Take the defendants at their word; an unknown person came into their house with the express purpose of murdering Robert.
The killer must have had one of only two possible careers, violent home invasion burglar or assassin. Sure the ninja has been mocked and derided as implausible, but so too, has the defendants’ intruder theory, at least according to their own statements. So for the sake of argument, keep the hit man in the equation.
Either would follow the same path: jump the fence and jackpot, an unlocked door.
A ready knife is just inside the door and grabbed for later use. With utmost stealth, scope out the house, go upstairs, head to the guestroom and stab a sleeping man. Hightail it out just in the nick of time.
Ninja, Intruder; both follow identical steps: slip in, kill, slip out. Remarkable silence. Follow along, after the jump.
Another unexplained silence, the defendants’ failure to speak publicly about the murder, has always stood out to case watchers who look beyond the trial evidence. This is one of the case’s many intangibles that, for many, never made ‘reasonable person’ sense. Now maybe, it’s starting to. Just follow the Ninja.
Let’s run through these two killers’ motives for the murder.
Ninja: Because of Robert’s classified work at Radio Free Asia, he was targeted by nefarious interests: i.e., Chinese agents or some other black bag outfit. The surveillance is good, they know his every step including Robert’s planned overnight at Swann Street. Professional hit, in and out with no trace.
Such a skilled assassin could’ve killed Robert in any number of more public places, an empty suburban Virginia Metro platform, or a near-deserted M Street late one night. Too high risk perhaps. Why not an unexpected location, away from his home and having three possible dupes to pin the crime on?
Even the dumbest of dupes knows when they’re being set up to take a fall. And what does every dupe, even the smart ones say? “We was framed.”
Intruder: At Wednesday’s motions hearing, Dylan Ward counsel David Schertler characterized the crime not as a run-of-the-mill breaking and entering job, this was a home invasion that went extremely violent. A random act of city savagery that saw the assailant catch every break and to this day, remain at large.
Again, take the defendants at there word, that they were the target of a home invasion that ended in murder. And because of the intruder’s luck and guile, the housemates immediately fell under the intense glare of the investigative spotlight. Though not by design, publicly, although not legally, they were in effect framed for the murder.
Either way, intruder or ninja, they were set up. The three must have known or felt they were suspected of the murder, framed directly or indirectly. If they didn’t sense this then their attorneys should have.
In addition to fighting the good legal fight, the attorneys – if they truly believed in their clients’ innocence – would’ve counseled them to speak publicly and candidly to lessen the glare. There is poor legal advice and then there’s bad communications counsel. The Swann Street legal team may have offered the latter if they counseled silence. They muzzled their clients without regard to practical realities.
Likewise with the defendant’s supporters. Because if Joe, Dylan and Victor were framed, then they need voices behind them, too.
However you look at it, silence has not been a friend for the Swann Street defendants, three possible fall guys.
In their Anacostia dialogues, Joe and Victor claimed that the intruder may have used their car as a springboard or stepping stone to get over their high gate in the back. BMW, BMW, BMW, anyone? Is that even possible from a physics standpoint? Were any dents or scuff marks ever found on the car’s hood or chassis?
Who was the mysterious plumber or workman who allegedly traversed the gate in the back without notice? A scout for the intelligence services of Myanmar, or another impromptu lie?
Also, Joe felt he was being “framed” that evening, but he kept talking and talking and talking. After Dyl failed the poly, however, Joe decided to clam up. Consistency of the official story had been achieved, but its credibility was immediately in doubt due to Dyl’s internal struggle. Who knew that the remote massage therapist may have been the most human of the Swann Street Three!
Silence has been golden to the trouple, buying them at least three to four years of freedom (and, for Dyl, many more chances to play third wheel for paying couples) before final judgment.
BTW, Happy Mothers’ Day to Kim and Diane!
I’m going to disagree with your logic here. Even if we assume the whole ninja scenario to be true, the defendants are still in a three-person gay relationship, there’s a history of recreational drug use, and two of them are fairly heavily into BDSM. From a PR standpoint, they had very little room to maneuver. Had they come forward and said that they we’re just three upstanding citizens in the wrong place at the wrong time, the police could have simply tipped reporters to start digging into the details of their relationship, and a media feeding frenzy would have ensued. The other option was to come forward as three gay men in a polyamorous relationship, two of whom are into BDSM, who had the misfortune of hosting a heterosexual house-guest on the night he fell prey to ninja assassin. In this situation, I suspect that any PR firm in the country would tell you to just keep your mouth shut.
calling this “logic” is a bit of a stretch. and I laugh at Craig’s pretensions to know better than the lawyers on the trouple’s legal team. these, unlike our editor(s), are not amateurs. speaking of lawyers, have the editors ever considered the fact that they might need some someday?
