindsey Philpott testified he believed Zahau had originally been hogtied, with ankle ropes connected to wrist ropes that were found disconnected at collection, and noted the wrist bindings were loose enough for authorities to slip off intact without cutting them. He identified the knots as common nautical overhand and clove hitches.¹⁵ Greer’s team argued analysis suggested the painted door message was written by someone between 5-foot-10 and 6 feet tall; Adam Shacknai is 5-foot-11, while Zahau was between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-4. Only Zahau’s prints appeared on the paint tube (on the cap), doorknobs appeared wiped, and clothing she wore in the last known photo of her alive was never found.¹⁶

The defense, led by attorney Dan Webb, called the sheriff’s investigation thorough and correct, stressed the absence of Adam Shacknai’s DNA or fingerprints at the scene, and prepared to argue that Zahau’s behavior before her death showed risk factors consistent with suicide.¹⁶ Jonah Shacknai testified it was “inconceivable” his brother killed his girlfriend.¹⁷

On April 5, 2018, a 9-3 civil jury found Adam Shacknai responsible for Zahau’s death and awarded the family about $5.167 million: $5 million in punitive damages for loss of love and companionship, plus $167,000 for loss of financial support to Pari Zahau.⁶

The Settlement That Vacated the Judgment

Adam Shacknai moved to appeal and seek a retrial. Before the appeal was decided, his insurance company reached a settlement with the family on undisclosed terms. The civil case was dismissed with prejudice and the judgment vacated, meaning Shacknai never paid the $5 million.¹⁸ The presiding judge said the jury verdict would remain on the record; Shacknai’s attorney argued it no longer carried legal standing.¹² Shacknai has consistently called the suit a “hoax” and an “extortion attempt” and maintained his belief that Zahau killed herself out of guilt over Max.¹⁷

Official Re-Examinations After the Verdict

Sheriff Bill Gore ordered a review in April 2018 using four homicide investigators with no prior involvement. In December 2018, the Sheriff’s Department, Coronado Police, and the county Medical Examiner’s office jointly announced they had found “no evidence that would lead us to believe that Rebecca Zahau died at the hands of another person,” citing the absence of DNA or fingerprint evidence linking Adam Shacknai to the scene.¹² Greer called the review “a sham”; Gore denied receiving campaign contributions from Jonah Shacknai.¹⁹

In October 2022, Greer filed a 204-page petition with the Medical Examiner’s office to change the manner of death, drawing on the 2018 trial record and thirteen points of forensic evidence, including testimony from a forensic kinesiologist that Zahau’s injuries and physical constraints were inconsistent with suicide involving a nine-foot fall. In a letter dated September 11, 2023, Chief Medical Examiner Steven Campman wrote: “After reviewing the totality of the evidence, the conclusion of this office has not changed.” County officials described the petition as reinterpreting existing evidence rather than presenting new evidence.²⁰

Where the Case Stands Now

As of 2025, the investigation remains closed. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office has said there is “no new information” to warrant reopening it, and Adam Shacknai has never been criminally charged.²¹

In March 2025, Rebecca’s sister Mary Zahau-Loehner published “Unraveling the Knots,” arguing the original investigation was mishandled and pointing to a partial male fingerprint she says was never adequately investigated, a dryer sheet in the room that was never collected, and errors in the sheriff’s video re-creation of the knots. She has said the family’s goals are changing the manner of death to “undetermined” or “murder” and obtaining an independent investigation by the FBI or another outside agency.²² Greer continues to offer a $100,000 reward for information leading to Adam Shacknai’s arrest and conviction.²³

What Happened to the Mansion

Jonah Shacknai vacated the property and sold it to investors in late 2011; the buyers said they were mindful of the damage to the home’s reputation.² The house cycled on and off the market for years, listed between $14.5 million and $17.5 million and offered as a monthly rental for as much as $80,000 in 2020, before selling for $11 million in March 2020. Successive owners added security walls and gates, planted and later removed palm trees, and repainted the exterior, changing the look of the estate significantly from its 2011 appearance.²⁴

1
NBC San Diego. Spreckels Mansion Has Been Listed for Sale Again
2
Patch. Spreckels Mansion Has Been Sold
3
Los Angeles Times. Jonah Shacknai Profile
4
Oxygen. Tragic Accident: Max Shacknai
5
NBC News. Mom Asks to Reopen Case of Son’s Mansion Death
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ABC News. Jury Awards Rebecca Zahau Family $5 Million
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ABC News. Where This Bizarre Case Stands Today
8
ABC News. What Police Found at the Scene
9
NBC San Diego. Adam Shacknai Reacts to Spreckels Mansion Civil Verdict
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San Diego Union-Tribune. Well-Known Pathologist Testifies That Zahau Was Strangled
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NBC San Diego. Zahau Family Requests Independent Investigation
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10News. Rebecca Zahau Case Settlement Reached, Civil Case Dismissed
13
Los Angeles Times. Zahau Closing Trial
14
NBC San Diego. Security Video Clears Dina Shacknai
15
San Diego Union-Tribune. Expert Mariner Shows How Knots Tied on Rebecca Zahau
16
NBC San Diego. Opening Statements in Rebecca Zahau Mansion Mystery
17
Newsweek. Who Is Adam Shacknai
18
Fox 5 San Diego. Settlement Reached in Civil Case Against Shacknai
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NBC San Diego. Sheriff’s Department Stands by Zahau Suicide Ruling
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Caitlin Rother. San Diego County Medical Examiner Denies Petition to Amend Zahau Death Certificate
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Fox 5 San Diego. Rebecca Zahau Case Revisited After 14 Years
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Fox 5 San Diego. Rebecca Zahau Book San Diego
23
WREG. Reward Offered for Memphis Tugboat Pilot in California Woman’s Death
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Caitlin Rother. Spreckels Mansion Makeover Update