Six years ago today Robert Wone finished up a busy day as General Counsel at Radio Free Asia, a new position he had just started a few weeks earlier. He then headed to a continuing legal education class before making his way back to work to meet the night shift. Robert would complete the day by heading over to a friend’s house to stay for the evening.
What happened next remains as much of a mystery today as it did six years ago.
During the intervening years since Robert Wone was cruelly murdered, so much has changed. The collapse of the financial markets, which led to the greatest economic recession since the Great Depression. The election of the first African-American president of the United States as well as three wave elections in 2006, 2008 and 2010. Apple launched its most successful product ever with the iPad. There have been all of these changes, and so many more, over the past six years.
And, yet, for all this change, so much remains the same.
The eponymous name of this blog that has animated so much discussion still goes unanswered. It is six years and counting. Another thing that will not change is that Robert Wone will never be forgotten, and justice in this case will never be abandoned.
— The editors of Who Murdered Robert Wone
Exactly. RIP, Robert, and there ought to be no rest for the wicked perp(s) still at large.
Pretty soon it will be a decade.
RIP Robert. We’re still here. And hopefully, someone someday will post a comment that turns the investigation on its heels and those responsible for your death will face their proper punishment. This will never be a cold case thanks to the diligent efforts of the editors of http://www.whomurderedrobertwone.com.
An update on the three defendants would be appreciated. Where are they now?
Victor appears to be head of household since he appears in photos/stories about the still popular Got Milk? campaign. Dylan’s massage website is still active. Joe still has a law practice website in which he appears to conduct business in/from Washington DC; he identifies the following areas of practice: security clearances, criminal defense, and witness rights. My guess is that he boned up really well on “witness rights” when researching whether or not he should take the 5th in the civil case.
I personally doubt that Joe lives in DC full time since he and Victor still own the Miami Shores home. He is NOT a member of the Florida bar so he can’t claim to practice law from Florida. Too, the DC law address, phone, and fax information makes it appear that he doesn’t actually use that space – the numbers are “services” which take the calls. He may be doing some spill-over work from lawyer friends, but I seriously doubt he’s making anywhere near what he used to make – leading to my conclusion that Victor is now the leading breadwinner.
And the house in Miami Shores? They bought it for $715,000 and the government’s assessment is $352,000; a realty estimate site has the address assessed around $550,000. They do have the homestead exemption claimed along with the homestead property tax reduction. I don’t recall if it was you, Bill, who commented on Miami Shores being “less than” – but there’s a little satisfaction knowing it’s not Mercedes Mercedes Mercedes for underwear guy.
Thanks to the editors for the solemn remembrance of the anniversary of the terrible crime of murder of Robert Wone at 1509 Swann St. Thanks, Bea, for the update on the trouple’s livelihoods. The masseur’s page doesn’t appear updated but I wonder if he raised prices at all, and how that business is doing. Bea, re security clearances, do you think J. Price could get one himself?
Security clearances: Joe does seem to have an awful touch for irony of the most bitter kind!
Massage: there is no shortage of tired muscles in Miami — Dyl should be set for life, if only, of course, he has not moved on to some other vocation by now.
Mother’s Milk: Victor is truly the parent now, and perhaps that power is what he may always have wanted.
Mama’s gotta brand new bag!
Remembering Robert also on this sad day. AFAIK, Dylan Ward is still practicing his art of massage at Pure Energy Massage in the Miami area, but I haven’t checked on his business lately. His clientele should know about his creepy past.
Sad indeed, Nelly. I meant to mark Robert’s birthday back in June but got distracted. That won’t happen again. Hugs from us.
Someone said Joe was doing some work for the innocence project. That is the Lord’s work there. He should continue working somewhere like that to atone.
Hi Christy,
No, you got that mixed up. I believe the address where his biz was/is listed was noted to be the same as or was the same as someone who worked for the project.
oh, thanks. didn’t know that.
i have read all of these post and all i have to say is you all soun like a bunch of snobby rich kids with youre noses so far up each oters asses you have no real compation or this blog woul stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Marion, I assume you mean “compassion.” What part of paying tribute to a man whose life was cut short offends you? Or wanting to find his murderer(s)? I will hazard a guess that you are friends with one of the defendants, whose “not guilty” verdict came as a result of a “math problem” noted by the judge of not being able to say what any of the three did or didn’t do that night. As that same judge said, there was no “intruder” in the home, so it’s quite likely that these defendants know who murdered Robert (at a minimum) yet repeatedly refuse to tell. That offends ME. As for being a snobby rich kid, I can assure you that I was not rich nor am I a kid – and in posts like this perhaps the word “snobby” might apply, but only if provoked. I know not of the other commenter’s asses. I wish you well and suggest using spell-check. If you’re not just a drive-by whiner, then please tell us for whom we should have compassion and why – I am curious what you have to say.
i just have to say when i type i dont worry about things like spell check all im worried about is saying innocent until proven guilty do any of you get that or do i hacve to use spell check for you to under stand it.?
compassion? the defendants didn’t show any compassion to robert, and they haven’t ever shown any to kathy, if they had, she’d know what happened to her damn husband. I hope they rot from the inside out and get cancer.
well you have alot of compasion now dont you. i have alot of compasion to the victim and his family you have no idea youre wish just might come true for me Christy my point is is you are condeming a man and it only seems like one when there are 2 more like i said innocent untill proven otherwise but as the comment of my insides roughting you got weres youre compasion.
well i misunderstood i thought you were talking about me it doesnt matter my insides are a gonner and i have to kids i still think you are lacking compasion. have a nice rest of day.
And, here I thought that English composition was a required class at Montgomery College, even for phlebotomy — go figure!
Must’ve been that Thursday he skipped.
Yes, it may have included that previous day as well. Benders at the time of crisis always bring out the worst time management and, perhaps, frequent spelling mistakes as well: one may even end up cursing lady detectives in parking lots at funerals!
Indeed! Wonder if he still gets infusions of cash from his older brother or if all that has dried up. Perhaps they are continuing their sales work on some level, whatever they may be selling, porn or other substances.
