Jury finding in California mansion death will be appealed

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Adam Shacknai will appeal a jury’s verdict that he caused the death of a woman who was found hanging in his brother’s Southern California mansion.

The San Diego Union-Tribune says Shacknai denied Thursday that he was a “stone-cold killer” and is confident he’ll win the appeal.

On Wednesday, jurors awarded more than $5 million to the mother of Rebecca Zahau. In 2011, she was found dead in the Coronado mansion of her boyfriend, who is Shacknai’s brother.

Investigators ruled her death a suicide but her mother sued, alleging that Shacknai sexually assaulted and killed her, then staged the hanging to look like suicide.

Jurors were dismissed from the case Thursday after the mother’s attorney said she wouldn’t seek additional punitive damages.