and what would you say to heather? if i could talk to her right now? if that little sliver of hope is still out there. i'm going to bring you home. somehow, some way, i'm bringing you home. we've said it every time. we're not giving up. never going to give up. it doesn't matter what it takes. everything else takes a backseat. it really does. life does not go on. people around you, life goes on. but you're still stuck. you're holding on to the hope. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm andrea canning. thank you for watching. hello, i am andrea canning, and this is dateline.

>> i know my sister would have fought. we used to tell each other that if anybody ever tried to hurt us, that we would do everything we can to leave something behind so the other one could figure it out. i believe that she was murdered. >> this is a very bizarre death. >> it was baffling from the start. a young woman dead at her billionaire boyfriend's mansion. >> my heart started racing. >> detectives ruled it a suicide, but was it? at the scene, knives, ropes, a cryptic phrase. >> her hands were tied, her feet were tied, she was naked. >> that wasn't the only suspicious death here. >> know mom wants to hear, your son was a victim of homicide. >> what really went on in that

mansion. hear from the man at the center in his first television interview. >> i knew i had nothing to hide. >> the worst shock improbably my entire life. described their feeling of loss simply as surreal. >> hello, and welcome ieto dateline. victims families have often described their feeling of loss as simply surreal. and so it was for both the -- families. their tragedies were tangled into one riveting mystery that captivated the nation. at the center of the story, two puzzling deaths and lingering suspicions. the search for the truth would pit the families against each other in a battle sparking more questions than answers. here is josh mankiewicz with the mansion on ocean boulevard.

>> some places feel secluded, insulated, secure. >> i can rumor saying that and feeling that, saying nothing bad could ever happen here. >> here is coronado, california, just over a bridge from san diego. a town of beautiful beaches, people, and homes. like this one on ocean boulevard. except that in the summer of 2011, this mansion became ground zero for a mystery. >> this is a very bizarre death. there is no doubt about it. >> actually, there have been plenty of theories. >> my sister was dead, and a lot of things go through my mind? yes. >> secrets both suspected and imagined. >> is it possible other people know more than they are saying? yes.

>> it is certainly possible. beyond that, it is hard to say for sure, especially when it seems everyone has a story to tell, and those stories lead to accusations, often with zero proof. >> people believe what they want to believe with no evidence. >> paradise valley, arizona, was home for the shack my family. the seasons i spent in coronado were special. >> max love the beach. he loved the water, and he used to tell me on the way to coronado, i want to live here forever. we had an instant connection. it is very rare you meet someone like that. >> they married in 2001, a second marriage for jonah who is already a father of two. he had gotten rich owning a pharmaceutical company. she went back to school to get a phd in developmental psychology. >> and along came max. >> he's almost to the edge. oh, he did it!

how do you feel, max shacknai ? >> he was an active kid who loved sports and performing for his mother and her camera. and i said, well, let's just go by and look. during one of those summers in coronado, the mansion on ocean boulevard was on the market. >> i said, let's go by and look. >> they bought it in 2007, but soon there was trouble in paradise and a bitter divorce in 2009 when max was 4. they shared custody and worked to be civil, and it wasn't long before jonah met someone new. >> nancy told me about it and i said, well, maybe i should meet her, and he said, that would be great, mommy. rebecca zahau was born in myanmar. she had moved to the u.s. in her 20s. >> you are okay with her

spending time with max? >> well, max said he liked her. at that time, i had no concerns because i trusted that jonah, based on our history, max would be safe with her. >> and safe in coronado were nothing bad is supposed to happen. >> tell the operator what is going on. >> july 11, 2011, max was staying with his dad and rebecca. dena was in coronado, too. that's when jonah called her. >> he said you got to get here right away. >> as rebecca explained it to police, jonah had been at the gym. six-year-old max was home with her. rebecca said she heard a crash and found max on the floor near the staircase. the mansion's heavy chandelier had fallen to the floor next to him. rebecca said max wasn't breathing, and she started cpr. rebecca's 13-year-old sister was visiting, called 911.