Is that a threat?
Anon: God forbid anyone second guesses or questions the infallibility of a lawyer.
This was a simple exercise looking at one of the more enduring and curious aspects of the defendants’ behavior following the savage murder of their good friend. If they are indeed innocent of the slaying, then that defies common sense.
And if, God forbid, a friend of mine is butchered in my home, and the killer remained at large, I’ll retain a lawyer then. And I’ll offer a reward for his capture, assist the authorities every step of the way, console the victim’s family and manage to find the time to shout my innocence from the rooftops as well. But that’s me.
And if my attorney counsels me otherwise, he’s fired. He can go work for you. Good luck.
For the “real” lawyers on this site, to what degree do you think that lead members of the various defense teams have a pretty good idea of what actually went down that night? Do you think these “non-amateur” lawyers actually believe an unknown “intruder” committed this murder? (Actually, the opinions of smart, well-informed non-attorney folks like Craig are welcomed too!)
I asked a lawyer friend about this, and he said that defense lawyers prefer not to know if the client is guity generally, as they can’t “suborn perjury”, i.e. knowingly permit the making of false statements by their clients. And since Price is a lawyer, it seems he would be aware of that angle, and would be unlikely to allow it to be revealed to the trouple’s lawyers if they are guilty.
Understood. But with their greater access to information and attention to this case, I can’t help but wonder what independent personal conclusions various members of the defense team have formed. Of course, we’ll never really know. But just wondering if these folks ever independently formulate their own contrarian opinions even while acting in the best interests of their client.
Perhaps, Spag may leave a tell-all memoir about the case to a young and handsome protege, who, in turn, will bequeath it to the National Archives. On the other hand, I do not see Bernie being very self-reflective — only self-protective, that one.
This seems to be a show stopper question most lawyers don’t want to discuss, given their vested interests in protecting their client.
Agree – but John’s question also included more. I think they have an opinion because they do know all the ins and outs of what WE know and have picked up cues and innuendo along the way DESPITE the fact that they DO NOT want to know. They are human (well, for the most part:)). They may try very hard NOT to know but in a sense their opinions are useful in making sure things make sense for the presentation.
JOHNGRISHAM An attorney’s knowledge about a client’s prior, current or future bad acts have ethical ramifications and involve professional responsibilities which may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In any case (so to speak), an attorney is less likely to be hindered in his or her defense of a client by not knowing than knowing. While ignorance of the law is not an excuse for a defendant, ignorance of the facts may be for an attorney. This is not to say that attorneys do not form opinions about crimes any less than do police, prosecutors, judges, jurors or the general public.
Noted in the NLJ over the weekend:
“Price, who left Arent Fox in January 2009, is ‘relieved that this is finally all going to be put in play,’ said his lawyer, Bernard Grimm of Cozen O’Connor. ‘He is hopefully, along with his co-defendants, going to get his life back.'”
A shame the same can’t be said for Robert.
Yes, that is a curiously freighted turn of phrase isn’t it.
HOYALOYA
Right on! It’s a crying shame.
Yes, with that infuriating quote, Culuket must mean his life of starting up Eyecandy.dvds, celebrating at Halo, flirting at Alt dot bomb, failing at Weightwatchers, and getting “burned steaks” over and over again from a passive-aggressive wife. Yes, let’s get on with it, by all means.
Still, I wonder how their defense lawyers and their subcontractors rationalize the household’s innocents against all contrary evidence.
Much as an aspiring operating room surgeon would not fare well if he or she wished only to treat healthy patients, a criminal defense attorney would not fare well if he or she wanted only to represent innocent defendants. It goes with the territory. Indeed, the potential death of patients and execution of clients are reasons why some choose other occupations.
Ugh. “we’re” should be “were”.
Orange: Lawyers by nature play a defensive game. Fine, that’s their DNA.
But take a page out of any campaign 101 handbook and it says to define yourself before others define you. The threesome, by the circumstances they found themselves in were fully defined by their deafening silence, not once directly proclaiming their innocence. And to me, that looks like a failed communications strategy.
