Crime & Safety

Detectives: Zahau Calm, Not Despondent

Investigators who spent time with her after her boyfriend's son was seriously injured were not concerned with her mental state, said an attorney who is examining the case files.

Coronado detectives told Sheriff's investigators after that she didn't feel responsible for grave injuries suffered by her boyfriend's son or show any signs of depression in the aftermath of his accident.

The statements, , were made by detectives on July 19. They had accompanied Zahau to the hospital after Max Shacknai, 6, fell and suffered the head injuries that would ultimately kill him.

They described her as tearful, anxious and trembling, but they also concluded that her behavior was consistent with someone who had seen a loved one seriously injured, according to the attorney, Anne Bremner.

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Two days after the fall, Zahau's body was found nude and bound on the grounds of , the summer home she shared with Max's father, Arizona pharmaceuticals executive Jonah Shacknai.

in the early hours of July 13, roughly two hours after hearing a voice mail informing her that Max's condition was grave. 

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A spokeswoman for the Coronado police would not comment on Bremner's description of the detectives' assessment of Zahau.

Bremner said the investigative files contain some information that already has been released, such as autopsy reports and search warrants. Other materials include photos, DVD's, lab reports, surveillance footage, medical records and videotaped interviews of Adam Shacknai and Xena Zahau.

Adam Shacknai, Jonah Shacknai's brother, found Zahau and told authorities she was hanging from a second-floor balcony. He was the only person at the mansion when she died, detectives have said.

Xena is Zahau's younger sister; both were in the house when Max fell. Coronado police determined that the incident was an accident.

Bremner does not have the file on the boy's death, but said she will request it because she believes the cases are connected. Investigators maintained initially that they were not, until Sept. 2 when they attributed Zahau's death to her distress over Max.

“I think they're connected. Let's look at everything, blue sky, open air,“ the Seattle-based lawyer said.

Family members, who strenuously disagree with the suicide finding, also have been given the files. Two of them, Zahau's sister, Mary Zahau Loehner and her husband Doug, are preparing to be guests on Dr. Phil McGraw's talk show Tuesday, with a scheduled air date Thursday.

Bremner also defended the family from criticism regarding their involvement with Dr. Phil, whose talk show is expected to include the results of . 

“I'm representing a family in crisis and they want answers,” she said. “Dr. Phil is willing to showcase this injustice.”

Recent media reports have detailed Bremner's connections with high-profile crime author Ann Rule and a Seattle literary agent with whom she has brokered a book and movie deal for a young client who attracted national attention when she faked a pregnancy to test the reactions of adults and her peers.

Bremner said she and Rule have a longtime friendship, but that she has neither profited from nor shared in any of the author's book contracts. The attorney denied she is writing a book about the mansion case.

She acknowledged, however, that if Rule decided to pursue a Zahau book the case could benefit from any new evidence that may come to light.

Zahau's family has not asked her to seek out book or movie deals, Bremner said, but to focus on finding new leads.


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