>> my sisters trying to resuscitate a boy. i'm sorry, she can't breathe. >> police in california paramedics arrived within minutes. jonah called dina from the hospital. >> he told me thank god she was able to give him cpr. i'm thinking, thank god. he is going to be okay. >> max was unconscious. dina and jonah took every vigil at the hospital. jonah's brother, adam, flew in from his home in tennessee. >> you came out to support jonah. >> correct. >> how well did you know max? >> i knew max -- well, he was a really wonderful kid. >> at max's bedside, one of the doctors asked for his prognosis. >> dr. pierce looked at him and said, i don't know. i don't know if you want to walk or talk. >> but it wasn't real. i would have bet my life on it at that time that max was going

to be okay. >> there was more bad news on the way. >> what are you reporting? >> yeah, i got a girl -- hung herself in the guest house. >> what had happened in that house? police uncover some disturbing clues. >> coming up. >> the victims hands and feet were bound. >> i guarantee, my heart started racing. >> who was this victim? >> how old is she? >> 30. >> soon, detectives would be investigating not just one puzzling death here, but two. >> it was the worst shock in probably my entire life. >> when dateline continues. some things should stand the test of time. long lasting eylea hd could significantly improve your vision

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josh mankiewicz: the early morning hours of july 13, 2011-- as family members kept a vigil by the hospital bed of six-year-old max shacknai, a breathless man july 13, 2011. as family members kept a vigil by the hospital bed of six-year-old max shacknai , a breathless man called 911. >> 911 emergency. what are you reporting? >> yeah, i got a girl -- hung herself. >> police raced through the streets of quiet coronado island, and once again, their destination was the mansion on ocean boulevard. jonah's girlfriend, rebecca, was staying there. jonah's brother adam had spent the night in the guest house.

>> you wake up, you walk out -- tell me what you see. >> a woman hanging. at the time, i didn't necessarily think to myself, oh, my goodness, she is bound, or whatever. but just -- rebecca is hanging. >> naked, bound hand and foot, rebecca zahau was hanging on her neck from the second floor balcony. >> my heart started racing. this is actually happening. >> how old is she? 30? okay. when was the last time you saw her? >> last night. >> adam says he thought she was dead. >> you tried to do something? >> absolutely. it never even occurred to me that somebody would look at this as like, you know, a crime scene or something like that. i was the furthest thing from my mind. >> you cut her body down?

>> yeah. >> and? >> started cpr. >> to no avail? >> to no avail. >> when units arrived at the scene, they located a woman at the property appear to be deceased. >> her sister was hundreds of miles away in missouri, and her husband doug came to her work to bring her the awful news. >> i remember him saying, rebecca is gone. and i said, what do you mean? i just talked to her last night. >> in that phone call, rebecca told her sister about what happened to max. it was the same story she told police. >> she said she was in the bathroom and she heard a loud noise, a loud crash. and when she came out, max was there on the floor and the chandelier was closed to him and he was unconscious. >> how would you describe jonah?

>> that he was upset and it broke her heart to see him upset. >> they met when rebecca worked for an eye doctor and jonah was a patient. >> he came in for an appointment, and next thing you know they are going out? >> apparently, yes. >> you are making an expression that makes me think that you thought that wasn't a particularly good idea. >> i never approved of the relationship, if that is what you are asking. first of all, he is almost twice her age. >> her free-spirited sister fell for jonah anyway. >> today seen happy? do they seem in love? >> i think my sister was in love in her way. to her, she was somewhat in awe of him to a certain extent. >> mary says that while rebecca and max were close, rebecca gave the impression she didn't get along well with max's mom. and when max had his fall, mary said, rebecca worried how dina would react. >> she was upset about it, and she said, dina is going to kill

me. >> she said dina is going to kill me? >> that is correct. >> did you get any sense that she blamed herself for what had happened? >> she seemed stressed, but not inappropriately so. >> because everybody was stressed. >> i actually sympathize with her, and it's got to be tough on you. how terrible. >> soon, rebecca's death became national news, in large part because of details revealed by sheriff's investigators. >> the victims hands and feet were bound, and she was completely nude. it has yet to be determined if this will become a criminal matter or if it will remain as a death investigation. >> in other words, did rebecca hang herself? or with someone else involved? a neighbor reported hearing screams the night before. was that rebecca? >> there was a scream. did you hear that?

