A Defense Version Of What Happened
With news on the Robert Wone case trickling to a standstill after the civil judgement, we thought this would be a good time to report something we heard.
It seems that a certain investigator for the defense has not been discrete about what she thinks went down the night of August 2, 2006 at 1509 Swann Street.
For folks who attended the trial this investigator stood out. She looked like someone more at home attending an L.A.-based celebrity trial, such as the O.J. Simpson case, instead of one in frumpy, fashion-challenged Washington, DC.
Whether it was the Christian Louboutin heels, the striking slit skirts and bleached blonde mane, one couldn’t help but notice her.
Yet, her identity and purpose remained a mystery.
Throughout the trial folks could be identified — Wone family or supporters; defendants, their families and supporters; or they were press people and interested trial observers. One of the tell-tale signs was who gathered with whom when the trial was on break.
She never gave up a single source of information about who she was or why she was there, even when we prodded or tried to broker a conversation,
It turns out she was hired by Joe Price’s counsel, Bernie Grimm, and was his investigator. Could she have been the one who found the caved-in plastic toy in the house next door?
Whether or not she discovered this information, she certainly has some opinions that she is sharing.
Seems that even she doesn’t believe there was an intruder that night. A rather surprising admission coming from the defense bench. Their entire case was premised on an unknown intruder breaking into the house and murdering Robert.
She believes there was no intruder that night and Robert committed suicide.
This, of course, raises more questions than it answers. If that was the case, then how did Joe and Victor hear the door chime go off before the low-breathy grunts sounded, which woke them from their slumber. Her answer is Robert went outside for a breath of air when he went down to get the knife from the knife set in the kitchen. Robert, also, forgot to lock the back door as well. Seems no one cared to lock the back door that night.
Then, he went upstairs and stabbed himself three times, once into the difficult-to-pierce breast bone.
This far-fetched scenario seems to reveal a couple of things. First, even people inside the defense camp did not believe the intruder story. Our leggy investigator should be congratulated for this rationale and reasoned thought.
Yet, because our Christie Brinkley look-alike believes her client is innocent, she is left with a scenario so outside the realm of possibility it is absurd.
— David
I should have stopped reading at defense team and blonde.
@Christy Love…well said!
Like
Sarcasm and satire are often misunderstood in print. When I got to “Christie Brinkley”, I couldn’t tell if the investigator really was Christie Brinkley (very unlikely, but then so is everything else in the post) or if this whole post was just some bizarre attempt at satire. If it was satire, I think you missed the mark.
If there’s any truth at all to this, please clarify it. If this person really was at the trial and she really was a PI hired by Bernie Grimm who is now telling people she thinks Robert Wone committed suicide and is now telling this to everyone she can talk to, the editors should tell us that they’ve been in touch with at least one person she’s talked to.
Bill,
The only satire is in calling her Christie Brinkley. And we won’t say who she is speaking to as that would reveal our source.
David
Okay, so everything in the article is accurate except the “Christie Brinkley” comment, and you DO have a source?
Your description of her is borderline-sexist, but I’m chalking that up to a gay man appreciating a very fashionable woman (e.g. “Christian Louboutin heels”)–newcomers to this site are unlikely to realize this, so you may want to edit it.
Maybe I watch too much television, but this woman doesn’t sound like an “investigator” to me. She sounds like a “fixer”. And if it turns out she’s told this story to more than one person, I’d say that’s EXACTLY what she is. (The only thing about the above story that argues against this is that she says she was hired by Bernie Grimm, Joe Price’s lawyer. Price needs a fixer more than the other two, so her story would sound better if she had been working for, say, Dylan Ward’s lawyer.)
Let me hazard a guess here: Your source is (a) a heterosexual man (or someone who would easily pass as one) and (b) either (1) an attorney in DC, Virginia, or Florida OR (2) a distant friend of either Robert Wone’s or one of the defendants, one who was not following the case very closely, if at all. And his interaction with this woman would’ve seemed like a completely “chance encounter”. If I were a beautiful woman trying to spread the rumor that Robert Wone committed suicide, that’s exactly who I’d target.
How am I doing?
I love Christian Louboutin heels, but this “investigator” appears to be no more than one of Mr. Grimm’s “particular friends.” If this story about a rumor is true, then Bernie really must have a dark sense of humor, or, perhaps, a low standard when it comes to evaluating associates on their professional, not aesthetic, merits.
Blame the victim for the crime and then move to Miami: Team Price remains charming after all of these years!
Nice to see that there is something new on this site to keep the conversation going. Robert committed suicide?!! Come on, now! Anyway, here’s a link to a Yahoo news article about children who are psychopaths. I would like to know more about the childhoods of Victor Zaborsky, Joe and Michael Price, and Dylan Ward.
I’ve wondered all day if, in the entire history of world, there has ever been a suicide in which someone stabbed themselves in the chest 3 times. It’s totally absurd.
The best guess I can come up with is that this woman is trying to plant this rumor for people who are only doing cursory looks into this story. That way, if Joe Price (for example) is looking for a job, he can say that he (Price) was found not guilty at trial, and that his (Joe Price’s) “independent” investigator thought it was a suicide. And if he’s “lucky”, a friend of a friend or a colleague of a colleague at the place he’s applying to will have talked to that same investigator. What a co-incidence! “Stabbed in the chest” will become “cut with a knife”, and Price was only prosecuted because he was gay.
I can’t say that I think this would be effective, but if I were trying to restore the defendants’ good names, it’s as good a plan as anything else I can come up with.
