Two deaths. Same mansion. Two days apart. In Part 2, we walk through the physical evidence in Rebecca Zahau's death: the knife, the gloves, the painted message, the balcony, the knots, the head injuries, and the tape residue almost no one talks about. We get into the independent investigation into Max Shacknai's fall led by his mother Dina, the 2018 civil trial that found Adam Shacknai responsible, the verdict that was later vacated, and what Rebecca's sister Mary is still fighting for today.

Adam Shacknai has consistently maintained his innocence and was never criminally charged. The 2018 civil verdict was vacated as part of a 2019 settlement. There was never a criminal trial related to Rebecca's death. Statements about specific individuals should be understood as allegations, opinions, or attributed claims from named sources.

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Unraveling the Knots by Mary Zahau-Loehner (available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble)
• Death on Ocean Boulevard: Inside the Coronado Mansion Case by Caitlin Rother

Follow the family's fight: Justice for Rebecca M. Zahau (Facebook)

If you need support:

• Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (US)
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, available 24/7
• RAINN (sexual assault): 1-800-656-4673

This episode discusses suicide, the death of a child, and allegations of sexual assault. Please take care of yourself while listening.

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In July 2011, two people died at the same mansion in Coronado, California within a week. First, six-year-old Max Shacknai fell from a second-floor banister while in the care of his father's girlfriend, Rebecca Zahau. Two days later, Rebecca was found hanging from a balcony at the Spreckels Mansion, naked, bound, and gagged. The San Diego Sheriff's Department called it a suicide. Rebecca's family has spent over a decade arguing it was something else entirely.

This is Part 1 of our two-part series on the death of Rebecca Zahau. Part 2 drops next week. Subscribe wherever you listen so you don't miss it.

CONTENT WARNING This episode discusses suicide, the death of a child, and allegations of sexual assault. Please take care of yourself while listening.

IF YOU NEED SUPPORT You are not alone. Help is available. 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 National Domestic Violence Hotline: call 1-800-799-7233, available 24/7 National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): call 1-800-656-4673

Thank you for supporting Crime Salad:

Merch: crimesaladpodcast.dashery.com

Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Share this episode with someone who'd want to hear it!

A NOTE ON THIS CASE Adam Shacknai has consistently maintained his innocence and was never criminally charged in connection with this case. The 2018 civil verdict that found him liable for Rebecca's death was vacated as part of a 2019 settlement. Statements about specific individuals throughout this episode should be understood as allegations, opinions, or attributed claims from named sources, not as statements of fact by us.

Information in this episode is drawn from publicly available news reports, court records, autopsy reports, official statements, and books published about the case.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Need help? National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or thehotline.org. Available 24/7, free and confidential.

On April 27, 2024, 30-year-old Mica Francis Miller was found dead at Lumber River State Park in Robeson County, North Carolina. Two days earlier, she had served her husband, Myrtle Beach pastor John Paul Miller of Solid Rock at Market Common, with divorce papers. The medical examiner ruled her death a suicide. Her family has never disputed that ruling. What they have disputed, from the day she died, is what was done to her in the 528 days before she walked into that park.

In this episode of Crime Salad, Ashley and Ricky trace the Mica Miller case from her childhood in Wichita, Kansas, through her marriage at Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, the involuntary psychiatric commitment she said her husband fraudulently initiated, the tire deflation devices, the GPS trackers, the nude photo posted online without her consent, and the police reports that piled up in the months before her death. We walk through the December 2025 federal indictment charging John Paul Miller with cyberstalking and making false statements to investigators, the push for South Carolina's coercive control bill known as Mica's Law (Senate Bill 702), and the suspicious death of Johnnie Jacobs, the fisherman who heard her last cry.

This is a case about coercive control, a pastor's wife, and a system that called every cry for help a civil matter until a federal grand jury caught up to what Mica had been telling police all along.

Keywords: Mica Miller, Mica Francis Miller, John Paul Miller, JP Miller, Solid Rock Church, Myrtle Beach pastor, Lumber River State Park, coercive control, Mica's Law, cyberstalking indictment, true crime podcast, South Carolina, Robeson County

Content warning: This episode discusses suicide, stalking, harassment, and intimate partner abuse.

SUPPORT JUSTICE FOR MICA

Justice for Mica Miller Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Justice-for-Mica-Miller-61559351220695/ FacebookFacebook

Sign the Mica's Law petition on Change.org: https://www.change.org/p/enforce-south-carolina-law-to-protect-against-stalking-and-harassment-mica-s-law Change.org

Read about Mica's Law and Mica's List at Way Makers SC: https://waymakerssc.com/micas-law Way Makers

Track South Carolina Senate Bill 702 (Criminal Coercive Control): https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/702.htm South Carolina Legislature

Find and contact your South Carolina legislators: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/legislatorssearch.php Way Makers

Need help? National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or thehotline.org. Available 24/7, free and confidential.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Egg Harbor Township in South Jersey is a place where community roots run deep, and no one was more rooted than April Christine Kauffman. A beloved local business owner, fiercely outspoken radio personality, and dedicated veterans' advocate, April was a pillar of Atlantic County. But on May 10, 2012, the affluent, quiet neighborhoods of Linwood, New Jersey, were shattered when April was found murdered inside her own home.

In this episode, Ricky and Ashley unpack a case that frustrated a community for years. We dive into the immediate alibi of her husband, prominent endocrinologist Dr. James Kauffman, the shocking involvement of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, and an illicit drug ring hiding in plain sight. Most importantly, we follow the relentless, six-year fight for justice led by April’s daughter, Kimberly Pack, who refused to let the system sweep her mother's case under the rug.

