He’s Just Not That Into You
Two months after Judge Lynn Leibovitz’ acquittal of Price, Ward and Zaborsky in the criminal trial, the decision remains controversial. Even in Leiboviitz’ very own courtroom.
Jury selection for a five-defendant gangland murder trial got underway this week, and a prospective juror basically recused himself, based on the judge’s decision...
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But Not Exoneration
It took a sober and, at times soft-spoken, Judge Leibovtiz little more than an hour to plow through what she termed “…a very long and complicated legal trial.” We have previously posted, and will post here again, Judge Leibovitz’ verdict in its entirety.
Because the story of today may not be just in the...
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Did Kirschner’s canary come out of defense coal mine alive?
Nationally-recognized, Washington-based crime writer Harry Jaffe came out of the Wone trial gate early, hard and fast with three verdicts: “Innocent, Innocent, Innocent.” He doesn’t say even hedge with “Not Guilty,” but goes all in with “Innocent, Innocent, Innocent.” Kind of has a “Mercedes,...
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1384 Days: 3 Years, 9 Months, 15 Days
All that matters from now and through the verdict, is doing right by Robert.
We regret not knowing him while alive, but even in death he remains a role model and inspiration. There is no consolation for the Wone family in bringing Robert back, but it is a testament...
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Voir Dire and Seating the “Ideal” Jury
Wednesday begins the process of voir dire – roughly meaning ’speak true’ – in which Judge Lynn Leibovitz and both legal teams will sort through the pool of seventy potentials to seat a jury of 12, with 4 alternates. (The alternates won’t know who they are, by the...
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Gearing Up for Today’s 3:00pm Status Hearing
A lot is on Judge Lynn Leibovitz’ plate this afternoon.
Key defense motions awaiting rulings include those for severance (separate trials) and those to suppress the defendants’ statements of their interrogations on the night of the murder, informally the Miranda challenges.
It’s just over a month away from the scheduled...
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Government Tries to Keep the Threesome Together
Another piece of business before Judge Lynn Leibovitz at this Monday’s status hearing is on the Defendants’ Motions to Sever and hold separate trials for the three housemates.
A couple weeks ago we guessed on how much confidence the Front Four have in these pleas; not much we surmised. Now we get...
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Closing Night for Severance?
Early into last Friday’s status hearing we learned of a letter that Joe Price counsel Bernie Grimm had sent (also on behalf of his three defense team colleagues) to Judge Lynn Leibovitz.
Long described as one of the “great courtroom showmen,” DC’s very own George M. Cohan fired off this one-page letter on...
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Uncharged Conduct, and Michael Price Uncharged…Yet
Hewing to Judge Lynn Leibovitz’ scheduling order, the prosecution has met their first deadline. The government’s filing of “Uncharged Conduct I” was due on February 5th and was made public Tuesday, Feb. 16th… just a few days after Valentine’s Day. This was no Whitman’s Sampler to the defendants.
“Given the...
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Judge Leibovitz Sets a Feverish Pace
Also hitting the DC Superior Court database in the wake of the January 15 status hearing was Judge Lynn Leibovitz’s granting IN PART of the Defendant’s Motion for Scheduling Order.
First up is a February 5 deadline for the government to have their Rule 16 notice, complete discovery and file...
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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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