The Whispered Assertions the Jury Will Never Hear
It’s rare a topic in this case comes along that so finely meshes with your editor’s skill sets…other than the basic one. And by that we mean living in DC long enough – and having been employed on some side of the communications business – to detect...
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Dr. Henry Lee Has A Vision
The involvement and expected testimony of celebrity forensics expert Dr. Henry Lee has long been a topic of discussion here. First word of his work on behalf of the defendants surfaced at last November’s status hearing.
At the time, it wasn’t clear if he would become a permanent member of the...
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Does Defense’s Own Expert Contradict Defendants’ Statements?
In the government’s Omnibus Motion In Limine regarding Certain Designated Defense Experts, they focus on the testimony of Dr. Farzad Najam, a cardiac surgeon at George Washington University.
Dr. Najam will testify that the stab wound to Mr. Wone’s heart could have caused “immediate incapacitation,” and would have caused a...
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Now That The Embargo Has Been Lifted…
If you needed any more reason to go out and purchase the May edition of Washingtonian Magazine, this nugget that Harry Jaffe uncovered, is alone worth the cover price of $3.95.
In painstaking (and at times heartbreaking) detail, Harry traces the events of the days immediately following Robert’s murder, as...
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10 Questions for Sarah Morgan, Swann Street’s Fourth
As the lilacs fade and the calendar edges closer to May, the seeds from some of the unanswered questions we’ve planted over are beginning to sprout. The garden needs to be weeded and tended. Let’s all grab our spades.
Among the flowers that have failed to bloom is...
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Muzzling the Cadaver Dogs
Although the odds of getting evidence and ‘testimony’ from the cadaver dogs who searched the murder scene were slim, it’s now official that none of their findings will make it into the trial.
The original affidavit said the dogs altered (to human blood or remains) at two spots at 1509; the patio drain and...
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Inquire Within
We’re still trying to determine how long the trial is supposed to last. It’s hard to be exact when predicting the length of a complex trial but in the coming days we’ll reach out to some principals to see what they are budgeting and expecting. The best guess now is four to six...
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Housekeeping…and Keeping on Track for May 10
It was a full courtroom, and relatively upbeat defendants, that greeted Judge Lynn Leibovitz as she gaveled in Friday’s status hearing at 3pm sharp. On the agenda? “Housekeeping and setting dates…” said the Judge.
First up: the government’s objections to defense experts Dr. Smith, Dr. Englert, and top-biller Dr....
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Status Hearing Updates
3:45pm: Adjournment. Full house today. NO continuance as of now. Xylene is OUT. May 5 evidentiary hearing is next order of business. Full recap coming.
2:50pm: Price, Ward, Zaborsky here. Defense team associates arrive. Schertler, Connolly too. Legal Times Mike Scarcella on site to cover.
2:45pm: Waiting outside the hearing room now. Members of...
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Covering Today’s Status Hearing And The Trial
Back to room 310 in the Moultrie Courthouse today for another status hearing. Judge Lynn Leibovitz gavels this one in at 3:00pm. The room usually fills up so getting there early is a good idea. Updates on the twitter and here. Look for a post title that rhymes with...
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On August 2nd, 2006, Washington attorney Robert E. Wone was murdered at 1509 Swann Street. Over two years passed before any criminal charges were filed - and then only conspiracy, obstruction of justice and crime scene tampering charges were brought against the Swann Street housemates, all present in the home on the night of the murder: Joe Price, Dylan Ward and Victor Zaborsky.
On May 17, 2010, a DC Superior Court trial got underway and all three defendants were all acquitted in that bench trial on those pending charges.
Nearly four years later, very little seems clear about what happened that night and who murdered Robert Wone. A cloud of suspicion remains over the Swann Street defendants who have denied any involvement in the murder of their friend or in the alleged cover up.
Judge Lynn Leibovitz found a moral certainty in their collective guilt, but not evidentiary certainty. Civil proceedings in a wrongful death suit filed by Robert's family is the next chapter in this tragic story.
We continue to work together seeking answers to the mystery of Robert Wone's murder and in finding justice for his memory and legacy.
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