I still don’t agree. The indictment pretty much defined them as three gay men with a trunk full of BDSM gear, and a house guest who was stabbed to death in their guest room. There’s not much you can do to define yourself at that point. Any press conference would’ve been a total disaster. I suppose they could’ve come forward and said, “We didn’t do it,” and run from the cameras, but there’s no way they could’ve answered questions, and that would’ve simply reinforced the idea that they have something to hide.
For most Washington stories, “the cover-up is worse than the crime.” Hence, this axiom has led to what Nixon and Clinton should have learned — admit everything and ask for forgiveness before the piranhas of the press turn on you. Yet in this case, the crime is far worse than the cover-up, and the defendants are probably responsible for both. So, silence is their best policy, as they wait for the government to never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Thanks, Mr. Wagner and Dr. G.!
CRAIG You are thinking like an investigative journalist or a political spokesperson not a defense lawyer. The professional responsibility of a physician is to save a patient notwithstanding the quality of life which may result. The professional responsibility of a lawyer is to acquit a client in a court of law not in the court of public opinion.
A variation on the Ninja theme, of course, would be Mr. Ward or, to a much lesser extent, Mr. Price as an agent of a foreign power (probably in Asia) who wanted Mr. Wone dead. This is especially ridiculous, given Dyl’s spotty resume and Joe’s complete lack of interest in foreign affairs.
A variation on the intruder theme, then, would be Michael Price, either as innocent partier or murderous accomplice, taking away the incriminating stuff to the nearest sewer or elsewhere. The police have investigated that possibility.
Overal, I think that the trouple has remained silent in part because they have done these kinky scenes before without the theatrical scenarios ending up in murder. Other shoes would begin to drop if they started to talk.
Clio:
Here’s a thought
Your last paragraph-kinky scenes before without ending up in murder- makes sense.
It seems to me that Robert Wone, despite the income loss that came with his new job-
was on his way to success- he was already very active in Asian-American and political bases (appointed to a commission or two in Virginia).
He and Kathy-Robert only needed one wife- were considering adopting a child from China (per the WASHINGTONIAN) to form a family with children.
Robert had charm galore.
Joe on the other hand had nothing but money and had reached the partnership in his firm.
He was going nowhere. He was not known for his charm. HIs highs depended on drugs and kinky scenes.
Robert was catching up and with a bright future.
An involuntary kinky scene would have been abusive and demeaning to Robert with Joe once again thinking that he-Joe- was calling the shots.
(Note: that in his interrogation Joseph Price belittled Robert’s career. Is that the way you treat a “friend” who has just been murdered.)
Where and when then did these kinky scenes take place? 1509 Swann was too cramped even for city living, and one could hardly have a dungeon in the parlor with its Maria Callas picture just on the side. If one is really into BDSM, then one usually has a well-equipped playroom with “butch” industrial and working-man’s design. Also, how could one “exercise” in those rooms: an elliptical machine would not fit, and a Bosu ball would be too bulky. Joe and Dyl must have usually played at a safe and undisclosed location, perhaps at the Crew Club’s deluxe specialty room, and their bringing of their “exercise” routines to Victor’s domestic sphere — “Home Sweet Home” — must have caused Ma’am to be so alarmed that she left Denver early.
The items in Dyl’s treasure chest were comprehensive, but could you use all of those things in tandem at Swann with its thin walls and Victorian layout? And, why were they all neatly stored that particular night: were any of them recently cleaned and put away just before midnight, too?
Joe’s casual dissing of his friends and family that night is despicable: it is probably no wonder that Miss Morgan has avoided any symbolic display of support at Moultrie. Aunt Marcia, he is probably talking about you behind your back as well!
From what I gather, Joe and Dylan had an offsite property which could have housed a dungeon or other playroom.
Really Robert? Do you have any real hard information about that? Something that you could share with the police? Because I have always thought (suspected) that those two had some other venue for fun and games that was not Swann St and probably wasn’t the crack house. I wonder if the police analyzed photographs and if Covington can now ask in this civil context “what is this place, who owns it?”
Unfortunately, Anna, it is only second hand information. Given the
less than stellar track record of law enforcement in this case, I would not expect them to have uncovered the place even should it exist in fact. I wish I knew more.
Where is this possible place of mirth, Robert? Inquiring minds want to know! Is it within the District, or is it in Silver Spring, Maryland?