>> well, my windows were closed. i did not hear screaming. >> meanwhile at the hospital, dina says she was only focused on max. she kept watch by his bed , willing him to open his eyes. it was saturday, july 16, 2011, five days after max's fall. >> i noticed that his eeg was flat, and i thought -- i got the machine was broken. i am shaking the machine and thinking, it is not working. it's not functioning. and then i am saying, the eeg machine is not working. >> but it was working. six-year-old max was gone. and dina was devastated. >> i mean, it was the worst shock in probably my entire life. >> a mother in shock and in mourning, but also questioning how exactly he had max's fatal fall happened? others asked what led to rebecca's hanging?

the mystery at this mansion was only getting deeper. >> coming up. ropes, knives, a curious phrase at the scene. >> there was a message painted in black paint on the door leading to the room. >> with the sum, the most curious thing of all, the police theory of what really happened. >> this is a very unusual circumstance. >> we conducted an investigation to see if it is possible for a person to secure their hands behind their back. >> when dateline continues. ne

josh mankiewicz: in july, 2011, a private funeral was held for six-year-old max shacknai in arizona. just a few days later, rebecca zahau >> in july 2011, a private funeral was held for 6-year-old max shacknai in arizona. just a few days later, rebecca zahau was laid to rest in missouri. back in coronado, the mansion on ocean boulevard was a focused for overflowing numbers to both questions and rumors. >> there is roughly 200 years of experience in the sheriff's office unit. they all agree this is a very unusual circumstance. >> rebecca was found hanging naked, bound hand and foot. if it was suicide, it looked like a highly unusual one. and remember -- rebecca was in the house when max shacknai fell. >> right now, we don't see any connection between the two

incidents. >> the fair sheriff's office investigated for two months. then at a news conference, the sheriff laid out the facts as his investigator saw them. >> was max's death a homicide? the answer is no. it was a tragic accident. was rebecca's death a homicide? again, the answer is no. it was a suicide. >> the evidence totally sad tale in which one tragedy led to another. when rebecca checked her voicemail just before 1:00 a.m., sergeant nieman said he heard a grim message from her boyfriend , max's dad, jonah. >> that message that was left on her phone was to inform rebecca of max's grave condition and imminent death. >> did rebecca blame herself for the child's severe injuries? and then take her own life?

the sergeant showed photos from inside the bedroom where rebecca spent her final moments. there was a rope tied to the bed . the other end had been looped around rebecca's neck. there were also two knives in the bedroom, apparently used to cut the rope. everything was swabbed for dna. >> dna profiles were only from rebecca. >> what about rebecca's hands and feet being tied? didn't that show another person was involved? the sergeant said it did not. >> we conducted an experiment to determine if it is possible for a person to secure their hands behind their back in the fashion we found. >> they even showed a video demonstration. and while tying one's hands in a suicide is uncommon, the medical examiner said it is not unheard of. >> people do it. the thinking is, they bind themselves so they won't change your mind midway through.

it is unusual at first glance, but it does happen. >> the location of the apparent suicide note was also in common. >> there was a message painted on the door. we will not be revealing what the message said. >> the investigation let some people unsatisfied. none more so than rebecca's family. >> i know in my heart she did not commit suicide. >> also unsatisfied, dina shacknai. they illustrated their findings with this graphic. they said max was riding his scooter on the second floor landing. somehow fell over the railing, then hit or grabbed the chandelier and took it down with him. >> that sounds to me like -- is max some sort of stuntman? it's ridiculous. >> why is it ridiculous? kids that age to ridiculous things. when i was seven years old, i jumped off the garage an umbrella as a parachute. >> he was a very smart six-year- old.

he was very athletic, he was very coordinated, and he was a very careful and thoughtful person. >> tina didn't just insist something wasn't right. she opened her checkbook and hired her own experts. including dr. judy mill neck, a respected forensic pathologist who reviewed the autopsy report and photos, and who also disagreed with the official conclusion. >> max had too many injuries to be explained with a simple accidental fall. >> the doctor thought the injuries indicated he had been assaulted before he fell. what's more, she questioned whether the fall itself could have happened, as the sheriff's department described it. measurements show the railing was 32 inches high. six-year-old max was only 45 inches tall. >>'s center of gravity was too low. even on a razor scooter, his center of gravity is too low. >> it all pointed to a chilling alternate scenario.