Even if you find a person they say did something similar, it’s a lie, just like in this case. Reminds me of gary webb, whom the government wants us to believe committed suicide by shooting himself in the head twice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Webb
The most interesting thing about that Gary Webb article is the link to the wiki article about multiple gunshot suicides. It does happen. A bullet to the dead doesn’t necessarily incapacitate you.
I also did some quick research into multiple-chest stab suicides. That does happen too, though it’s very rare. And it’s a theory that has almost zero credibility coming fro ma defense investigator, of course. Still, WHATEVER happened that night in D.C. was an incredibly bizarre, unusual occurrence, so it’s tough to just rule anything out.
are you blonde and leggy?
Ha, I am blond but I believe my legs are proportional to the rest of my body. I’m also a guy. But I did just see that she’s identified as “MW” in one of the photos. I will resist having fun with that and just have to admit that I do not, in fact, work for Joe Price. (But I would be amused if people start digging through my posts from the last 2 years looking for clues!)
Bill O, your theory is the most logical in my mind, to have “the investigator” conclude that it had been a suicide as a help to Joe & Co. It wraps up why no one is looking for the “real killer” and elicits a sympathetic response: so sad for all involved, poor desperate man, and poor gay trouple victimized by an anti-gay prosecution.
For people having absolutely NO information about the case, this might serve its purpose. For everybody else, it’s so ridiculous as to be insulting. And I think it’s also a really bad move for the defense to give up on the Ninja that served them so well.
I’m just HOPING that it’s not a ruse for making some argument that the defendants shouldn’t have to pay under the settlement agreement – e.g. that it was Robert’s intentional act and not their negligence or intentional actions which caused/resulted in his death. Personally I don’t THINK this is the case as it would be ridiculous for the trouple to want this dust-up when they so badly want the dust to settle.
Bea and Bill O: Only an idiot would believe R. Wone committed suicide.
There’s nothing in the public record as we know it about his profile that would suggest his wanting to take his life. He’s like the “anti-suicide” poster person (aside from the fact that he wasn’t a contortionist or a super-being who could kill himself in the way he was murdered).
But there’s no reason to believe the woman is an idiot. So is she in denial and feeling guilty from representing her client? If she is spreading her belief in that theory, then if I had her ear, I’d ask why she thought that. Because if you believe someone committed suicide you’d prob. have that idea from your client. And your client would likely give a reason as to why he thought that.
The “leggy” one (also know as the “associate”). Scroll down for the pic.
https://whomurderedrobertwone.com/2010/05/19/dark-day/
And again: https://whomurderedrobertwone.com/2010/06/24/day-22-updates/
If you click on the photo instead of “unidentified defense team member” she becomes “MW”. Any way of figuring out exactly who she is?
I don’t think leggy is too far off. As a matter of fact I think that is a pretty accurate description.
As for the suicide idea… well maybe not so much.
I suppose suicide is possible just like this could all be an illusion.
I think I am going to stick with that ninja hypothesis that surfaced months ago.
Suicide…ninja, ninja… suicide??? Yeah, now I am sure.
Ninja makes much more sense than suicide.
I can’t give you exact probabilities but I can rank possibilities from most likely to least likely:
(1) Robert is still alive in a parallel universe
(2) this is all an illusion
(3) a ninja did it
(4) suicide.
But if you encounter a leggy blond with ideas about the case I am definitely willing to listen.
What? I have an open mind. Really. I promise!
But just to play super-longshot devil’s advocate, there’s nothing to suggest a guy’s going to get killed by his friends while crashing in their guest room either. I’m a contrarian maybe, but anytime I hear anyone say, “that’s too far-fetched to be considered” it kind of sounds ridiculous. This entire case is far-fetched. Whatever the truth is, it’s far-fetched.
Hi mw,
By all accts, RW was the anti-suicide poster child of humanity. The way he was positioned, the fact that a med. examiner determined he was suffocated, the fact that the first stab-wound woulda incapacitated him, etc. These are only Some reasons as to why Legs’ ideas are in the realm of fantasy. Also, Legs’ boys (the troup’) banded together and pointed the finger at an “intruder.” Remember that was one of their fave, universal terms: Intruder. Not Legs’ word, not mine, not the eds, not B. Obama’s (thought I’d throw him in), but the label the fellas indicated as the culprit. If she worked for the defense, either as the “assistant” or the “investigator” then she was backing that tale. If she’s spreading another idea, then either she believed her client/s to be liars or she’s a liar. Either way: Liar. My word.
What does the enigmatic Mr. Ward think of Legs’ theory/fantasy — what he wanted to tell the police before being shushed by Joe, or what he wanted Joe to think after the murder happened?
Kinda what Susan said. Too, Victor and Joe heard the door chime go off before and after the knife wound grunts. Taking everything Legs suggested at face value and completely legit, then the second door chime wouldn’t make sense. Too, the idea that Robert punctured himself many times but left no syringes or needles nearby is kooky. Maybe some guys are into putting their own semen in their own rectums (not anus) but seems an odd thing to do pre-suicide. I don’t think I’d go to a CLE lecture my last night on Earth nor eat at Subway.
It would seem MORE realistic that there was a catalyst, i.e. that the suicide was not pre-planned – and some may go directly to Robert having had consensual sex with one/more of the trouple. If so, why was there no evidence of same and why did the trouple lie to the police?
I don’t think it’s possible to stab one’s self in the chest with such precision – for me, that’s the end of that for all intents and purposes. I think it’s an alternate theory being floated around for those who know “of” the story and facts very loosely.
A “last supper” at Subway –say no more!!