I do not know that I would call it a
“place of mirth” — especially under the circumstances. In any case, I was given to understand that it was in DC.
Clio,
I’ve long thought that Joe was professionally jealous of Robert. Hence, Joe’s arrogant badgering of Robert’s desire to meet with the night crew. Joe was trying to cheapen Robert’s desire and efforts to know everyone at RFA. I imagine the night crew were some of the broadcasters!
Likely the night crew were broadcasters because of the time differences between Asia and USA.
Robert was smart enough to cover all the bases.
Evidently this did not occur to Mr. Joseph Price whose mind was on other things.
Exactly, Eagle. Shows how self-absorbed Joe is. Belittling the efforts and accomplishments of others to make himself seem bigger and better.
Besides what appears to be professional jealousy on the part of Joe who perceived himself to be mentor to protege Robert, I suspect that Joe would regard his subordinates not as colleagues but as peons unlike Robert who appeared to have a more egalitarian view of those around him. I believe that Robert would have introduced himself to the night staff whatever their stations might have been.
Patsy & John Ramsey’s suffered under the burden of a very heavy cloud of suspicion for many years. The police had a hunch the parents covered up daughter JonBenét’s murder by staging the scene to make it look like the work of pedophile pervert intruder.
Spectacularly bad casework including negligent contamination of the crime scene by the Boulder Police Department made things worse.
Years later, after improved DNA tests we learned that it was an intruder.
Just saying.
John and Patsy Ramsay were NOT into extreme BDSM and casual drug use, and their brother did not burglarize their house two months after the murder. Plus, their house did not have a high gate in the back, and, unlike our threesome, they seemed genuinely upset both over the murder itself and their “framing” by the police.
Dr. Rush, “if you are going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair!” Just saying.
Seems to me, if teh door were left ajar there would NOT have been a second chime.
Joe claims a chime woke him up. He also claims Victor was asleep beside him.
Victor says he thought he heard a chime, as well. But it wasn’t the chime that Joe heard.
The chimes would occur upon opening the door and closing the door. But the door was left ajar. Hence, no second chime.
Victor is fibbing when he said he thought he heard the chime.
Ya think!
That’s not a very nice reply, AnnaZed.
I hate that the internet can not capture tone. I was just agreeing with you in an enthusiastic way.
Whew! Thanks AnnaZed. I pouted after I read that. LOL
I am so sorry!
Yes, Joe is a big fat liar, I agree (and thanks for triangulating yet another instance of it).
Price said (Part I, pp. 75-76):
“I did not hear another chime like if somebody had closed the door, you know. If, if you come in and you open the door, it chimes. When you close it, it dosen’t make noise anymore. But if you open it again, it would make this same noise.”
According to Mr. Price, the door chimes only when opened, not when closed again. The Price chime was supposedly on ninja entry–door opens, chimes, then closes. The Zaborsky chime was supposedly on ninja exit–door opens, chimes, then left “just not flush with the frame.” If the accounta are correct, all we could say is that the ninja must have closed the door behind him on entry.
It was interesting that Mr. Zaborsky rarely manages to mention the chime in his primary accounts of the Great Descent. He always tosses in the chime reference later.
Joe wanted it this way — Fall guy: Michael. Dupe: Victor. Scapegoat: Dyl. “Isn’t he our friend?,” said Culuket. Isn’t he, indeed!
CLIO/CDINDC
I tend to agree with you both on all counts. I think that Ben Franklin’s just trying to be a lightning rod in a BDSM scene.
Robert, I never knew that Poor Richard was into BDSM: no wonder he was so popular as a septugenarian with the ladies of Paris. Then again, Dr. Rush was a handsome ladies’ man, too, prone to doing anything to attract the fairer sex. But something tells me that this incarnation of either Dr. Franklin or Dr. Rush is far more talk and much less action.
They are so damaged. Even more now than before.
Only now, everyone gets to see.
Er … um … John, what are you talking about?
(Not being hostile, I must have lost track of the conversation and reading in sequence I have no idea what you are referring to.)
Along the lines of, they’ve been digging themselves a deeper grave, but may have only recently realized that so many other people have been watching them accomplish this.
Ah, now I follow you.