someone assaulted max, and then he somehow went over the banister. in other words, this was a homicide. >> i would much rather have them say, this is an accident, and here's why. no mom wants to hear that her son was a victim of homicide. >> and if someone killed max, the theory focused on one person. >> i think rebecca was somehow involved, but how much she was involved and to what degree, she took that to the grave. >> that alarming suspicion was only the beginning. because it wasn't just dina who was investigating. rebecca sister, mary, was equally convinced rebecca would never hurt max or kill herself out of guilt. two women coping with terrible tragedies. neither willing to accept the sheriff's department's conclusions. mary was about to make some incredible accusations. and she wouldn't back down. >> could rebecca have been

killed? a second autopsy magnifies the mystery. >> coming up. >> some deep bruising and internal bleeding that couldn't be explained by the hanging. >> it could be explained by what? >> somebody knocking her down from behind and hauled tying her. a struggle. >> a twist was coming. >> did you have anything to do with rebecca's death? >> absolutely not. i knew i had nothing to hide. >> when dateline continues. ne the #1 prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, that helps heal your skin from within. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent.

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>> i am jessica layton with a look at what is happening this hour. california governor gavin newsom declares a state of emergency for areas affected by two wildfires. the park fire started in chico on wednesday and rapidly moved into wild lands to the north. it is currently the largest of that states active buyers. and health warning. boars head has recalled more

than 207,000 pounds of deli meat. the company warns liverwurst and ham products sold nationwide may contain the bacteria listeria. and now back to dateline. police had ruled 6-year-old max shacknai's >> welcome back to dateline. i am andrea canning. elise had ruled six-year-old max shacknai's fatal fall an accident, and rebecca zahau's suicide a hanging. neither max's mom nor rebecca's sister were convinced. each woman suspected foul play, and one of them was about to make a mixed dose of accusation . continuing with our story, here's josh mankiewicz with the mansion on ocean boulevard. >> the official investigation was over. crime scene tape and evidence markers long gone. that said, an unofficial search for clues was just beginning.

online message boards buzzed with theories the far-fetched to the implausible. through it all, rebecca sister, mary, didn't by the official finding of suicide. >> was she fragile? was she easily upset? was she the kind of person would fall apart after a crisis? >> not at all. >> so when detectives said that voicemail, the one jonah shacknai left for rebecca about max, may have caused rebecca to hang herself -- mary wasn't having it. >> i was not about to have my sister's name smeared and the world remember her as this crazy woman who committed her suicide because of a phone call . >> was all this just about how rebecca would be remembered? after her death came some revelations -- things even mary hadn't known about. like, in 2005 in california, when rebecca didn't show up for work and just vanished, her boyfriend reported her missing

to the local police department. rebecca turned up a few days later saying, it was just a misunderstanding. >> you were persuaded that if she did sort of mysteriously disappear back then for a day or two, it was something that she willingly did, and not some sign of mental fragility? >> i really don't know what happened at that time. >> now she said she needed to know how rebecca died. she had rebecca's body exhumed, and media friendly forensic pathologist performed a second autopsy. his conclusion -- homicide. was rebecca murdered? her family thought so, and eventually, the case found its way to this man. >> it was intriguing from the beginning. >> san diego attorney keith greer. >> the doctor did identify some deep bruising and internal bleeding which couldn't be explained the hanging.

>> it couldn't explain the hanging, but could be explained by what? >> possibly knocking her down from behind and hauled tying her. a struggle. >> plus, greer said, the force of falling nine feet from the balcony should have caused more severe injuries to rebecca's neck. greer, like the doctor, believed someone killed rebecca and then placed her body at the end of the rope. he began to develop a theory as to who. >> the writing on the door is a key to the case. >> remember the message painted on the bedroom door? sheriff's investigators officially declined to reveal what it said. greer eventually found out. a message scrawled in black acrylic paint -- she saved him, can you save her? greer believed the message was not written by rebecca, it was written about her. >> she didn't see max. >> she did save max. at the time, you have to look at this in context.

