SAN DIEGO — Another twist in the Rebecca Zahau case unfolded Wednesday.
The Zahau family dropped the lawsuit against former San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore. They initially sued Gore trying to get documents related to the case that they believed he was hiding.
Zahau family attorney Keith Greer told CBS 8 they dropped the lawsuit against Gore because there was nothing else to gain from him in the case.
"We were looking for what the sheriff's instructions were for the group of three officers that were reviewing evidence for a second time. We wanted to see in writing what he told them to do, and we found out by his declaration he never put his instructions in writing," said Greer.
Greer also said according to the pleadings, Gore has admitted to not giving the whole case file to the Zahau family.
The family is now turning their attention to the medical examiner, trying to get the cause of death on the death certificate changed from suicide to undetermined or homicide.
In 2018, Adam Shacknai, Jonah Shacknai's brother, was found guilty of her death by a civil jury. The jury awarded the family $5 million in damages.
Greer told CBS 8 if they are able to get the cause of death changed, they will push for the criminal case to be reopened. He said the goal in all of this is they want Adam Shacknai held criminally responsible for Rebecca Zahau's death.
"It's frustrating because no matter how loud we scream and who we talk to, people tend to turn and look the other way. It's a challenging thing to take on, but it's the right thing to do," said Greer.
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