Judgment has always been most elusive a quality for both Brothers Price — why would one try to open “a dirty bookstore,” either traditional or electronic, in the age of free and ubiquitious erotica? And, the other less conventional business ventures that they could be doing would only get them into renewed trouble with the law. So, it must be hell getting old for our own Dorian Gray and his troubled younger brother!
get over the spelling did you ever think i might do it just to bug the shit out of you guys its so comical one minute youre wanting behead someone the next all you can gripe about is spelling really is my grammer more important or the case? lol
let’s think the worst and say that michael was over that night and took robert’s blood, what would they do with it?
Opinion only, but I don’t think they would take it so much as inject it with another substance.
But why would you need a phlebotomist for that? “although his failure to attend class that evening and his phlebotomy studies are certainly worth pausing over in the circumstances of this case.”
I think Michael may hold the “key” to this case –being privy to confidences and secrets of his big brother, but, unfortunately, we will probably never know. If Michael did do it, however, he would have been betrayed in a NY minute.
Minus Robert Wone’s murder 1509 Swan already had violent elements (the “torture” items–torture being an interest of M. Price noted in his Alt ad), crime (brother Mike’s robberies), more violence (brother Mike’s with bf L.Hinton), criminal suits (L. Hinton against M. Price), the extra boyfriend and alt ads (uncontrolled appetities?)–all around the time that poor, good R. Wone walked into the place.
Three nice, little, perfect stab wounds, why use your own knife? Did they HAVE to use a certain knife? Add a phlebotomist to the mix, and we might have some weird ritual type shit?
Back to my pointless, embittered, empty life.
Christy, a phlebotomist is someone who is trained to draw blood. To do so, you usually need to stick a needle into a vein. It’s not a very difficult skill to learn, but it IS a skill, and it DOES have to be learned. Once you’ve learned it, it’s relatively easy to “push” medication into a vein instead of drawing blood out of it. That’s why there’s been so much interest in the puncture wounds on the feet. The testimony at trial was that the puncture wounds in the feet weren’t the result of life-saving attempts in the ambulance or in the ER, and the coroner testified that those punctures occurred earlier than the other ones on Wone’s body. In fairness to the defense, the coroner’s testimony did not match her written autopsy report (which said that all punctures were consistent with life-saving attempts), and putting an IV in someone’s foot isn’t unheard of when everyone is crowded around a sick patient and trying to get IV “access” to the patient.
Good to see the same cast of psychotics obsessively speculating, fantasizing, and otherwise ‘opining’ about people/facts unknown (Hi, Bea!, Hi, Clio!). Site has become a point of cyber-catharsis for pointless, powerless, embittered, empty lives. (Hi, Bea! Hi, Clio!)
More and more this blog seems less and less about preserving Robert Wone’s memory, and just a pathetic cyber-cathrsis for pointless, powerless, embittered, empty lives (Hi, Bea! Hi, Clio!). If Wone was anything like as decent a human as people seem to say, this site does not seem to be serving his memory well.
This site continues to exist because Robert Wone’s killer (or killers) is still walking free. By all accounts, Robert Wone was a very honorable man. Which choice do you think he’d make? The choice to keep this site alive? Or the choice to look the other way while a killer (or killers) walks free?
Hi, Funes!
I think one use of “cyber-catharsis for pointless, powerless, embittered, empty lives” may have been sufficient (FYI, spell check is your friend) but I leave you to your opinions.
My opinion is that if you and other ‘drive by’ commenters are still bothered enough to READ my powerless, embittered posts, then I’m doing the right thing. I ask myself this: who would object to people committed to finding Robert Wone’s murderer(s)and committed to keeping this case alive until that’s been accomplished?
My (pathetic, pointless) guess would be someone who DOESN’T want Robert Wone’s murderer(s) found! Someone who WANTS this case to be forgotten! So, Funes, do you object to justice being done in general or do you simply want Robert Wone’s murderer(s) to go free? My guess is that it’s personal and that you want us to leave alone Robert’s murderer(s) rather than favoring all murderers – am I correct?
I’m pissed off I didn’t get a mention. Bea, your response is why they hate you…too brilliant, maybe we are hitting close to home? My arm chair psychology tells me that the use of the word “fantasizing” in relation to Robert’s murder is a projection.
Joe or lil Dyl, unlike Funes you probably sleep well at night. Too bad.
Funny! Funes and his ilk must be pals of the original defendants (or the one of the original defendants) OR a former commenter who liked annoying people by insulting people (Bruce), by taking untenable positions and lying in order to validate (Ben Franklin), or some of the same.
I do wish Funes or his defendant-protective friends would stick around long enough to answer – my guess is that if they’re friends or family, they’re holding firm to the “I don’t want to know” position (coupled with “I’ve known ___ for ___ years, and there’s no way he killed anyone”).
-or Bill or Rich…or just someone who likes the titles of stories by JL Borges. Anyhow, good response, Bea. You are always thoughtful and diplomatic.
The choice of this moniker is rather clever, underscoring the person’s charge that the pro-Wone posters here are obsessive, morbid, and too smart for their own good. Nevertheless, one has to wonder: why would one bother with the erudition — if the defendants are completely innocent.
Hi Funes!
This is interesting. Not sure if it was posted here back in 2010. It’s from the Guardian. I’m still reading the comments but if you skip down to the poster named Ellipsis, or something like that, he mentions having been acquainted with the bros Price and I’ll let you read what he had to say about that at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/28/mystery-robert-wone-death
Please note: He comments more than once. There’s one about the jr bro visiting all the time. That one. Maybe more. I’m still reading.
Ellipsis10- Only one of the defendants is an attorney: Price. The motive for covering up the murder, obstructing justice and disturbing a crime scene is believed to be an attempt to protect Price’s brother, Michael. Price was a civil partner with Zaborsky, and had a sexual relationship with Ward. Ward and Zaborsky had no physical relationship, but apparently were amicable housemates, Ward being the long term “guest” and having no ownership interest in the house. There was actually a fourth person living there, a tenant in the basement flat. Can’t remember her name. She wasn’t home at the time. I do remember her testifying that when she went to look at the flat she was concerned that Mike Price had a key to the house.
This is kind of weird as I know two of the people involved: Joe and Mike Price. The year he worked as a law clerk he had an office next to mine, and his brother was a constant presence. Price had given him either a key or the code to the courthouse, and we had to have it changed because the guy was going in and out all hours of the day and night. Price was arrogant as hell, but the brother, he was deeply, deeply creepy, as was the brothers’ relationship.