This was worth a read if only for the information that someone inside the Grimm/Price and Co. camp didn’t believe that there had been an intruder. That’s major. Now, if there’s no intruder, as a defense you have to say it wasn’t your client (or his boyfriends) so this produced the suicide theory. Perhaps with a different set of facts, it may have held water – say, a single gunshot wound, or jumping off the roof. But three surgically precise wounds? And we can’t forget that that first wound rendered Robert incapable of fighting back – no can fight back but can stab himself two more times without causing a single off-line cut mark? And so neatly wrapped up that he goes outside for his last breath of fresh air and forgets to lock up?
Only thought: WOW, and I have some gorgeous property just west of Malibu I’d like to sell folks in DC.
Why talk? Why talk and risk sounding ridiculously stupid – unless the real purpose is to get out there that she knew that there was no intruder and the absurdity of the rest of it can fall away as unimportant to the genuine message.
One other thought: that Robert went outside for air rustles up the old memory of the first Officer saying that Underwear Guy saw Robert on the porch and brought him in. Perhaps this was another test balloon that Joe was floating in the defense camp after deciding during interrogations that the “finding Robert outside” thing didn’t fly.
I so wish this case will be solved.
Floating trial balloons and red herrings at this late date, however, may indicate that Team Price may still be worried about a new trial. The third time may be the charm after all!
She was there, of course. You couldn’t miss her and I believe she’s in some of the photos of the “team” leaving the courthouse.
If she thinks or is spreading the rumor that she thinks he committed suicide then she must have some reason to believe something happened that night to make him want to kill himself. The question is what she thinks is the back story and what might be the backstory (minus an actual “suicide” of course, as that is likely physically impossible).
More of the defendants throwing mud on the deceased. If there was a real suspicion of a suicide, it would have taken the three a nanosecond to say that to the police. Sounds as tho someone came up with this one when he or she was mentally airborne.
Hate to post again, but I read the ed’s post and “Legs” version is just preposterous! It’s really almost unworthy of comment it’s so ridiculous.
If Legs has any ulterior motive in spreading this delusion, I’ll guess it’s a noble one: It’s to point out that she doesn’t believe there was an intruder, to admit (via her theory) that her client is a liar, and finally, and most importantly, to point out how utterly absurd anything OTHER than murder is. Thank you, Legs!
Hi,
This is off topic, do we have access to the trial transcripts? The whole trial.
Thanks.
Hi Christy – we don’t. The Eds. looked into the cost and it was prohibitive. Court reporters make a small fortune on them. The Eds. tried to work out something with counsel but weren’t able to get them.
Curious that not even the media got her name. It just screams “fixer” to me. My opinion stands: She’s trying to get the “suicide theory” out among distant friends of Wone and the defendants (particularly Price), as well as legal folks in DC and Virginia, and possibly the gay rights community, to try to pave some sort of way for the defendants (and again, Price in particular) to return from exile in Florida.
I think the “no intruder” part is motivated not because the defense believed that there was no intruder, but rather because the judge concluded that there wasn’t one. Note that the “suicide theory” is consistent with the judge’s written ruling–no intruder, and at least one of the the defendants knows more than they’re saying, in this case some evidence that this was indeed a suicide.
Like Bea, I think it’s all pure nonsense, but someone who knew only the vague details of the case–Wone died in Price and Zaborsky’s house (*)–would probably think it was plausible.
(*) Wone actually died in the hospital ER. It bears repeating that he was still alive in the ambulance and still alive on arrival at the ER, based on EKG results.
Suggestion to the eds: Why not just call Grimm’s office and ask who she is? You’ve posted two photos of her on your website already, and it seems like good journalism to call and ask for a name to go with the pictures. The response you get will probably tell you quite a bit about what’s going on here.
What? I thought Wone was dead and had been dead for “some time.”
The next theory will be he had homosex with them got depressed and stabbed himself three times.
From what we know, EKGs in both the ambulance and the ER showed pulseless electrical activity (PEA). That means that the heart is still trying to pump, but its output isn’t enough for you to feel a pulse.
But the bottom line is that if you ask pretty much anyone, “If someone is in pulseless electrical activity, are they alive or dead?”, the answer will be either “What’s that?” or “Alive.” That’s why Robert wasn’t declared dead on arrival (DOA) at the ER, and while we never got to see any of the ER records, the autopsy report makes it clear that the ER team made one hell of an effort to revive him.
No doubt Price gets antsy when he can’t obtain work in a high profile job while Zaborsky flits around the country posing with celebs and a milkman. This sounds like a Price cohort is trying to move things toward a return from exile.
The Elba of Miami Shores cannot be that bad for the former Arent Fox partner, and this suicide cover story could not possibly pave the way for a Price(y) Restoration at either a top-drawer law firm or a high-profile gay rights advocacy group. It’s not gonna happen!
Agree, Clio. Joe wasn’t liked and respected the way Victor was, and the facts are such that no sense of “pass” is afforded Joe by those with ANY knowledge. Joe will be making his money in a different way than before (and less of it). Can’t imagine the shingle he hung in DC makes any real money so he’s likely doing grunt work for a decent hourly wage. And it doesn’t appear he’s headed for glory in Florida since there’s no sign of him having passed the bar (or whatever hang up he’s facing in Florida). I wonder how it changes the family dynamic with Victor being their financial champion. I see the pre-disaster Whitney Houston trying to prop up Bobby Brown to not overshadow…
One could posit Victor as patriarch, putting both of his/her satellites on a tight financial and social leash: in this scenario, Mama’s got her groove back and more!
I’ll say the same thing I said on the Victor Zaborsky thread:
It’s a strong tribute to Kathy Wone’s good will that Victor still has a job. If I had been in her place, I would be asking every celebrity in that campaign, “Got murderder? Because Victor Zaborsky does, and he’s not telling who it is.”
