Who is Dylan Ward?
Of the three Swann Street defendants, Dylan Ward remains the most enigmatic. Gaining insight about this man are often feels like a treasure-less expedition. The fact that so little is known about the fair-haired Puck from Tacoma seems to be negative evidence itself though, just like Robert’s negative blood results seem...
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Twenty for Twenty-Ten
We learned quite a bit over the course of 2009. Among the highlights: MPD Officer Diane Durham’s end-of-shift statement that contradicted the Trouple’s story on where they discovered Robert; the fact that all three of the housemates either left their places of employment voluntarily or not; a change in judges for the...
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Defense Acting Alone Dictates Scheduling Order
After doing their best to delay the game, and realizing that the game day is on the books, the defense is now trying to dictate the upcoming schedule for the trial preparations. And they are doing it unilaterally.
In a recently filed motion for scheduling order, the defendants have come to the court with their...
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Why introducing the BDSM aspect is probative
One of the thresholds the judge must determine is whether the value of evidence is more probative than prejudicial when deciding what evidence makes it to trial. If it is deemed probative, then it helps explain the crime, and thus meets the standard. Or the judge could say...
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The Taxman Cometh
On Monday, super sharpie contributor Meto walked us through some of the finer points of the Florida Homestead exemption - the law that may protect ownership of Joe and Victor’s Miami Shores home in the event they come out on the losing end of Kathy Wone’s $20 million wrongful death civil suit.
He...
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Latest Defense Discovery Request Hints At Defense Strategy
At the last status hearing on September 11, much of the first half focused on whether radio communications between emergency personnel and MPD was evidence that was covered under the Jencks Act.
For the non-lawyers among us, which includes the four editors here at WMRW.com,we needed to...
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I Read The News Today, Oh God…
It’s accepted practice in Washington to release bad news late on a Friday afternoon. But it wasn’t mere bad news that was going to hit on Halloween weekend 2008; this was a real-life horror story.
Dominating the headlines as October 2008 was coming to a close, was the windup of Campaign ‘08. Barack...
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One Year Ago Everything Changed
In mid-September, when Diane Durham’s statement came to light about conflicting stories of the evening’s events, the ground seemed to shift.
However, the original ground shaking event in the investigation occurred one year ago when Dylan Ward was arrested in Miami on obstruction of justice, and the subsequent publication of the original...
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Lurkers are People Too
We received an interesting email last week from a longtime reader who works in the legal profession. How’s that for vague?
Best described as a lurker, Hoya Loya found us by way of Above the Law earlier this summer. And as often the case, we were told, “I have been obsessed with...
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New Book Offers Fresh Insights into Storied Case
Here’s what we know: a young male was (inconclusively) sexually assaulted and murdered. Two of the men suspected were involved in a gay relationship with a master and slave subtext. The slave enjoyed serving the master and protecting him from his enemies, and saving his life. The...
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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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