>> remember, rebecca said she did cpr on max after he fell. >> at the time those words were written, max is still alive. and maybe because of her efforts. >> it was it may be because of her efforts, it was exactly because of her efforts. that's why it the key to the case. i know whoever committed the murder knew that rebecca had max. >> it was, he said, a small circle. mostly family. >> i had an eyewitness who put dina shacknai at the scene of the murder that evening. >> dina, the grief stricken mom . could she have blamed rebecca and then sought revenge? remember, mary recalled her sister saying, dina is going to kill me. >> where were you when rebecca zahau died? >> i don't know what time rebecca zahau died. but i was at the hospital all night. >> in 2013, keith greer filed a

lawsuit on behalf of the zahau family. he named dina as a defendant along with her twin sister, nina. there was also a third defendant -- the man who called 911. jonah's brother, adam shacknai. >> did you have anything to do with rebecca's death? >> absolutely not. >> greer disagreed. he pointed to those knots tied around rebecca's wrist and ankles. >> tying them was almost impossible. >> he believed whoever tied the knot had to be an expert, possibly a sailor. and adam shacknai worked on the mississippi river as a tugboat captain. >> he ties things off, he uses a figure 8, and then closes it with a single hitch or two. guess what knots are tied on both her legs and her hands? figure eights, tied off with a single hitch or two.

>> sheriff's investigators had questioned adam extensively after rebecca's death. >> you didn't hold anything back from investigators? >> nothing. >> you helped them to the extent that you could? you thought you had nothing to hide? >> i knew i had nothing to hide. >> and when investigators determined there was no evidence placing adam at the scene -- >> they cleared you. >> they did. >> did you think this was over at that point? >> yeah, i did. >> it wasn't over. rebecca's sister was determined to hold someone accountable. >> i am guessing that somebody said to you filing a lawsuit, a civil lawsuit, to find answers in a criminal matter is generally an extremely unsatisfying way of pursuing justice. >> that may be, but my only recourse was the lawsuit. >> soon, they would start to get answers. just not the ones he expected. >> coming up.

where was dina the night of rebecca's death? >> this eyewitness was adamant. he was very clear, no doubt about it. >> powerful new video evidence, and the dna evidence -- where was it? >> adam shacknai admits that that morning, he cut rebecca down, he loosened the ropes on the wrist to check for a pulse. he gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. >> and there's no dna? >> zero. >> when dateline continues. co i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2,

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an increase in eye pressure has been seen. there's an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. the most common side effects were blurred vision, cataract, corneal injury, and eye floaters. and there's still so much to see. if you are on eylea or a similar type of treatment, ask your retina specialist about eylea hd today, for the potential for fewer injections. ask your retina specialist about eylea hd josh mankiewicz: seven years after the death of her son, max, dina shacknai lives alone in the arizona home she >>il seven years after the deat of her son, max, dina shacknai

lives alone in the arizona home she once shared with her family . >> how are you even standing up today? >> max. my son. my love for him was so great. we were a perfect fit. we were lucky. i still feel lucky. >> even though he is gone. >> yeah. >> in the years following max's death, dina continue to investigate and hired a woman named terry schneider. >> where is your evidence that max died of the result of something other than accident? >> tara has no law enforcement background. she calls her self and intelligence analyst. she and dina have floated several theories over the years. the current theory -- whoever killed max, it was not rebecca zahau. these days, their suspicion is focused on information from a neighbor that has never been verified. the story of a wild party at the mansion the night before max's fall. >> he has not been interviewed

by the police and he is not come forward. >> what connection might he have two max's death? you have no idea what that is? >> i don't, but i think it should be explored. >> she says police never spoke with the neighbor, but we did, and he doesn't remember anything about a party. and max's dad, jonah shacknai, who was in the house that night, told us there was no party . he says he never doubted the official investigation but wanted to rebut the theories offered by dina and others. his lawyers hired the highly regarded investigative firm kroll. the resulting report says, the evidence is consistent with an accidental, tragic fall and there is no evidence of foul play, malice, or other nonaccidental occurrence. >> how many people said to you, you need to let this go and move on? >> many. so many. >> even if she wanted to move

on, it really wasn't possible, because dina was being sued i the family of rebecca zahau, who blamed dina in part for rebecca's death. through it all, dina stuck to her story, that she had been at max's bedside at the hospital the night rebecca died. even though the zahau's attorney, keith greer, had an eyewitness willing to testify that he saw dina outside the mansion that night . >> this eyewitness was adamant. he was very clear, no doubt about it. and it turned out to be wrong. >> in april 2017, after four years of litigation, the security camera video came to light. it is from the hospital were max shacknai was being treated -- the same night rebecca zahau died. clearly visible, dina shacknai. >> you look at that footage from the hospital and say, i am wrong and my witness is wrong. dina wasn't there. she was at the hospital