What is/was Victor’s roll in this campaign? Did he create the slogan? Come up with the idea?
It’s my hope that the settlement included a provision where every time any of them gets a paycheck, a portion has to go into Robert’s memorial fund.
Legs (or is it “Heel”?) is fortunate this isn’t England, where she could be charged with slander/libel for spreading that kind of tale.
And VZ looks very peppy in that milk promo with the so-called “celebs.” DW has his massage studio and JP is practicing law in DC. Wonder was the bro of JP is up to.
Yes, Susan, is Michael still pursuing his studies at Montgomery College? Playing hooky can delay the pursuit of one’s dream.
Phlebotomy! Phlebotomy! The Ramones song that was almost written? I thought he moved to Florida. But maybe not. Anyone?
David (ed) wrote “Yet, because our Christie Brinkley look-alike believes her client is innocent, she is left with a sceanrio so outside the realm of possibility it is absurd.”
How can she believe her client is innocent when her client argued that he believed there was an “intruder” that night and said he heard a door chime as if someone left, etc.? Said client’s whole case in a U.S. court, which Grimm’s asst attended, was based on an “intruder” argument.
shes a moron
im talking about the leggy attorney when i said shes a moron.
It’s clearly been too long – I put a reply comment into the wrong post. Take 2:
Victor certainly looks no worse for wear. Two years ago at this time, Miss High Heels was swanning around the halls of Moultrie, never once introducing herself to us, ever after several entreaties on our part. Even Victor was more engaged with us than her – him holding the door open to Leibo’s courtroom after a recess, for our dear Michael. Whatevs.
For the longest time we thought Legs worked for Schertler and Spag. That was just our guess since thay dynamic and pricey duo were in effect running the show. We learned that she was Bernie’s dame, well after hearing about her indiscreetely peddling the suicide theory. Who told us she belonged to Bernie? A chance meeting with a colleague of Schertler’s, of course.
Have you called Bernie to ask for her name? You can tell him that you want to make sure she’s properly identified in photos on your website.
Here’s a view of the Leg in motion. She comes in about 11 seconds in. She is the one trailing the rest–it’s hard walking in Louboutin heels.
She’s in a light-colored suit, light-colored handbag and poufed up hair. Only the top part poufs though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDJhqwsMUqA
I thought I recalled in the Anacostia Interviews that the defendants had been asked “could Robert have killed himself?” so, of course, I had to do some reading. No one seemed to think it was a viable theory – or physically possible.
Random (and irrelevant to this post) thoughts about Joe’s interview:
Joe was specifically asked if he’d yelled to see if everyone was okay when running down the stairs (“did you yell out to anybody at all?”) – I didn’t remember this. It made me wonder why he didn’t think to factor in checking on Dylan. During the rest of the interview he can’t stop talking about how innocent Dylan is/was.
When asked whether he looked around when the chime woke him up, Joe answered that he wasn’t even sure he opened his eyes since it wasn’t troublesome. When the cop says that he wouldn’t know if Victor was in bed with him, Joe is then emphatic that Victor was indeed next to him in bed so he must’ve opened his eyes after all. Disingenuous, to me, as thought he suddenly remembers the importance of the two of them being together.
He was so adamant that “the intruder” came through the unlocked back door – didn’t it ever cross his mind that an accomplished “intruder” might be able to pick the front door lock? (Wonder if the external entrance to Sara’s house had a chime on it – I know he “heard” the chime, ruling out window entry). Just so odd to fix on a point of entry without ever mentioning “I saw that the intruder hadn’t broken any windows or jimmied the front door” (let alone the possibility that one of the myriad of unnamed contractors or Michael may have used a key OR why Joe is adamant that the front door was locked since DYLAN was the one who let Robert in).
I’m still stunned by his insistence that the intruder climbed back over the fence – and his “reasoning” for this that the back gate was closed yet in the same paragraph notes that it was odd the intruder did stop to close the kitchen door. Ridiculous. Okay, I’ll stop. I’ve beat this drum too many times but it astounds me every time I think about it.
In this newish spin, Bea, Joe was covering for Robert — a chivalrous act of self-sacrifice. The former Arent Fox partner mentioned all of these red herrings about an intruder just to cover up an impromptu suicide. At the same time, he worried about the police framing the love of his life for this impulsive act. Legs portrays Joe as a tragic hero caught at the wrong place and time: her penchant for revisionist history privileges Joe at the direct expense of Robert, who is not here to clarify the account.
Given this case, I can see why Bernie has been on Faux News!
So why aren’t Robert’s fingerprints on the knife if he stabbed himself?
Oh, that’s right….he wore surgical gloves and took them off and disposed of them somewhere before he died. Maybe that’s why the door was unlocked.
Oh yes, these were the surgical, not opera, gloves that Michael or Scott may have whisked away to protect Robert’s rep. Amazing!
The real killer must have worn them, according to Joe.
And of course Joe’s fingerprints weren’t on the knife either despite picking it up. Magical! Maybe there was an intruder who happened upon Robert’s suicide and HE wiped the knife. . . wait, Joe’s prints would still have been on the knife. Maybe the intruder waited in the closet until Joe went downstairs and the EMTs took Robert’s body away and THEN he wiped off the knife and used his spideywebs to depart.
Today would be Robert’s Bday!
RIP in peace Robert. You are remembered today and every day.
Amen!
I hope that Robert’s family, if not Robert himself, knows that a number of complete strangers want desperately to bring his killer(s) to justice. Like CD, I think of him daily.
CD, that was so funny, as were the subsequent comments. Bea, the Spidey theory is more believable than this one.
