Crime Salad

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In this episode of Crime Salad, Ricky and Ashley dive deep into the chilling timeline of Joanna's final hours. We expose the massive, unexplained gaps in Mark's alibi, the harrowing paper trail of restraining orders Joanna filed in her early twenties, and the psychological fortress Mark built around his wife after taking control of the Fellowship Baptist Church.

This is more than a true crime story about a botched police investigation. It is a story about a family's relentless pursuit of the truth. We discuss how Joanna's brother, Joe Hunter, and her mother, Patricia, refused to accept the official police narrative. Their fierce advocacy ultimately led to the passage of Joanna's Law (Senate Bill 989) in California, which fundamentally changes how law enforcement must investigate the suspicious deaths of domestic violence victims.

Joanna's case remains officially closed as a suicide, and her family needs your help to unlock a real homicide investigation. Tune in to hear the full timeline, the forensic red flags, and how you can take action today.

Take Action & Support Joanna’s Family:

Joanna's family is working tirelessly to have her death certificate amended from "suicide" to "homicide" or "undetermined." You can support their fight and learn more about the organizations helping victims of hidden homicides at the links below.

Alliance for HOPE International (The Justice Project): allianceforhope.com

Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center: hopethriveshere.org

Joanna’s Voice Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/p/Joannas-Voice-100068890904659/

48 Hours: Joe Hunter's Mission:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEZutwn6Dpo

Domestic Violence Resources:

If you or someone you know is navigating intimate partner violence, please know that you are not alone and help is available 24/7. It is completely free and confidential.

Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)

Text: Text the word "START" to 88788

Visit: thehotline.org

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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 (in the 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

SUPPORT CRIME SALAD If you want to help us keep making the show, here is how: Patreon: patreon.com/crimesaladpodcast 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.
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Need help? National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or visit 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

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

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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.

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