Christy, I didn’t realize you knew them. I can’t imagine that the judges were pleased with Michael roaming the halls – and what for?
I remember someone intimated that Joe was a drug dealer. Perhaps Michael’s constant presence was to score. What else could it be? Certainly, they didn’t have that much in common. Sex and drugs seem to be their common thread.
Christy likely doesn’t know them, Bea. She cut and pasted the post referenced above. She didn’t make that clear.
Duh. Thanks.
no, I don’t know them. I would have spilled the beans already. sorry I wasn’t clear.
This is fascinating. This person is still commenting on that site. Have the editors reached out to him/her? Seems like they could know quite a bit…
I’ve been following this story off and on and am impressed by the dedication of Wone’s friends. Honestly, few people would have a group as persistent as you. Respectfully, knowing only what I’ve read here and in the press, it appears to me that the hard core advocates of the murder theory are willfully blind out of loyalty to friendship. We see this all the time – friends and family take the side of the victim or the accused based on their emotional connection to the person. The trial was an inexcusable mess, a travesty and screw up on many levels, no question. I will say though, that all people I’ve spoken to who have no stake in the matter (no emotional connection to anyone involved) think that Wone’s actions were highly bizarre that night. As for the discrepancies in stories, we all know that memories get facts wrong, who heard who coughing or what door opened when. My theory is the one that you are most resistant to: Wone was gay and killed himself.
Bill, while I don’t agree with your theory based on what I know, I do want to understand it fully. My initial issue with the theory is how he stabbed himself three times with such precision (no fish-tailing, etc.) – pretty unbelievable from my perspective – but I’ll put that aside for now (would like your sense of that, however, assuming that this isn’t just another drive-by posting). Are you one of the Bills who has posted before (there’s been a run on people named Bill here)?
I assume you’ve thought it through – so do you think Price, Ward and/or Zaborsky knew this when it occurred? During interrogations, none thought he’d committed suicide, or even that it was physically possible. Did they lie then, and why?
Do you think any of them had sexual activity with him that night? Trying to understand his own semen in his rectum. Too, since Ward failed the polygraph, are you suggesting that his lie was based on denying sex (rather than murder or knowledge of it)?
I wonder if you think it was planned from the moment he asked Joe and “the other” friend if he could spend the night (I can’t imagine one spending their known last night on Earth at a dull legal lecture and a meal at Subway).
Did Joe lie about hearing the door alarm (perhaps you think Robert went out for a breath of fresh air)? Why did Joe go out on the shaky limb about knowing the back gate was still locked? Are you suggesting that Joe wiped the knife clean so people would NOT think it was a suicide? Was the “intruder” story the trio started at the beginning of the 911 call a ruse they all decided upon?
I’ll wait to hear if you think they knew, and if so, HOW they knew before going down that trail. There are many, many inconsistencies with the theory of suicide but knowledge/timing plays a part in WHICH inconsistencies to address.
There was an interesting post earlier in the year that the defense attorneys or the defendants themselves were trying to spin this theory – there were many comments then as to why it was impossible and unlikely. If you read it – comments?
Odd that you’d assume we were all friends/loved ones of Robert Wone. I can only speak for myself – never met the man, never heard of him before the first news story I read. Don’t you think that the evidence would make people, even strangers, feel outraged that a man was murdered and that no one was ever charged with his murder? I realize you think it was a suicide but surely you don’t think the evidence is clear-cut in support of this theory – it certainly was never put forward by the defense in any capacity, and considering the huge amount of money spent on experts, the defense would’ve tried this if it was a remote possibility. But nada – yet you find THIS odd?
I agree with you on one thing – friends and family will often lose objectivity and not be able to see what any stranger can see. I simply think your sentiment is misplaced – and that the friends of the trio are blind to the truth. I don’t know who killed Robert Wone but someone who knows the trio has heard something unsettling, something that doesn’t sit right, with what the men said in interrogations or after. It’s only my personal opinion that the trio, or one/more of them, knows who murdered Robert, or has a lot more information than they’ve shared that could bring his killer(s) to justice. Purely an opinion, but one shared by many here.
If you do know them, please say so (and a personal plea that if you know Victor, please give him a real “talking to” about blind loyalty). I’m curious if your post is a genuine belief you’re willing to put to some scrutiny or if you’ll disappear – I hope it’s genuine and that you’ll talk this through.
Well, it’s pretty clear that the “Bill” who supports a suicide theory posted with a hit-and-run intention. We’ve kicked around ideas as to why the trouple or their friends would kick up dust periodically (Bill O has listed many good reasons, for distraction and image rehab). But why would this guy just post only once? I asked some legitimate questions and wanted to know his answers – but convincing others seems not to have mattered. That strikes me as odd.
The hit-and-run posts tend to be of this nature – perhaps the reason they don’t stick around is because they know their theories don’t hold water. That they know they don’t have answers to basic questions, that they won’t convince anyone. But answering and sticking around would at least take up space and might catch a few just reading for a few minutes so why not? All this “Bill” did was to give another stage for dismantling the suicide theory – as someone else said, it breaks the rule of “let sleeping dogs lie.”
My sense of it is that someone in the trouple’s entourage (inner or outer circle?) got mad that this blog hasn’t died off and posted without considering the consequences. I think we gave him too much credit for thinking he was planting seeds of genuine doubt for “the public.” I think it was more tantrum than anything else, more “well, I’ll say something about suicide AND then insult Robert Wone’s loved ones [classy!] and the commenters by insinuating they’re biased and dumb – but persistent.”
This also makes me think it’s someone associated with the trouple (and possibly one of them) – pot calling the kettle and all that.
I think the Bill in question (assuming he’s the same one) has said in the past that he’s a friend-of-a-friend of one of the three.
And I totally agree with you that the three are probably VERY upset that this blog hasn’t gone away. I’ve said before that I think Joe Price is a ferociously intelligent person. I think that he had “war-gamed” out what was going to happen after the police showed up the night Robert Wone was killed. I would guess his thinking went something like this: If we all stick to the story, we get reasonable doubt on any criminal charges. The insurance will cover any civil charges. After that, we’re home free.
There were, as I see it, three major things that happened that we know of that he hadn’t planned on: (1) Dylan agreed to a lie detector test, which Joe was obviously furious about and which probably didn’t go very well, (2) the judge’s written decision, which was pretty damning, and (3) this blog, which has given all three of them a serious “Google problem”.