Christy Love, thanks for reminding everyone of this important anniversary date. I hope there’s a trouple of guys who are remembering too.
I’m guessing that the Late Unpleasantedness of 2006-11 is all water under the bridge for them now — although why would they all stick together if they’re scot free … except, perhaps, for old times’ sake?
We all know that Robert had emailed two friends in DC asking if he could crash at their apartments (was the other ever confirmed as Lisa Godard?). Sure seems like if it’s a suicide decision, he would’ve had a preference as to locations. And perhaps brought his own knife. And a pre-prepared note instead of letting his friends be questioned for his murder. Maybe he was FRAMING his friends out of deep seeded hatred by poking himself with needles, putting sperm in his rectum, and disposing of the households’ cameras (still and video) by undetectable methods (did he do this after sticking himself with needles so he could get rid of them too?). I suppose he wiped every surface clean (then Joe did so again with the knife handle).
But how did he manage to go make the second door chime and not get blood everywhere? And why lie on top of the pulled down bedding (looks uncomfortable) – putting in the mouth guard, was that more of the frame job? Would he likewise have framed Lisa Godard if she’d responded to the email first? Wait, maybe Dylan failed his polygraph because Robert told him advance of his plans – yeah, that’s it!
So freaking nonsensical.
Well, the police, as dumb as they were, never considered Legs’ fantasy either… for all of the reasons we’ve stated.
Spag
In the
News
(For those who don’t live in DC or follow local politics, some of the mayor’s election campaign staff, the head of the city council, and who knows how many other council members, are under investigation for one thing or another). Sad. Today, K. Brown, head of the city council, apparently pushed/shoved Mark Seagraves–
http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc-news/2012/06/council-chief-heats-under-spotlight-federal-probe/695471
–a reporter who covered some of this very here case!):
Former D.C. attorney general Robert Spagnoletti nominated to head ethics board
By Tim Craig and Nikita Stewart, Updated: Tuesday, June 5, 12:08 AM
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray nominated former city attorney general Robert J. Spagnoletti to chair the city’s new government ethics board, a choice expected to lend considerable credibility to the newly created panel.
After coming under fire in recent weeks for moving too slowly to fill the positions, Gray (D) announced Tuesday the nominations of Spagnoletti and two others to the three-member panel.
The nominations come as government watchdogs are looking to the panel to help restore public confidence in elected officials after a spate of criminal and ethical misconduct at the John A. Wilson Building and in city political campaigns.
In the past month, a federal judge has sentenced former council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) to prison for stealing from the city, and two former campaign aides to Gray have pleaded guilty in a widening probe into the mayor’s 2010 election campaign. Meanwhile, federal authorities are also investigating D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown’s 2008 reelection campaign.
Gray and Spagnoletti fielded questions Tuesday about a potential conflict of interest because Spagnoletti served as the mayor’s personal attorney two years ago. “I represented the mayor on an isolated matter, which everyone knows was a fence around his house, which was gone and now is back,” Spagnoletti said to laughter.
Gray eventually paid a $300 fine and had to remove the $12,000-plus fence because it was too tall. When he became mayor, a new fence was installed for security reasons.
Spagnoletti said he weighed all potential conflicts of interest but is “absolutely sure” he can do the job.
In an interview on Monday, Spagnoletti said he was “honored to be asked” to lead the board because it is “going to serve an incredibly important role to make sure [D.C.] employees and public officials live up to high standards.”
“I do not intend to let my role on the board lead to a whitewash or papering-over of things,” said Spagnoletti, 49, who lives in Shepherd Park. “The board has incredible power. … Unlike many other investigative boards that have limited authority, this board has authority, and used judiciously, it can can have a good bit of influence.”
In addition to Spagnoletti, Gray nominated Laura Richards, a lawyer and former regulator, and Deborah Lathen, a consultant and former official with the Federal Communications Commission, to fill out the board.
Both Richards and Lathen said Tuesday they were looking forward to serving. Richards, a Republican, said she accepted the nomination in the “spirit of bipartisanship.” Lathen said in an interview that she wants to look at best practices in other cities for guidance on how the new board should govern.
In December, as the D.C. Council tried to contain the fallout from several ethical lapses, it created the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability as part of its rewrite of city ethics rules. The board will be responsible for investigating alleged ethical violations by public officials and employees and for imposing sanctions, including recommending impeachment or possible criminal prosecution.
After the council created the panel, Gray was expected to nominate its members in early spring. But Gray encountered considerable difficulty identifying quality candidates. The Washington Post reported in March that several high-caliber candidates, including retired federal judges, declined Gray’s invitation to serve on the board.
Because of the delay, council member Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) proposed emergency legislation in April that would have stripped Gray of some of his power to make the appointments. But Bowser, the chief author of the ethics bill, dropped her proposal after Gray promised that nominations were forthcoming.
But the administration did not contact Bowser about Tuesday’s nominations. “I haven’t seen anything official,” she said in an interview, noting that she learned of the nominees through The Post. Asked how she felt about being uninformed, she said, “That’s the mayor’s prerogative.”
Gray said he talked to Brown, the council chairman, on Monday.
Spagnoletti’s nomination sends a signal that the embattled mayor is reaching back to a calmer period of D.C. government for help in overseeing ethics.
From 2004 to 2006, Spagnoletti served as attorney general under Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D). Spagnoletti, a former president of the D.C. Bar, is a partner at Schertler & Onorato in the District.
The board, which will be backed up by a full-time director and as many as seven other employees, will assume some responsibilities of the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics. Spagnoletti said he and the other board members have to get through the confirmation process before they conduct a search, but he said they may begin taking “solicitations of interest.”