provably. >> absolutely. i got mad. i got really mad. >> greer called a press conference to publicly eat some crow. >> when these pictures come out, you can't refute them. >> he removed dina from the lawsuit as well as her sister, nina. >> was that enough? >> human a public apology, and i would say that not as many people saw the public apology as continuous accusations against us. >> greer pushed forward anyway, with just one defendant, adam shacknai . >> that says to me this is some scattershot attempt and you are suing everybody that comes into your line of sight looking for a sympathetic jury. >> that's it, and a lot of people looked at it that way. >> why shouldn't that shattered the credibility of the rest of your case ? >> we always had adam involved all through the process. >> in the lawsuit, greer outlined quite a detailed and unsubstantiated narrative.

he had argued rebecca was killed not to avenge max, but instead during a sexual assault . greer's theory is that it began when rebecca stepped out of the shower and found adam in her bedroom watching her. >> the she then gets uncomfortable and tries to escape. she screams for help at 11:30 that night. >> that explains the screens heard by a neighbor. >> adam hits her on the back of the head, not for at least partially unconscious, that he has time to think and he grabs the black paint and he paints this phrase on the door. >> she saved him, can you save her? >> if i'm going to kill somebody and try to make it look like a suicide, i am not going to write a cryptic phrase behind. i'm going to write a phrase that says, i'm sorry, and guilty, i get it. >> it wasn't staged to be a suicide. >> evidence placing adamant the

scene is weak. >> did adam shacknai have any marks or crate or scrapes on him that indicate he was in a struggle? >> none. >> same with adams dna. >> it's hard to get rid of dna. adam shacknai admits that that morning, he cut rebecca down. he loosened the ropes on her wrist to check her pulse. he gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. he gave cpr pumps to her chest. >> and there's no dna. >> and how much dna and how many fingerprints are found on the knife, the rope, her body -- how much? >> none. >> zero. zero. >> zero of adams. rebecca's dna and fingerprints were everywhere. according to greer, that means adam, who had no criminal history, knew exactly how to wipe down the scene, somehow removing his own fingerprints and dna, but leaving just rebecca's. of course, it could also mean that adam simply wasn't there

when rebecca died, which is exactly what law enforcement came to believe. >> i am guessing that if you walked into court on any case, and opposing counsel said, there is no evidence here, there is no fingerprints, and there is no dna, and that is the proof of the case that i am bringing. you would think to yourself, i got a ground ball here. >> the absence of evidence is that the evidence of absence. and so we know it's a murder because it is wiped down. we know it is not suicide. >> what a jury agree? greer had to prove that adam shacknai was somehow responsible for rebecca's death, that his own actions made him liable. any wrongful death civil case, the standard is more likely than not. a significantly lower bar than beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the standard in a criminal case. it is, however, still a challenge, and when the case went to trial, keith greer would be up against a top-notch

defense team. >> were you outmatched? >> i was so outgunned, it was pathetic. >> two families connected by tragedy prepare to go head-to- head in a courtroom. >> coming up. >> did you attacker? >> no. >> did you sexually assault her? >> no. >> would a jury believe him? >> this is probably not good news. >> when dateline continues. lin a once-daily pill. when symptoms tried to take control, i got rapid relief and reduced fatigue with rinvoq. check! when flares kept trying to slow me down i got lasting steroid-free remission with rinvoq. check! and when my doctor saw damage, rinvoq helped visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining. check! for both uc and crohn's: rapid symptom relief lasting steroid-free remission. and visibly reduced damage. check. check. and check! rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal, cancers, including lymphoma and skin, heart attack, stroke, and gi tears occurred.

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welcome back. rebecca zahau's death had been ruled a suicide, but her sister, mary, was convinced she'd been >> welcome back.

rebecca zahau's death had been ruled a suicide, but her sister, mary, was convinced she had been murdered i adam shacknai. adam insisted he tried to save rebecca after he found her hanging from a balcony. now the two were facing off in a civil lawsuit. the jury would decide who is responsible for rebecca's death, and the verdict would leave both sides stunned. here is josh mankiewicz with the conclusion of the mansion on ocean boulevard. >> the plaintiff's attorney, he's got a good imagination. >> adam shacknai says it is simple -- he had nothing to do with the death of rebecca zahau. >> were you present when rebecca died? no. >> did you attacker? >> no. >> did you typos not on her body? the mac no. >> those are knots that only a sailor would know. >> no, those are common knots.