Yes, Joe particularly dug himself in deep in his interviews. It is interesting to contemplate how vexing the interest in this case must be to Joe et all. Most murders don’t have the same scrutiny devoted to them for years after the fact by myriad parties, a few die-hard journalists maybe (hamstrung by publisher’s protocols), family members or private investigators, but a group of random relentless strangers? It’s amazing. The internet is an interesting place. You can run but you can’t hide, or not as defendants were able to hide only say 10 years ago. I can’t think of any case where I have been able to read and contemplate the entirety of a group of defendants statements and all of the legal filings before. They have always been public records but not so easily accessed and carefully complied as our dedicated mods have done. Joe must be having apoplexy over this.
Yet, AZ, Team Price’s use of technology amazes me as well — the Alt dot com entry, the massage ads, Michael’s Manhunt, Eyecandy. dvds, the workplace computer photos, the electrostim machine, etc. Are these cries for help, or displays of contempt?
I wonder why Aunt Marcia and/or Kim and/or the elder Wards (a new Quadruple Alliance, perhaps, out of “adversity”) haven’t started up their own blog to defend their boys — maybe, even they see that there is little to defend.
Ok, I have to ask, are you the novelist John Grisham?
Ok I have to ask, are you Frank Zappa?
He’s dead, last I looked. 😉 But it was Plato who originally said that necessity is the mother of invention. And no, I’m not Plato either.
I know he’s dead (wonderful man). I was just commenting on the likelihood of our dear John being a famous novelist.
Ok, fair enough. But this case is strange enough, it somehow wouldn’t be totally beyond the pale if the novelist took an interest, given that he writes mystery-thrillers.
Not at all, I hope the real Grisham is reading (if he weighed it, wouldn’t that be fascinating), but our John simply could not be him.
Just sayin’
I just got back from DC where I lived for 10 years. In a way my hometown. So I bought the Washingtonian for the Real Estate main article and came across this “Swann St. murder case” Reading the article I come across this blog, read more related articles. It is like something out of a movie. The carachters out of Central Casting. First I studied at CUA and met students from GU, AU, GW then I frequented the gay scene and saw all the fund raising, parties, HR Fund etc of early 90 and mid 90’s. Therefore this case is so “fascinating” in a sad way. “Top” students, professionals, not your regular “crack related” violence of the former “Murder Capital” So unlike the “Disney Washinton” compared to the 80’s and 90’s when I lived there. Well, after reading and thinking, I’ve come to the conclusion that Victor is in a relationship where he is the “mature level head” and probably submissive partner in the original Joe/Victor couple, that’s why he accepts a third person in, cleans everything up and makes a frantic call to 911 after all has been arranged. Then you have Joe the “gay poster boy” probaly tired of dominating the relationship and finds Dylan someone that exites him and puts some kink on his boring couple life by following his orders. Dylan obviously here is the dominant factor. Victor submissive, goes to bed alone…. Joe has a cute Asian college friend and Dylan obviously has a kink for Asian boys after living in Japan and Taiwan. Probably Joe in college found Robert attractive,he himself had lived in Japan, but it was a different time, and one decided being friends was good enough if nothing more could happen, however a latent desire/kink existed. Both graduated get good jobs “get married” and have the perfect “mainstream” fashioned life. Therefore having your gay college friend through a 30th birthday party with his partner and “close friend” is normal. However, this third wheel, Dylan, a total outsider to the original relationship between Joe and Robert is very exited to meet Joe’s cute Asian friend, and starts fantasizing and waking up Joe’s latent libido for his old college chum. Because Victor is the obviously not part of the kink between Joe and Dylan, he stays in the room. Perfect oportunity for Dylan’s plan, Joe’s friend shows up without his wife and spends the night! What begins like a little “fun and prank” goes very wrong with a suffocation or electrical shock maybe heart failue, Dylan freaks out and stabs Robert trying to set up the scene for a “mystery intruder” With all the noise in the house, Victor wakes up, freaks out and starts with his submissive and responsible mature grown man role. Cleans everything, organizes everything, sends all to the shower and calls 911. Now they are in a big mess and can’t leave it. Victor is covering for his love Joe, Joe is covering for his kinky lover Dylan. Who is Dylan covering? His own perverted mind. Why don’t they look up Joe’s connections on Alt.com interview former sex partners, search phone calls on all phone, e-mails etc. Search for credit card and Debit card purchases of seringes and medical supplies. Why if there are needle marks there are no drugs found in the body. Where the marks result of piercing just for “teasing” and kink? Well that’s my theory, who knows what will come out of this, one thing is obvious, a greiving widow, and friends and parents missing a loved son and friend.