There are, in all likelihood, more things going on behind the scenes. For example, Joe could never have predicted that Robert’s former boss would become the Attorney General, which can’t have helped him.
Incidentally, I see a Joseph Robert Price, III was admitted to the Florida bar on 9/13/11:
http://www.floridabar.org/names.nsf/0/CE45BAD06706C61085256AD30049ABC3?OpenDocument
Google Maps shows that the address appears to be a private home.
The DC bar lists a Joseph R Price with a 202 phone number and a 636 FAX number who is self-employed.
So is Joe now licensed to practice law in Florida?
My mistake. This Joseph Price was admitted in 2001, not 2011.
Okay, still looking at this, but the Joseph R Price III who was admitted to the Florida bar in 2001 has an aol address, which seems odd for a lawyer. I Googled the aol address and got, of all things, a hit in the Chinese Yellow Pages, with a 727 phone number and a an 866 FAX.
Any chance this is “our” Joe Price?
Never mind. This looks like a different Joe Price, and this has already been covered elsewhere on the site. Weird coincidence, though.
I went through the same process not long ago. . .
Also, the 1509 Swann Joe Price is Joe RAY Price.
Joe RAY — so unmistakably East Texas!
“Wone was gay and killed himself.”
Do you think those two things are related? If not, then why mention them at the same time? Why posit that Wone was gay? What was “highly bizarre” about Wone’s actions that night given that everyone agrees that he attended work, turned up to an old college friend’s house as prearranged to spend the night, chatted to people in the house for a while and then went to bed in the guest room? Even the 3 eye-witnesses that night have never characterised any of Wone’s actions as “highly bizarre” nor suggested suicide as a possible explanation.
I’ll leave it to the eds to see if this “Bill” is the same as the old “Bill” by checking on the IP address.
That being said, I’ve already said before that I think there is a co-ordinated effort to push the “suicide theory” to more distant friends of both Robert Wone and the defendants. Maybe I watch too much television, but there was the blond woman at the trial who no one could get a name out of. She sounds like the classic “fixer” to me. And she just happens to be bumping into non-random people and telling them that she thinks Wone committed suicide. And now Bill returns with the same theory.
I’m sorry, but this is not a legitimate theory of the crime. This is a desperate attempt at image rehabilitation on the part of one or more of the defendants. I can’t really fault the defendants for trying this. After all, they have few other options left to them, and they have a lot of free time on their hands. But seriously, in the history of the universe, has there EVER been a documented suicide where someone stabbed themselves in the chest and abdomen THREE times? With no hesitation marks, no fishtailing, and prior history of depression or suicidal behavior?
There was nothing “highly bizarre” about Wone’s behavior that night. He knew in advance that he was going to be working late, and he didn’t want his wife–who had recently had surgery–to have to drive out to the metro station to pick him up late at night. He asked two different friends if he could spend the night at their place that night, and Price was the first to respond. Everything went exactly the way that Wone had planned his day until he got to the defendants’ house. Less than two hours later, he was stabbed to death. Three times in the chest and abdomen.
The one person whose behavior was “highly bizarre” was Victor Zaborsky, who came home a day early from a business trip without telling anyone, tried to chase Joe down at the gym, burned dinner, and then didn’t come down to saw hello to a houseguest.
As for Wone being gay, there is not a shred of evidence to suggest this. It may be easy to be on the “down low” when you’re alive, but it’s usually pretty easy to see in retrospect once you have access to someone’s phone and e-mail records. And there was nothing there. If there had been, it would’ve come up at trial. Because the best “alternative theory” of the crime is that Kathy Wone found out her husband was gay and hired someone to kill him while he was at the house of three gay men. The defendants didn’t even bother trying to trot out that horse, and I’m sure they would have if there had been even a single ambiguous e-mail anywhere in Wone’s files.
At this point, this is all just pure theater. The defendants want people’s memory of what happened that night to fade, and they want people to forget the criminal trial and the civil settlement. They want people to think that, for whatever reason, Robert Wone killed himself that night. You can certainly make it sound that way by eliding the details: “He took a knife from our kitchen, went upstairs, and killed himself.” People are left with the impression that he slit his wrists, and the cops tried to railroad the defendants for it. That fact that Victor still has a job leads me to believe that some people are believing this story, but this is a willful suspension of disbelief on the part of the friends of the defendants, not the friends of Robert Wone.
DISCLAIMER: I knew Joe Price as a distant acquaintance in college. We had lunch or dinner in large groups together about a half-a-dozen times. I have been told by a mutual friend that I once met Robert Wone, but I honestly don’t remember meeting him.
Bea and Bill Orange,
Great, strong rebuttals to Bill’s post. If Bill read this site before commenting (it seems like the same Bill as the past) he’d know that none of the regular posters claims to have know R. Wone or any of the defendants or their families, etc.
Bill Orange, I think you are so right about there being an effort at image rehabilitation and to re-work the facts. I think this is the Bill whose good friend is a friend of the Swann 3. He shared that in an earlier post.
But as Bea and you point out, if Bill wants his theory to be true, he has to create a fictional Robert Wone and cast the residents of 1509 as complete perjurers. In this last, many would agree. The trio did perjure themselves. The disagreement is over what issues they lied to the court.
-And Bill Orange, you shared that disclaimer more than once, which Bill would know if he read this site. Meeting someone once does not make one a personal friend. Unless, maybe, for a tween on Facebook.
I hope you don’t mind, Bea, but this paragraph of yours above bears highlighting:
“I agree with you on one thing – friends and family will often lose objectivity and not be able to see what any stranger can see. I simply think your sentiment is misplaced – and that the friends of the trio are blind to the truth. I don’t know who killed Robert Wone but someone who knows the trio has heard something unsettling, something that doesn’t sit right, with what the men said in interrogations or after. It’s only my personal opinion that the trio, or one/more of them, knows who murdered Robert, or has a lot more information than they’ve shared that could bring his killer(s) to justice. Purely an opinion, but one shared by many here.”
The suicide angle is preposterous, but I early on, I did suspect that maybe Robert was a willing participant in some kind of weird partying, and that he was killed, either accidentally or on purpose when things got out control – either in the context of the activity itself, or with some outside factor, maybe involving jealousy, or a drugged up relative.