>> sheriff's investigators found no evidence adam was present when rebecca died, and they cleared him. that didn't stop rebecca's family from suing in civil court. >> the lawsuit, the long string of accusations -- what you think is going on here? >> it is denial. they don't want to be seen that their sister committed suicide. >> we asked rebecca's sister, mary, about that a lot of times. >> families do not want to admit that someone committed suicide, because they blame themselves for not maybe having seen the signs. is that what you are doing here? >> no, and i have been accused of that multiple times, including the sheriff's department. >> is it possible rebecca was depressed and you missed it? >> no. >> the wrongful death lawsuit began in san diego. defending adam was dan brown, a former u.s. attorney and a veteran of many courtrooms.

>> there will be no evidence that shows that adam shacknai had anything to do with the death of rebecca zahau. >> in particular, no dna or fingerprints for adam were found at the death scene. plaintiff's attorney keith greer called several experts to testify that the lack of physical evidence could show adam had cleaned up after himself. >> there was nothing on the doorknobs whatsoever, as far as prints. >> and that is consistent with it being wiped down? >> yes. >> at a handwriting expert who looked at that message on the door. >> the writing on the door was more -- >> greer also claimed rebecca had been sexually assaulted with a knife prior to her murder. his expert testified a steak knife found in the bedroom had her blood on the handle. greer said the sheriff's department overlooked that evidence. >> that is nowhere in any of the sheriff's records.

they never considered that, they never analyzed that. >> they called a forensic technician that says she did found the blood on the knife, and with it, a simple explanation. a recent cut on rebecca's right hand. and when greer asked her if the blood could have come from a sexual assault lips this >> i didn't see any evidence of that. >> no evidence, a point the defense hammered home. >> no fingerprint evidence that was identified. >> of all the items i testified , he was excluded on all. >> adams brother jonah took the stand. he called rebecca's death unfathomable, but said adam was not responsible. >> is or anything that adam has ever done in his life that would cause you to believe that he ever would have done the act that he is accused of? >> never. anything. it is inconceivable. >> adam took the stand, too. >> did you hit rebecca on the head?

>> i never hit rebecca on the head or anywhere else for that matter. >> did you devised a scheme to cover up your wrongdoing and painting the message on the door and making it look like she had been handled by someone else? >> absolutely, positively not. >> the case went to the jury. >> did you feel confident as deliberations began? >> i felt we could possibly win very convincingly. >> listen four hours later, a verdict. >> i said, i'm sorry, this is not good news. >> this was it, the decision. even keith greer would be in for quite a plot twist. >> that adam shacknai touched rebecca zahau before her death with the intent to harm her, the answer is yes. number two, did that touching cause the death of rebecca zahau ? the answer is yes. >> yes, meaning that the jury found adam shacknai responsible for rebecca zahau's death.

>> i just broke down. i was just like, okay. i am not crazy. i am not the only one who believes that adam murdered my sister. >> that is not quite with the jury said. finding someone liable in a civil case is not the same as finding them guilty of murder. what's more, the verdict in this case did not have to be unanimous, and it wasn't. nine jurors found adam responsible. three did not. the jury did award the zahau family $5 million. >> courtrooms are supposed to be a place where justice is dispensed. was this about justice? >> no, it wasn't. >> says this wasn't a criminal case, adam didn't go to jail. he filed a motion for a new trial, which was denied in january of 2019. then in february, adams insurance company and rebecca's family reached a settlement of

$600,000, and the case was dismissed. after the civil trial, the sheriff's department took a fresh look at rebecca's death. eight months later, that review also concluded that rebecca died by suicide. she would like to see authorities reinvestigate her son's case. >> you think they will reinvestigate max's death? >> i think it is the right thing to do. i think it will happen? i really don't know. >> how does a mother ever truly accept the tragic loss of a child? the ripples keep on spreading to this day in a place where nothing bad was supposed to happen. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i am andrea canning. thank you for watching. r watch hello, i'm andrea canning, and this is "dateline."ow? >> hello, this is dateline.

>> how am i doing