ANDRE
Much if not all of that which you comment upon has been discussed previously on the various subordinate slave blogs connected with the dominant Who Murdered Robert Wone master blog.
In any event, I think that a few clarifications are in order.
Joseph is the narcissistic center of attraction upon whom both Victor and Dylan depend in some similar as well as some different ways.
Victor depends on Joe emotionally with respect to their spousal relationship and Dylan depends on Joe for both mental stability and material security. In recent years, Joe has procured employment for Dylan to whom residence was given.
Joseph and Victor are fathers to two children being raised by a couple of Lesbian friends. Victor’s apparent screaming response upon seeing Robert dead was anything but that of a “level head.”
Joe is the dominant submissive and Dylan the submissive dominant in their BDSM relationship which more than likely exists because Victor is into sex of the more vanilla variety.
Open relationships frequently begin by the “one who loves less” requesting/demanding it from the “one who loves more.” At that point, the one who loves more has two choices: 1) acquiesce and keep the one who loves less that he loves more or 2) reject and thereby the one who loves more thus loses the one who loves less.
This is how I believe Dylan was introduced into this household.
Regarding Joseph and Dylan’s BDSM relationship, I believe that the dominant submissive, Joseph, tells the submissive dominant, Dylan, what he the dominant submissive wants. In other words, Joe choreographs a ritual that Dylan carries out according to a script prepared in advance by Joe and agreed to by Dylan.
If you read other submissions by various people on this blog, I think you will find that Dylan is anything but dominant in his relationship with Joseph. Joe would never allow such to pass.
Dylan was not the “third wheel” you make him out to be. His relationship with Joseph was more than physical such that Victor would even admit to efforts being made by both Joe and he bring Dylan closer into the emotional relationship between Vic and Joe.
Victor and Dylan both knew Robert prior to the evening in question. It was Joseph who with unrequited love for Robert enlisted Dylan to assist Joe in fulfilling his long held fantasy.
While one might reasonably describe Wone’s life as “mainstream” through and through, Joe’s life only appeared to be that way to
outsiders. As more than a little evidence shows, Joe’s life had a hidden dark side which existed long before the fateful evening.
Robert died of some combination of drugs, suffocation and stabbing. Electro-ejaculation stimulation devices do not generally cause death and the coroner did not find so.
The coroner has decribed the stab wounds as surgical in nature. While stabbings usually take place in connection with “crimes of passion,” the angle and depth of the wounds in this case suggest that they were not made by somebody totally out of control.
With respect to the stabbing, the big debate on this blog has been whether Dylan with his culinary training or Joseph with his Eagle Scout background did the deed though a minority have made a reasonable case that Victor may have actually been the one.
This was no “prank” as you put it. The timeline alone suggests that much of the events were planned well in advance of Rober’t appearance at Swann Street that night. Virtually all the WMRW bloggers agree that no one person could not have done all that moving, positioning, cleaning and disposing which took place.
Given Joseph being the love of Victor’s life and Dylan’s general dependence on Joe, Vic and Joe have good reasons to cover for Joe in particular and each other in general.
Both the police and the WMRM gang have investigated what they could find regarding Joe and Dylan’s trolling of websites as well as emails between the various parties. Given that there were no phone taps so far as I know, the only calls that could have been traced “so to speak” would be remaining voicemails.
Two calls were made from Robert’s Blackberry in the course of that fateful evening at Swann Street. But we will never know from the instrument itself who placed those calls or what the content may have been because it was apparently erased by the FBI team prior to their or the DC MPD’s examination thereof.
The WMRM gang has searched in vain for former sex partners of any of the three men. So far as I know, the only thing we have unearthed is Joseph’s having gotten very intoxicated one night at Ziegfield/Secrets following which he “came on” to an Asian dancer to the point of offering to pay that dancer to come home with him. The dancer declined after learning that Joe had a partner. He ultimately contacted the blog moderators after learning about the case. He may be luckier than he knows.
Any and all items such as drugs and needles could have been purchased by any means at any time in connection with the drug use by Joseph, Dylan or Michael as well as the ongoing BDSM scenes of Joe and Dylan. Cash payments would have made sense.