The two big problems with the theory are, of course, there’s no evidence of Robert being gay, and why wouldn’t the three use this as a defense or tell the truth from the start?
Those things make this extremely unlikely, but still, not impossible. Everything about this case is unlikely. I’ve always had a hard time buying the fact someone thought they could just drug and sexually abuse someone and either just think he’d wake up and not know anything happened and go on with his life, or that it would be worth killing someone for a thrill, when they had to know, best-case scenario, they’d be suspected of murder and have to uproot their entire lives they’d worked so hard for. I mean, that makes no sense either.
It’s unlikely, but it’s possible Robert was gay or bisexual, and wasn’t at all living the life, and only recently started to explore it. It might have been so new and so shocking to him that he wasn’t talking about it on email, and wasn’t leaving any evidence. As for the defense – the defense they picked was obviously the perfect defense, the alternative, perhaps, “he was gay and there was an issue and we decided to kill him” would not have been as effective, I don’t think.
There’s some ideas, including that one, which are very aggressively dismissed, and I understand that, but in a case where we know that whatever happened must have been completely bizarre, I don’t think you can rule out something just because is extremely unlikely. The whole situation is extremely unlikely.
Hi MW – good post. I don’t think Robert Wone was gay but really I don’t care either way. He was murdered, regardless – the suicide theory doesn’t hold water for me. If he was experimenting, it does lead me down some theories, as you intimate, and I know I simply won’t know the answer unless/until something breaks in the case. I can hope!
“I’ve always had a hard time buying the fact someone thought they could just drug and sexually abuse someone and either just think he’d wake up and not know anything happened and go on with his life…”
As you say, everything about this case is extremely unlikely. Joe and Dylan were into some heavy BDSM. It’s not much of a stretch to guess that they’d experimented with mind-altering drugs. They may have previously tried the exact scenario you describe on one another, or on some other willing participant.
“or that it would be worth killing someone for a thrill”
What if Victor–who wasn’t supposed to be there–hadn’t screamed? Then there would’ve been plenty of time to clean up a “thrill kill” and dispose of the body. Suspicion would have certainly fallen on them, but they could say that Robert called, said he was on his way, and then never showed up. Joe could’ve even left him a voice mail saying, “Hey, we’re still waiting for you here. What’s the deal? Did you decide to go home after all?”
Have they lost their taste for heavy BDSM? Have they all become like Victor, the man of the house now?
No return message from “Bill” yet – let’s give him 24 hours before he’s declared a drive-by or hit-and-run guy who is attempting to doctor this site so the uninformed might believe there’s a chance that the trio are without any fault. Bill2 is likely right that this another PR move. Sad that this is the best they can do – especially if there’s one post and then the chirping crickets of silence.
But why not let sleeping dogs lie? These hit-and-run posts only reactivate the dormant blog — Team Price must fear, irrationally, the Maginot Line of the “very active” investigation — why — unless there’s still something out there to be discovered.
Interesting – something “new” about to drop so the trio supporters do a little prepping? Massaging the current thinking so the new snippet lands in the previously rarely-touched waters of a suicide theory? I’d like new information, of any kind, but the trio underestimates us.
I’d like to have a run at the previous slate of experts on both sides: was suicide even POSSIBLE? No surprise that the defense didn’t give this theory a “go” at trial – poppycock!
Yes, it does ring of Victor’s marketing skills once again — test marketing a “new” theory, or preparing for a “new” pump to drop. The trouple’s spin cycle, since the 911 call, has apparently never ceased.
Because Joe needs a job, and Victor needs to keep his. Victor works in a business where image is everything. He obviously has very strong supporters, but more distant acquaintances are very likely asking, “Hey, what ever happened with the guy that got stabbed to death in his guest bedroom?” It sounds a lot better if you can say, “They think it was a suicide.” As opposed to, “The judge was convinced that someone knew more than they were saying, and Victor settled with the widow for an undisclosed sum.”
I don’t think there’s anything new on the legal front. Although I’ve repeatedly said that I think that prosecutors should hit Victor–and Victor alone–with murder charges.
Victor will always have his job — milk sales have not fallen because of his 911 performance. Yet, for the elder Price, to nearly all observers, this saga has not been good for his career, and the fall from power must be grating for the ambitious lawyer/activist.
I wonder if it gives Victor Zaborsky a feeling of power to be the #1 breadwinner for the household.
I think that the way VZ and JP coolly responded to questions about their troupledom in the Anacostia interviews belied the real tension the configurement of their household caused. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been “working” on making Dyl W. a full-fledged partner, and there wouldn’t be competing, exclusive notes of love to JP or the threat of departure by DW, or the introductionn of a new third by JP to spice things up.
It might be, though, that nothing forges a bond like the murder of a guest in ones household.
Hi Susan — The final words in your post could make a good beginning to one of the chapters in the book about the murder: “Nothing forges a bond like the murder of a guest in ones household.”
If there ever is such a book, Bill 2, maybe it will be written by one of the former residents of 1509 Swann–either as a confession, if guilty, or as part of a memoir as to how, though innocent, the writer couldn’t rest until clearing his/her name and finding out who murdered Robert Wone. Either way, I’d buy the book.
The answer is probably yes — Mama has definitely gotten her groove back, as if she ever had it in the first place!
I’ve always agreed with Bill Orange that detectives should really lean on Victor Zaborsky to tell what he knows but I also think they need to re-visit Sarah Morgan. Maybe she’s been away from her buddy, Victor Zaborsky, long enough to feel free to provide information that may have been withheld in the past.
The hit and run “Bill” is a fool if he thinks that it is only friends of Robert Wone who want to see the case solved. I never knew Robert Wone nor his wife.
I had a friend call me the other day. We had a falling out, this person was the biggest liar, cheat in the world. She told me she hit rock bottom because of her weight and eating disorder, she was about 300lbs. We hadn’t talked in years. She is now a normal weight and she looked great, but the biggest change was in her personality. She told me she is in overeaters anonymous and it has changed her life. Come to find out she was calling me to confess her wrongs and make amends, yes working the steps. She was telling me shit that blew my mind. This made me think about Miss Sarah, you never know where you will find your salvation.