The Board of Ethics and Government Accountability will investigate all non-election-related complaints against District employees and public officials as well as oversee financial disclosure forms. If the board determines that a violation has taken place, it can issue fines of as much as $5,000 in each case.
Spagnoletti said Gray called him about two weeks ago and asked him to serve.
From 1990 to 2003, Spagnoletti was an assistant U.S. attorney, serving as chief of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence unit.
In 2003, Williams tapped Spagnoletti as D.C. corporation counsel, the term used at the time for top legal position in D.C. government. A year later, Spagnoletti persuaded Williams to change the office’s name to attorney general to better reflect the agency’s responsibilities.
In the job, Spagnoletti was widely respected for having a sharp legal mind and generally avoiding controversy. At the time, Spagnoletti was the highest-ranking gay official in the Williams administration.
Spagnoletti said he doesn’t think it will be a conflict for him to be responsible for policing a District government in which he once served, noting that he had “to make calls” when he was attorney general. He also said Lathen and Richards come to the board without experience in District government.
Spagnoletti said he told Gray the same thing he told Williams when he was asked to serve as corporation counsel.
“I come in into this with my integrity, and I intend to leave with my integrity,” he recalled telling Gray and Williams. “I value my integrity, and I will place a high emphasis on the board, and whatever findings we make, we will do it with integrity.”
I hope he
sticks to that promise of integrity.
Many problems with DC. Like, of course, unsolved crimes, and families broken apart from unsolved crimes.
Since the legal teams of J. Price and co. worked together in their defense, I wonder if Spagnoletti also believes Mr. W was a magician superior to Houdini, as imagined by Leg.
Ethics board for Dyl’s hired mouthpiece? What’s next — the Mother Theresa Award for Bernie Grimm? Another W&M alumnus honor for Joe?
This truly is a “Brave New World” of Orwellian proportions — sigh!
Stop this World of Doublespeak and Spin: I want to get off!
Well, it looks like the chair of the DC Council may resign.
But what’s next? In today’s Post, 10 individuals are asked “What book are you looking forward to reading this summer?” The question is asked of some congressmen/women, Hilary Clinton, etc., AND Cathy Lanier, DC Chief of Police. Her answer is is not encouraging:
“The Hypnotist, by Lars Kepler. After a young boy’s family is murdered, a detective turns to a hypnotist to pry clues from him.”
The title of the article has a different name online:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/what-books-washington-area-bigwigs-plan-to-read-this-summer/2012/06/05/gJQAIO7pGV_story.html
Hey, maybe the hypnotist could sit down with Joe, Victor and Dylan to see what information could be culled from the recesses of their memories. Worth a try, no? Any innocent person would be willing to do that for their dear friend (as Joe said during interrogation, he’d trade places with his dead friend because he admired and cared for him so much).
Considering that they’re short on funds, I’ll pay for the best hypnotist in the US to hear them out if they’ll agree to cooperate!!!
How about it, Joe, Dylan and Victor? Surely some friend or family member reads this blog from time to time – even if the hypnotist doesn’t hit pay dirt (say, enough for a police sketch of the “intruder”) something might come of it. Heck, I think we could take up a collection to have the world’s FIVE best hypnotists if the trio would agree. That way they wouldn’t have to worry that a single hypnotist might be biased, or just having an off day.
Wonder what might stop them from doing this? Imagine how much it would do for their public relations (much better than what Legs can do for them) – and heck, why we’re at it, why don’t we agree to foot the bill for polygraphs? Let’s say three polygraphs for each (again, the bias or off-day issues).
My guess is that the Eds might agree to publish the findings of the hypnotists AND the polygraph examiners here so they can be fully exonerated on this very site! Surely they would be enticed by having apologies from all here who have questioned whether the three told authorities all they knew about that night. If having us eat crow isn’t enough, it would certainly go a long way in eradicating their “Google problem” if the site header changed to WHO MURDERED ROBERT WONE – WE KNOW IT WASN’T JOE, DYLAN OR VICTOR AND WE APOLOGIZE FOR EVEN THINKING THIS! Too, it might help put Robert’s murderer behind bars. . . whatta ya say, fellas?
Would a dentist be held to client confidentiality if Joe et al spewed something while under “laughing gas?” LOL
There’s a lot one could read behind that book selection. Maybe there’s an opening on the force.
But I think your offer is great, Bea. There should be a link on this page to contribute to the hypnofund.
I love the slogan “PayPal for Polygraphs” although I’d settle for the hypnotists.
A Congressional Committee has just held Eric Holder in contempt: should we as well for his less-than-aggressive lawyering in the first year of this case?
The “very active” investigation has seemed anything but “fast and furious” from the start: just saying!
I was watching this today. Mr. Norris had some interesting insight. I thought he was fair and blunt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywBc99MicII&feature=related
Yes, as per attorney Norris, how did this define Lynn’s career? Cold comfort as her legacy, or overjustice as injustice?
Wow, I just found this too. I’m all late! So truthful.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/35517779/Evans-Wone-Verdict
“How can we trust the administrators of the legal system – in this case the DC Police and the prosecuting attorney – when they spend an excessive amount of time on a case and fail so miserably?”
so true.
Did they spend “an excessive amount of time on the case?” No. If they had done so, then there would have been a different outcome.
do we actually trust any one any more where i live all the judges get the loosers to get them blow and then do them favors
youre so called friends steal yooure medication i stopped trustinging peaple a long time ago
Robert E. Wone Memorial Scholarship Winner
http://montclair.patch.com/articles/three-montclair-high-students-win-oca-scholarships
Thank you, Susan, for the updates and links you provide. I’m sure that many of us appreciate your dedication to the memory of Robert Wone.