There are too many drugs for a coroner, toxicologist or other forensic professional to test for in any case. Tests are done for drugs which a reasonable professional would think are likely to have a connection to the circumstances in question. Date rape drugs are metabolized within a relatively short time. The coroner did not conclude that a paralytic had been used until it was too late in terms of both metabolism and/or blood evidence.
While this will be of cold comfort to Robert’s widow, father, mother, brother and friends, we can only hope for justice.
I can’t believe any self respecting fag like Spag would take this case — I know everyone is entitled to a robust defense and the whole innocent until guilty, but come on — did he really need the noteriety that much for his fragile ego to represent this sleeze.
Here are all of the possibilities that I can think of for who killed Robert:
1. A random intruder
2. An intruder known to the trouple
3. A hired assassin
4. An assassin hired by one of the three housemates
5. One of the housemates
6. Two of the housemates
7. Three of the housemates
8. A fifth person
9. Nobody – it was an accident
10. Robert (suicide)
As Craig notes, even the trouple admit that 1 is implausible. 10 is ridiculous, as is, probably 4.
3 is also farfetched – the new General Counsel of RFA seems an unlikely target compared with a policy director or influential on-air personality. As for the idea sometimes floated that Robert might have been CIA – if so, Kathy and probably Robert’s parents would have known and would have kept a much lower profile since, certainly not starting a (in that case frivolous) civil suit that would call more attention to the murder. Even if we consider the Dylan-as-secret-Thai-agent theory, that would remain a company matter. I would note that in the Helle Crafts “woodchipper” murder, which helped bring Dr. Lee to national attention, there was a wild theory that the victim was a KGB agent who had been spirited back to the USSR and her husband framed to cover her tracks. He was convicted by the way (after an initial mistrial).
Numbers 2 and 5 through 8 remain the most plausible, with Michael as a strong candidate for 2 or 8. The variant of 8 that the fifth person was someone invited by Robert for a tryst covered up by the trouple is less plausible, given what we know of Robert’s character. As for 9, in revisiting the Ramsey case, thanks to our own Ben’s recent comment, I was blackly amused to note that Dr. Lee had theorized that Jon Benet died in an accident, which was then covered up to look like an intruder murder.
Agreed Mother of I.
Lawyers, if you can speculate, what part of the “chime” story will be included in testimony? Timeline, is key.
today i have been thinking about the jon benet ramsey case (we were all sure that someone related to her who lived in the home killed her) and the chandra levy case (new book out by the wapo writers who figured out who the real killer was after we all spent a summer thinking that it was condit), and i’ve been thinking about Hoya’s list of possibilities (very helpful by the way). in the ramsey and levy cases the speculation, the obvious answers, and the conventional wisdom were all wrong. we must keep this in mind as we watch this case unfold.
this case is full of speculation, so let me add some more regarding Hoya’s #8. Could the killer have been (a) someone who got the wrong house? intended to kill someone in a bedroom on the second floor, and killed the wrong guy in the wrong house by mistake? or (b) someone who followed Robert there and had some ax to grind with him? like the person whose job Robert took at the radio station? or someone else with a grudge against Robert? someone from his old law firm; someone he offended somewhere? someone else who was up for Robert’s new job and didn’t get it? some irrational person who saw Robert as a professional or personal enemy? (c) [i mean no offense to anyone here, but speculation and brainstorming is the name of the game] someone connected with Robert’s wife? She was one of the few people who knew he would be staying there.
Everyone seems to focus on the motive as being something sexual, but could there be another motive that someone had to do harm to Robert? just wondering. maybe it wasn’t sexual at all.
i continue to have difficulty with the notion that the trio did extensive cleaning and concocted a coherent cover story in such a short period of time, particularly given how internally consistent their recorded stories to the police are. sorry to be such a skeptic of the government’s case but this is where the evidence leads me at this point.
that said, remember there is so much that we don’t know yet. we have no idea what most witnesses are going to testify to (except the experts and some of the police), and as the recap of today’s events shows, even when we think we know what witnesses will say, they don’t always says what we expect.
PLUMSKITER
The killer was not a professional assassin. He scaled a wall by jumping on a car according to the defendants, lucked out that the gate alarm was off, arriving unarmed he found the murder weapon by rustling around in a kitchen drawer and cleaned up after himself.
I think that your theory in this regard is a little far fetched and inconsistent with the facts — even under an intruder scenario.