I said all that to say here is to Miss Morgan waking up one day and wanting her own million dollar townhouse and knowing that she is deserving of more than just living in the basement apt of someone else’s and having to leave on a week night so someone else can have fun. Here is to Miss Morgan waking up and knowing that she deserves a loving partner and she can invite friends over to her place to watch TV.
Keeping these secrets can’t be good for her mental state and her eating disorder if she has one.
Has she given up gay men for good? I would say — no.
If one were to kill oneself for being gay, why would one do so on a school night in a gay household? It makes no sense at all.
If his last meal was at Subway, doesn’t that prove he wasn’t gay?
Certainly. If it were me, I would have had the lobster bisque at the Omni Shoreham, followed by a very dry gin martini with a twist. But that’s just me!
Yes, and why take a class and visit the new office before a self-offing? Or why lay out the wallets, etc.? Not a whit of evidence suggests this. But plantings of rumors by bleached blonde stilletoed assistants and fly-by posters want it so desperately to be so.
So many HUH? thoughts spring from a suicide theory. Why shower – to be clean for the thereafter? Why put on bed clothes AND put in the mouth guard? Me, I would NOT choose to go out in my skivvies. Why send yet another “goodnight” message to one’s wife and NOT write a suicide note? He was too meticulous NOT to write one. So many things simply don’t add up – even outside of the three surgically precise stab wounds!
I try to be open-minded, but I think suicide ranks somewhere below “killed by ghosts or Martians” in terms of likely scenarios here.
Yes, Bea and Bill O., I think Bill O nailed it when he outlined how Victor zaborsky, J. price and Dyl W. need to fill the uncomfortable, squeamish moments when that big elephant in the room of MURDER IN THEIR RESIDENCE comes up by friends, family, and acquaintances. And so, the planting and watering with sick crocodile tears tof their supernatural theory of a crazy self-offing to add insult to injury to Robert Wone’s widow and Mr. Wone’s memory. This make-believe world of leaping, murdering ninjas, plotting spiders on lampposts, silent old wooden staircases, with a silent, fleeing killer beggars the most feeble imagination.
Had a second thought: Why would any of the trio perpetuate this other fantastic theory? They already testified in court to a completely different one. Maybe this is an effort by some of their legal representatives and friends to deal with their own unease over the circumstances of Robert Wone’s murder.
Of course, the ladies are protesting too much, once again.
The question still remains why Victor Z. came home early. There’s also the matter of other people having keys. JP left out the fact that Michael Price, his brother, had a key. I bet L. Hinton had a key as well since he lived there during the case against his roommate/partner, MP. We know Sarah M. had one. How about any of her friends? And how about those Alt connections? How about the back door was left open deliberately for an Alt guy or a drug guy or someone to stop by?
Re Robert Wone–he had a full work day on a new job and a late night. Not the greatest scenario for a tryst, esp. since as Clio points out, it was a school night.
Please, no married man on the DL is going to have a tryst with someone whom they have known for fifteen years AND with the same someone who is a gay activist. That’s not how the DL works!
This arrest that the police were supposedly going to make, how did the burglary derail it?
Thanks
I was thinking about Sarah Morgan, and recalling how fortunate it was that on that week night when Robert Wone was murdered, V. Zaborsky changes his travel plans to come home early, Michael Price for the first time misses his phlebotomy class, and Sarah Morgan has arranged a sleepover at some friends’ house.
All indicators of a pre-plan. victor’s coming home unannounced and his not going down to greet Robert, mean something. Was he angry at Robert? Or could he not face him?
Dyl’s flexible work schedule also seemed to accommodate the visit, even if the would-be chef had to answer the door after he had retired to his “rented” room.
I’m always surprised that when the cops asked about what clothes he had on, he admits that they were NOT the same shorts/shirt he “threw on” to go to Anacostia. Me, I grab the SAME throw on clothes in all likelihood since I’d just thrown them on to answer the door hour(s) before. Was there a reason? Did the cops ever TAKE those prior clothes? Or were they “fine” and he needed a fully zipped jacket for fear of being cold in the same rooms where Victor was sweating in short sleeves and asked for A/C? If you add Susan’s “coincidences” to the these, plus the cluster-F coincidence to end all coincidences of using Ashley’s Reagent instead of Luminol, this case would likely have been solved long, long, ago. I can only imagine the party that was thrown when they learned of the No-Luminol disaster. Made all that “clean up” concern just disappear.
I think it’s so ironic that the plan changed after the scream because they knew police would find traces or rob’s blood in the home and they wouldn’t be able to lie and say he never showed up or whatever lie they planned to tell. Then police botched the blood collection.
The impetus to post came from seeing the second not-real post at the top of the heap. It made me check the Florida bar members database to see if I could find any September 2012 admittees to know whether IF Joe had passed whether he’d be on the database. Yes, there were 9/12 brand spanking new bar members, and no, Joe wasn’t listed. It only took five minutes because I checked by first name of the “cool” names 25 years ago!
As I’ve said before, I’m fairly confident Joe would have passed any sort of formal testing to “pass the bar”. I strongly suspect that he passed the test but then had to deal with a number of fairly negative letters from other interested parties, and that’s what kept him from formally “passing the bar”. This is pure speculation on my part, of course. If this is what happened, he’s pretty much stuck–he can’t sue anyone, because you can’t really file a suit against someone and then plead the fifth as soon as the depositions start.
It does seem as if nothing much changed after the civil case settlement residential-wise. It seems DW kept a main base in Florida while the remaining two-thirds of the trouple kept a base in DC. Hopefully the main reason for that is to keep an ear and eye out for finding out Who Murdered Robert Wone and erase any lingering suspicion of themselves as the culprits.
What makes you say they have a “base” in DC? In the DC gay community, they’ve got to be pretty notorious. I would imagine that if they were in DC, we would have had more “sightings” by now. And if I were Joe, I’d be extremely nervous about letting either of the other two out of my sight for very long. Also, they really need to be in Florida most of the time to claim the Florida house as a “primary” residence.
I also wonder what happened with the insurance company. Did they just cut a check to Kathy Wone and walk away from all of this? Or did they say, “You know, under the terms of your policy, you’re required to co-operate with any investigation that we do.”?
“What makes you say they have a “base” in DC?”
The earlier posts about the new practice JP has on Capitol Hill and it looks like at least the linkedin page of the other reads Wash, DC. Plus they continue to have family and friends out here.