Thanks, Bill 2. I always appreciate your posts and everyone else’s as well. We are united in a cause.
I know its strange to hear from me but if you read anything i posted down below i often think of Robert Wone and Susan you are the perfect person to do a dedication in his memory.I Know his family would agree. Best Of Luck In All You Do,Dianne
This is very welcome news — thanks Susan for pointing out that Robert’s legacy lives on and that, in contrast, the trouple have been relegated, perhaps, to the dustbin of history … or marketing (in reference to Ma’am’s seemingly lame stunts.)
Wonderful to hear that there continue to be awards in Robert’s name to honor his memory. Congratulations to these students.
Can we do a citizens arrest, charge them with murder, then have Bea as lead prosecutor, with AnnaZed &Clio as co-counsel? I think you guys could get a conviction. Joe Price, Lance and Ben Franklin could work for the defense.
All I want is to be able to interrogate them. . .
It’s really a shame the “Swann 3” did not cooperate with the discovery questions for the civil case rather than singing “No comment” as a block. Their “friend” was murdered in their home. Why so many roadblocks erected?
Well, Susan, their callous silence may have bought them a Florida exile, in which they seemingly remain free to roam about their snug little cabin. It’s not a shame, or it’s not shameful, apparently, to them: an imperfect crime yet an effective cover-up?
In my scenario, your work wouldn’t stop there, Bea. You would also be in charge of the annual performance review for DC’s top cop and all her detectives. On your desk would be a pad of pink slips that only need one signature.
Thanks Christy and Bill – I can’t imagine being connected to the MPD and having this case drive me crazy. I can’t stop thinking about this case and I have no connection to it whatsoever (other than some Six Degrees of Separation).
I know that the detectives at MPD and the prosecutors have many cases which frustrate them, but the idea that NO ONE has been charged with Robert’s murder must gall them – or so I hope! I’d like to think it’s like many books (fiction and nonfiction) in which detectives “never give up” and keep working the case that gets under their skin. I would like a copy of the civil settlement to see the exact wording of what the defendants were willing to sign as to culpability – that would be a start. Surely something will shift someday, and a piece will shake loose. All it takes is one piece. . .
That’s right Bea…here’s an example of just that…..I read an article yesterday about two brothers (The Highers brothers) that will get a new trial for a murder they were convicted of 25 years ago due to a comments made on, none other than, facebook.
Someday someone may make a comment that will make this case turn on its heels.
what kind of comment on facebook.
I don’t know the exact comment, but in the papers the comment was said to have a “domino effect.”
Probabably NoT a good idea,Bea
bea you are so angry ok i totally get, when you feel strong about something as you do like beleiving 3 men got away with murder i would be angry to. its hard for me to say how i feel because i have a family member so i need cold hard facts before i can beleive anything openly please understand where i come from. do you remember when the scott peterson trial was going on tha all american guy who had the perfect wife she was almost due to have her baby and he dround her in the sanfranciscobay well i knew he did it before he was even convicted cause i beleived in the fact that nothing he said made sence and all evedence even though circumctantiol lead to him he is a sociapath look under sociapath in the dictionary and scott peterson s picture is there, any way oj simpson i was mordified he got off scott free even though he murdered his wife and her friend. i totally beleive in justice but they or should i say what you and all the peapole on this blog had an oj moment the system doesnt allways work in are behalf and im sorry you and so many dont really no what happen,just like i dont i just know my cousin and he wasnt raised to kill and personall and in my heart i dont think he did it. but thats my own personal beleife and i have my right to that just like you have youre right to youre beleife,but please dont let it consume you maybe you can let it give you some sence of power. sorry for my spelling and typing , your*r,dianne
Bea, I know my typing is terrible maybe it would have been better if i was in some light but my husband was in bed and doesnt like me doing this he saw what it did to me last year.But i am really just trying to find my own sence of closure i guess. I hope what i typed early in the morning you can read a couple of times before you respond i think you are very passionate person as am i and sometimes we read things with out really thinking first i wasnt disagreeeing with how you felt i just want you to use that anger in a positive way if you can.you are youre own person and you can and will do what you want i know that you will use youre passion for the next big cause and it will do great things i know it bea you once said you liked me well i like you as well we have something in common when we beleive in something we say how we feel and we stand by it. And it’s gotten me in trouble but i bare the conseqenses god i hope i spelled that right. thats all i neede to say, you*r,Dianne
thats not a good idea:)
sorry but no
i love a sexy man with long legs but you cant do a citazens arrest. trust me the truth allways comes out in the end and it is a scary thought to even think as Bea being the lead prosecuter on this case. lol
“Could she have been the one who found the caved-in plastic toy in the house next door?”…I missed this. What does it mean?
SDK, that is a reference to someone associated with one of the neighboring houses who suggested a caved in toy implied someone was standing on it to hop over the fence into 1509 Swann. But I think investigators found that it would have been an awkward landing due to some steps there? I hope someone else replies with perhaps a more detailed answer.
Susan,
It wasn’t the investigators who found that it would have been awkward, it was the judge in her decision who wrote that landing on that side of the fence would be next to impossible because the stairs to the basement unit are right in front of the fence.