Support April's Cause

April’s family and friends continue to keep her legacy alive. If you want to follow the ongoing work in her name or support the causes she championed, please visit:

• Website: aprilkaufman.net
• Facebook: Justice for April Kaufman
• Veterans Support: If you are in Atlantic County, consider supporting the American Legion Post 352 in Somers Point, home of the annual April Christine Kauffman Veterans Advocate Award.

Search Tags/Keywords: April Kauffman, Dr. James Kauffman, Egg Harbor Township NJ, Linwood New Jersey, South Jersey True Crime, Atlantic County Prosecutor, Pagans Motorcycle Club, Kimberly Pack, unsolved murder, New Jersey drug ring.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

⚠️ Listener Discretion is Advised: The following episode contains intense and explicit descriptions of domestic violence, suicide, and a highly traumatic death involving fire. The information presented is based on publicly available records, family statements, and alleged accounts. This podcast is for informational purposes only. We are not law enforcement, legal professionals, or medical experts, and we are not accusing anyone of any crimes.

On February 8, 2018, in the freezing cold of Plymouth, Minnesota, 24-year-old David Elmquist was burning alive inside his apartment. His death was ruled a suicide before he was even officially pronounced dead. But for the last six years, his family has fought tirelessly to prove that the official story doesn't add up.

With reports of perfectly unburned wrists on a body covered in severe burns, a pristine knife found in a soot-filled room, shifting timelines, and a tragic 38-minute standoff where police waited outside the burning apartment, the physical evidence points to something much darker. Furthermore, just hours before his death, David confided in his parents that he was planning to leave his wife, warning them that if he told her, "she'd go ballistic."

In this episode, we unpack the glaring inconsistencies, the alleged forensic bias, the mental health stigma that clouded the investigation, and a father’s relentless fight for justice.

Call to Action & Resources:

• Listen to The Stacked Deck Podcast: Hear the six-part series directly from David’s father, Scott, detailing the entire case. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-stacked-deck/id1767907803
• Support the Family: Follow the Truth and Justice for David Elmquist Facebook page and sign the petition demanding an independent prosecutor. Sign the Petition

Support Crime Salad:

• Merch: Grab your gear at https://crimesaladpodcast.dashery.com/

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In November 2025, 18-year-old Anna Kepner boarded the Carnival Horizon cruise ship with her family for a six-night Caribbean vacation. On the final sea day, she was found dead, hidden under her bed inside her own cabin. Surveillance footage reportedly showed only one person entering and leaving the stateroom during that window: her 16-year-old stepbrother.

The FBI took over the investigation, and federal homicide charges were eventually filed against the minor suspect. But as the legal process unfolded, court filings, leaked messages, and accusations from family members revealed a much more complicated picture of what was happening inside that household long before anyone boarded that ship.

In this episode, Ashley and Ricky break down the full timeline of Anna Kepner's case. The family cruise, the discovery, the cause of death, the suspect's mental health history and missed medication, the explosive custody battle between the parents, the social media firestorm, and the questions that still have no answers.

Anna was a diver, a cheerleader, a Georgia Bulldogs fan, and an aspiring Navy recruit and K-9 officer from Titusville, Florida. She was 18 years old with her whole life ahead of her. She deserves to be remembered for who she was.

Content Warning: This episode discusses violence, domestic abuse, and the death of a young person.

If you have information related to this case, contact the FBI Miami Field Office or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HEEEYYY this is a THROWBACK for y'all. We have updates at the end!! Recorded this one 5 years ago; please understand we were trying our best LOL and trying to figure out podcasting. It's cool to hear.

It's a busy week, and it seems like a good week for some leftover crime salad. ha. ha. ha. The sun is shining!!! Enjoy your weekend. We are working on a fresh episode coming out next week.

<3 Ashley and Ricky.

On the morning of April 13, 2011, nursing student Holly Bobo was abducted from her family's home in Darden, Tennessee, while her brother watched from inside the house, believing she was walking with her boyfriend. What followed was a three-and-a-half-year search that gripped a small town and drew national attention. When arrests finally came, so did shocking confessions, but allegations of coerced statements, fabricated evidence, and prosecutorial misconduct have left many wondering: was justice truly served? Ashley and Ricky break down the case, the controversial trial, and the lingering questions that remain.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the summer of 2021, in the quiet river city of Auburn, Maine, 27-year-old Celeste Doghmi was at a turning point. After years of struggle and addiction, Celeste had completely turned her life around. She was a devoted new mother, had purchased her first-semester nursing textbooks, and was sharing her pride and love for her infant son on social media every day.

But following a harrowing final video call with a close friend, one that captured a violent domestic dispute, Celeste's digital and physical footprint vanished.

In this episode of Crime Salad, Ashley and Ricky dive into one of the most unsettling missing persons cases in recent Maine history. We explore the legal reality of being classified as a "voluntary missing adult," the dark mechanics of coercive control and isolation, and the systemic failures that allowed a young mother to go unreported for nearly two years before authorities were even alerted.

Was it a voluntary exit, or was the home life described by investigators as a "war zone" a precursor to something far more sinister? We examine her partner's criminal history, the ongoing investigation by the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit, and the tireless fight by Celeste's mother, Stephanie, to find justice for her daughter and her grandson.

Celeste Doghmi, domestic violence, missing person, Auburn Maine, cold case, coercive control, Maine State Police, unsolved, true crime, parental custody, Crime Salad podcast

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Celeste Doghmi, please contact the Maine State Police tip line or the Auburn Police Department at 207-333-6653

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 Text START to 88788. You are not alone. https://www.thehotline.org/

Merch & Show Info: crimesaladpodcast.com

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