Poor Joe — this well-deserved fate of obscurity, eclipse, and exile must be a living death for the former Arent Fox partner, who must by now have tired of his sister-wives. As per the cliche, “karma ia a B***** only if you are.”
Oops: the verb in the quote is “is”, not “ia.”
I too think he would pass the test – either he didn’t apply or something got hung up in the process (duh – no surprise there).
Apparently, he did seek recommendations, according to a little bird: so why seek recommendations, if you ended up not applying? Something must have came up!
Interesting, Clio! Doesn’t appear to be any concern from the DC bar, however, although in FLA they have the “advantage” of making him prove moral character (via the application process) where in DC they’d have to prove he’s unfit to take his license away – not easy.
I thought that he was also licensed in Virginia, but I don’t see him in the directory. However, it looks like you can “opt out” of the Virginia directory.
Fascinating — so one could ask Virginian lawyers for recommendations to other states (as Mr. Price apparently did — according to several sources), even if one ceased to be part of the Old Dominion’s bar.
If I were writing a murder mystery TV drama that involved three perps, and two of the perps were based a thousand miles apart, it would make sense for #3 to always be with one of them and constantly worried that the far away perp could be spilling the beans.
I would have perp #1 toying with various sex partners while involved with drugs that could make him very talkative. Perp #2 would be the one who has parents and other relatives pushing him to tell what he knows. Perp #3 would constantly move back and forth between the other two, trying to keep a tight lid on everything.
In my murder mystery, #3 would finally realize that he’ll never have a moment of peace until he’s rid of the others who could send him to life in prison. There would be a scene where #3 hands #1 a drink, but it seems to have a strange odor. Perp #3 says, “Here’s to you, love of my life.” They clink their glasses, take a sip, but #1 starts shaking and drops his glass. It shatters on the terrazzo floor of their south Florida home. (fade to black)
Two weeks later, perp #3 is back up north. He suggests to #2 that they drive over to Harpers Ferry. They climb up a rocky trail to look down on the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers – a magnificent view far below, according to Thomas Jefferson. Perp #3 tells #2 he wants to take his picture with the spectacular view in the background. “Step back a few more steps so I can get everything in the picture,” he says. “Let me help you.” (fade to black)
Perps #2 suffers the same fate as Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside, husband of Auntie Mame, who “fell off a damn Alp.” Suddenly #3 is a widower. (Cue the music: “Merry Widow Waltz.”)
Disclaimer: This story is fiction. Thus far, the events never happened. Special thanks to Patrick Dennis for the cliff-falling scenario. Thanks to President Thomas Jefferson for climbing the rocky trail and publicizing the view where perp #2 meets his end.
Bill 2, that was too funny. And I just saw Mame on TV so that image of Beauregard was fresh in mind. He was the guy (father?) from Bonanza. Too funny. (Fade to…a commercial). But truly, if any of the fellows are innocent, or know only part of what happened that night, I would hope that they’d be spending some time between plugging milk, massage and legal services to do bring some justice to this crime and clear their names. Otherwise that cloud of suspicion just hovers. Can’t be a pleasant feeling.
I heart both Harpers Ferry and Auntie Mame!
In my fictitious tale, on the night before the hike up the slippery slope at Harpers Ferry, the couple are in bed. Perp #2 awakens around 3 a.m., when he notices #3 has gotten up and can be heard in the kitchen. Shortly after #3 returns to bed, #2 gets up saying, “I’m thirsty. I need a drink of water.” He goes to the kitchen and counts the steak knives to be sure that they’re all in place.
Do you really think Perp#2 has family/friends telling him to do the right thing? I think they were waiting-and-seeing about what THEY would tell based on whether he was headed to jail. Once that was decided, and he was declared NOT GUILTY on the charges that likely MATTERED as to Perp#2, his family/friends let him make the calls and followed his lead. Their first concern was him, and now they don’t think he has any dogs in the fight of statute of limitations – that he’s not guilty of murder. Mom showed some chutzpah at trial by publicly declaring that Kathy Wone was the victim, so it’s not a lack of moral character (by the family, not necessarily Perp#2; HE disappoints me to this day) but are they a polite WASP “we won’t mention it again” family? They likely pitied him for the “love of my life” declaration, that he’d so clearly been played and cheated on, but can they REALLY excuse the other two for what Perp#2 went through (not that it came close to what the real victims went through)? Maybe our best hope isn’t Perp#2 but his mother – would love to see her quietly gathering evidence and working with the cops and Kathy . . .
Bea, I somehow think that it’s the “polite” version of “We won’t mention it again.”
It never fails to amaze me how some families don’t talk and bury things. I think perp #2’s family is the burying under the rug type. Only really, it gets rough whenever one’s passage means traversing the rug. And every now and then, every now and then, you know someone wants to peek and see what’s under there. And every now and then someone likely Googles the verboten subject. But never talks about it with the others. This just doesn’t go away until there’s a conviction in the case. There may have been a settlement in the civil case, but justice doesn’t just settle. And no amount of massage or milk or anything else can make it go away, innocent or not, until justice is served.
Bea, in my scenario, the family isn’t telling him to “do the right thing.” They realize that someone who has gotten away with the murder thus far, may kill again in order to keep someone silent. That’s why they’re anxious that perp #2 tell what he knows. In his own mind, #2 thinks he’ll take what he knows to his grave. He could be lowered into that grave in the not too distant future if the killer doesn’t trust him.
Of course, my whole scenario is fiction and doesn’t apply to anything happening in the real world. Still, maybe someone should hire a food taster for his meals when certain acquaintances are hanging around.
I would have the taster also do my mimosas and Bloody Marys — only the Lord knows when Mr. Hyde might return!
In the murder mystery I’m putting together (fiction, of course), the least guilty perp is always in danger. He realizes that he must sleep alone with a solid lock on the bedroom door. He watches as food is prepared to be sure it’s the same ingredients for everyone in the household. He also keeps an eye on what goes into the tropical drinks they have on the patio in the afternoon. All the drinks are poured from the same container so that means it’s safe to drink. When his drink is decorated with a little paper umbrella, he doesn’t notice the powder that drifts down from the umbrella into the drink.
bill123, Why are you writing plays?EVEN THOUGH FICTIONAL WHO CARES ITS KILLING YOU DYLAN GOT OFF ISNT IT! COUSIN
You and I have the same hobby. I write fiction. You write fiction. Your claim that your cousin was “found innocent” is fiction. The records of the trial prove that your “found innocent” statement is fiction.