David
Thanks, David. I knew there was more to it. I hope SDK is still reading and catches that. Anyway the defense theory is broken down re an outside entry with the fence or the bent plastic toy seems a s-t-r-e-t-c-h.
so to the family of the victim this is coming from a relative who does care about what happend to youre child im very sad and hope you all are ablr to use his life in a positive light if that makes sence to the Wone family . I am the cousin of Dylan Ward and i love him and his family very much i have come to terms with my own grief of loosing someone and the anger i got on the blog last year only to show my loyalty to my cousin never did i forget youre pain but what was happening to be honest peaple wanted information that i was stupid to give out it didnt even have anything to do with the case. And to top it off it became a bully session calling me stupid and peaple like annazed speaking in french duh i went to public school i didnt take any classes i didnt have to next time annazed put me douwm in english. The fact my typin wasnt perfect was a huge issue really who cares as long as you can read thats all that matters. When i stated the putting my husbands gun to my head it was a joke not that you big timmers can get a joke like that it basically meant i had a enough of youre rude and child like playground bulling i was done, so no im not the troubled one here i just wasnt born with a silver spoon in my mouth and i dont easily judge peaple.
i read the christy brinkley look a like therory, and i feel like #1 for the wone family untill they have real evidence they are going to continue to be in pain and i know they want to know what happend to their child as any mother and father and the family would want. but like i said real true evidence. And to my own family and right now im talking about my aunt and uncle and there other children you know they are going through pain to they did not ask for this and i know for a fact the death of anyones child is hurting them and you can take this how ever you want to take it. But untill there is something worth saying in court dont put either of the familys through they go to bed with it every night and as religouse as my family is they are im sure praying for only the right and godly thing. and keeping the wones in there prayers but its only natural for them to beleive in there son like i do.
i have tried to put this behind me its so many mixed emotions.but when i read the christy brinkly theory i wondered did they bring in a specialist stating if robert stabbed himself? cause i know they can determine that info. they can tell directions and so forth of wich way the nife enters the body if he did or if some one els did it. please fill me in.
Hi Dianne, I suspect the suicide theory can’t be verified (or even supported) as the defense lawyers had plenty of money and hired the best experts – if they could’ve put forward evidence that it MIGHT have been a suicide, they would have. I feel for all the defendants’ families, although I wish they would push/persuade them to do something to try to help the Wones if they are innocent. Even take polygraphs to prove they’re not lying – but I believe the only one to take a polygraph was your cousin and it showed he wasn’t telling the truth the night of the murder.
Best to you – maybe you can convince your cousin that everyone would love it if he would publicly do a hypnosis or a poly to see if he’s forgotten something – anything.
Icant say what he will or do or wont do. And I wish I wish could help you with that but we all know I cant. I hope you read what i wrote to you Bea I wasnt by any means tyring to make light of your strong feelings and the passion you have toward this case. Iam not the most religouse person i beleive in GOD AND PRAYER AND in HEAVEN and HELL but i do not go to church. This may or may not sound silly to some of you but I PRAYED TO Robert for his forgiveness i needed to know he forgave me for my loyalty to my family.I also wanted him to nkow that it wasnt fair what happened to him, his life his dreams were taken from him and his family,and its not fair (10 commandmens thall should not kill) I HOPE HE HEARD ME AND I HOPE GOD and Robert Wone can forgive me to.To family they lost a child, but in my mind no one but Robert and GOD knows what really happend that night 6 years ago. I do beleive the the truth will come out in the end.
so no comment from anyone i guess that to be expected.
DYLAN WAS FOUND INNOCENT SO PLEASE LET THE WARDS HAVE PEACE.Thats all i ask let there family work on tring to pick up the peices if i can have compassion for both famiys is it to much to ask for you to look at dylans mother and father and siblings they went through a horrible time also.A MOTHER never wants to be in the position my aunt was put in shes tired let her rest now,its the right thing to do ( look at the big picture not just the small picture ) please understand were im coming from. dianne
Your cousin was NOT “found innocent” of anything. Nobody has been charged with the murder of Robert Wone. The people who were in the house on Swann Street that night have not been cleared of the killing. Nobody has been found innocent of the murder of Robert Wone.
Why has dianne, the alleged identical cousin (as per Patty Duke?), returned? Again, why would one not let sleeping dogs lie (in it)? Why would one bother to respond to a relatively dormant weblog?
In a past post she mentioned not being in touch much with the family. Maybe this is the only way for her to be in touch with them. Who knows.
I was just thinking though, how it is just unbelievable that neither Joe Price, Victor Zaborsky, or Dylan Ward told the police that Michael Price had a key to the house. And who else had a key that they didn’t tell the police about. This came to mind because I would think that if you are REALLY innocent and a “friend” was just murdered in the house you’d do everything–EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD–to cooperate with the police and answer all their questions and give them the information they ask for. If you believe your brother or brother’s ex partner (Hinton, who must’ve had a key at one time since he lived there before) had nothing to do with the crime or even had something to do, you’d share the key info. with police because you’d have nothing to hide and you’d not think twice about doing the right thing. As I understand it, the police ONLY learned about the M. Price key connection because of MP’s robbery of his brother’s house. Dear friends of the former 1509 Swann Residents, doesn’t this strike you as strange?
And, yet, Joe did volunteer derogatory details about Michael in the “Anacostia Dialogues,” which, to me, should be released on DVD before any third trial begins. But his having a key was not mentioned at first, even after Michael’s disgraceful behavior in the parking lot at the funeral with the lady detective. Hmmm.
And
Like the Judge said they were more than willing to tell police on him for the burglary. So, just as sure as they were that none of them committed the murder, they are equally sure that Michael did not commit the murder. They sure know who didn’t do it, which smells like they know who did.
innocent in my eyes ok untill i see different you cant change it. unless one of you were hiding in the closet and watched what happend its all speculation on youre part no one knows. so sorry i didnt feel like using caps or botheing with punctuation,i just was trying to ask for some compation but i see its only onesided thats to bad i feel like the lucky one here i am able to see both sides and i have compassion for both familys yet in totally different ways of course.