Robert appeared to have not only been highly respected but well liked at the law firm. I am aware of no evidence suggesting that Robert’s predecessor at Radio Free Asia was terminated. Unlike the traditional pattern whereby friends come into a marital relationship through the wife, the opposite appears to be true in this case. The only friends of Robert or Kathy’s that have been immplicated in this case lived on Swann Street.
I came up with my unrequited love theory immediately after the murder. I introduced it on this Who Murdered Robert Wone blog upon my learning of the site from the LGBT magazine METROWEEKLY.
Much as had been the case when I propounded it years before the creation of this blog, it appeared to catch people’s attention almost immediately. What began as a theory which proved intriguing to others has since become a staple.
For a combination of reasons, the coroner concluded that there was a sexual assault. I would say that there is a lot of circumstantial evidence to support her claim.
Your observation about the witnesses in this case would be true in any trial.
i do not have “a theory”. i am just trying to look objectively at the evidence we know about thus far and figure out what could have happened. so, i was simply offering my reflections on hoya’s earlier post about the possible scenarios and the dangers of focusing on one theory to the exclusion of others, a la the ramsey and levy cases.
“lucked out that the gate alarm was off.”
Hmmm.
How did our intruder know the house alarm was turned off?
I assume, but don’t know, that 1509 had one of those little “protected by…” signs in front, and a lighted numeric keypad or similar entry device by the back door.
So, our intruder, having hopped the 9′ gate, now grabs the door handle, and gambles that a) the door is unlocked; AND b) the alarm isn’t set; AND c) that the inhabitants aren’t home or are all asleep just 35 minutes (max) after the last light went off. That tall gate is now potentially blocking the intruder’s escape. No car to stand on, either. The intruder’s best strategy would be to open the gate (if possible), propping it open if necessary, before trying the door. (Can you open the gate quietly?)
Of course, if our intruder is a ninja, he is fully prepared to defeat both the alarm and the lock, using skills gained in ninja school, but this time, his skills aren’t needed. His athletic skills make the gate a trivial obstacle. The ninja is planning an assassination, but doesn’t bring a weapon. Or, if he does, he decides not to use his fearsome ninja skills in favor of a kitchen knife.
But maybe our intruder is someone who has a key and knows the combination, and isn’t worried about his/her reception at 1509. Why would such a person come in the back door?–and maybe he/she didn’t.
So, if you ‘buy’ the intruder theory, the intruder theory that makes the most sense (to me) is that the intruder was someone who knew how to get into 1509 whether or not the door was locked and the alarm set.
Or the “intruder” was in the house when Robert arrived. Perhaps the intruder even had a glass of water with everyone. I wonder if the intruder had steaks and wine earlier in the evening. Maybe it was the intruder that burned the steaks. Being that intruders are usually the ones that are being “grilled”, I’m sure the 1509 intruder was not a master at the bbq.
BADSHOES
Agreed.
I believe that Joseph or Dylan hung out a Japanese lantern with a picture of a black widow spider on the top and in MANdarin red neon large congee characters it read: “NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO ‘OFF’ YOUR BEST FRIEND WITHOUT ALARM.”
Than in small characters, it read: “don’t worry about bringing a murder weapon, there is a knife waiting in the kitchen drawer.”
N.B. There is no way that when the Louis Hinton who had a restraining order against his “whatever” Michael Price and Joseph Price first represented him, then Victor bailed him out and then again they both invited him to stay with them in order to reduce the likelihood of recidivism that Joe and Vic would have given Louis either the keys or the codes to the house.
Instead, Louis was given a choice, either: 1) stay inside all day until one of the three of us gets back from work or 2) stay outside all day until one of the three of us gets back from work. That way we can insure that you won’t pass the keys or the codes on to your erstwhile lover Michael Price the druggie.
The reason being that Michael has this bad habit of breaking and entering into his brother Joseph’s house. But not so that he can steal stuff for drug money only to have it pawned by Louis with whom Michael doesn’t have a relationship while Michael stashes the rest of the stuff in the trunk of his car hoping that some drug dealer will find it and give him the money he mistakenly thought he needed.
No. The real reason that Michael breaks into Joe’s house is so that he can get the money he needs to pay the tuition for his hiRE education to go to phlebotomy school at Montgomery College.
Unfortunately, Michael had to miss the only class he missed on the night of the murder. But that was because he was studying for the Medical College Aptitude Test so that he could become a psychiatrist and study the phenomena of Gay sibling bullying.