So are you saying that “…innocent until proven guilty.” is one of those fictions also?
no its a fact.
Anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see I made no such claim, Altagain.
None of the men living in that house were “found innocent” of any crime in the court cases involving this murder. The court did NOT officially declare any specific man on trial to be innocent.
The cousin does not have the capacity to comprehend the major difference between “not guilty” and “found innocent.”
Nobody has been on trial for the murder – yet. Nobody has been “found innocent” of murder.
are you sure about that? cause im pretty sure all the men are trying to move on.
Moving on — a luxury Robert will never be able to experience!
Does “moving on” mean “moving on” to other crimes?
Witness protection programs are for “witnesses.” Just sayin’.
Bea, come on dont lower youself to bills level on making up fictional bs you are bright and its just not funny.You claim to be so passionate about the whole tragedy well lowering youre standards to bill the# is not showing passion its making fun and its not cool in my book. You*r,dianne
I don’t think anyone on this site thinks the crime or the loss of a loved one is funny in the least. Like the rest of us trying to keep the case open, hoping to have Robert Wone’s murderer(s) brought to justice, we might find something ELSE humorous in the sense of pushing forward and trying to keep the eye on the prize (finding the killer(s)). Dianne, somebody knows something. They have to. One day they will tell – either by accident or from a pang of conscience. I support folks on this site who are here to keep the investigation alive – to me, if it creates enough “heat” to prevent others from being able to forget, great. If your cousin is completely innocent he should be able to sleep at night, same with his family – but there is much to suggest that he’s not told all he knows, at a minimum, and in weighing the upset caused to his family in keeping this site going, I have to say that Kathy Wone’s loss (and the rest of Robert’s family) is much greater. I appreciate what you’ve said about your cousin’s family, but trying to find the murderer(s) is much more important to me. Anything you can do to join us would be great.
I agree that loosing a child is a bigger loss then i will ever would want to go through i understand that. But i also wouldnt ever want to half to be on the other end of the room trying to save my son one thing i do know is the Wards were very on when you fuck up you will face youre conseqence no matter how hard the punishment.
Spagno in the news and not in a bad way: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-ethics-panel-votes-to-launch-probe-into-grahams-actions-on-metro-board/2012/10/16/ab8e3b1a-17d4-11e2-a55c-39408fbe6a4b_story.html
Spag and ethics: who knew!
There’s a lot to not be thankful for–like the murder of Robert Wone, corrupt people, etc. Sometime today, an individual or individuals who murdered Robert Wone will likely sit down to a family meal of some sort. Or people who know something not publicly disclosed about what happened at 1509 Swann that August night in 2006 will take a bite of pie or turkey. Will they be thinking of the Wone family? I’m sure the latter will be thinking of their son/husband, etc.
One thing to be thankful for, though, is knowing there are good people out there, like those who started and continue to maintain this site, the editors and the posters, whose only interest is to see justice done. There is that good in the world and it’s worth giving thanks for that.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you, Susan, for all you do to help keep things on track and for finding new angles that the police never even noticed.
I am thankful for this blog, which stands as a permanent reminder of the now historical question that it still poses on its home page, a question that the police, courts, and conventional media have failed to answer.
Thanks, Bill 2. That’s nice of you to say. And same to you and others. Thanks too to people like Goateeki who post. Most people who have read and looked at so many angles of this crime would refute his/her theory, but it’s still nice Goateeki cared enough to post. Keeps the dialogue going. Agree with Clio, too, and hope Bill Orange is right.
Ditto. I continue to think that this case will break eventually. Justice has a way of catching up with people. Just ask OJ Simpson.
Let us continue to hope so, Bill Orange.
This article shows what we knew already — Chief Lanier is less than forthright, and that her department remains ignorant of LGBT cultures — sigh!
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/us/anti-gay-crime-persists-in-capital-despite-special-police-unit.html?_r=0
Chief Lanier was less than forthright on that radio call-in show with her claim that the Robert Wone murder case was still an active investigation. I seriously doubt they’ve done any follow-up for the past two or three years. Further investigation would probably reveal much more about how the department bungled the investigation.
I do wonder if and when this “further investigation” of the allegedly “very active investigation” will occur. Meanwhile, “the real killers” are still on the loose. Thanks, Chief Lanier!
So many District officials have disappointed.
Surely Dateline NBC or one of those news crime shows will do a story about August 2, 2006 at 1509 Swann St in the District. This is a crime that I can’t see the media not revisiting from time to time. And I’m sure there will be a “where are they now” feature for those connected with the crime scene that night, etc. Wonder for some right now, though–where are they now?
I second the idea that this would make a good Dateline program (60 Minutes, etc. also fine). We have all the info they’d ever need for “background” and the actual story has so much “color” it’s hard to imagine one with more. The reasons it would NOT be picked are two-fold: (1) no wrapped-with-a-bow final ending; and (2) lingering PC and legal concerns – they wouldn’t want to piss off gay people by looking negatively at a gay home where a murder occurred (and the trouple-ness complicates that) AND they’d be a bit hamstrung as to what they could say about the defendants without getting sued (would have been easier DURING the trial but a big blow up of Judge L’s math problem with voiceover isn’t a bad ending).
Still think it would be worthwhile and absolutely the right thing to happen here – more heat, renewed interest – anyone have connections?
FYI, belated Thanksgiving Greetings! Haven’t been here in a while, likely a record for me.
I know for a fact that 60 Minutes has passed at least once.
Another problem, for Dateline in particular, is that there is no trial footage (cameras not being allowed in D.C. courts). I’ve noticed that Dateline reports always build up to dramatic trial scenes.
There are some newer cable network shows that use dramatic reenactments and edgier subject matter that might be more willing to take this on (on the ID Network for instance). I wonder if anyone has approached them?
Again, the defendants can’t sue anyone. You can’t sue someone and then invoke your 5th Amendment rights as soon as the depositions start, which is what they would have to do. They can bluster all they want to, but they can’t really get a lawsuit up and running, much less win one.
Bill O, they could sue if the show made any definitive statement which was false – but the defendants would not be likely to do sue to avoid having to take the stand to establish falsehood of the statement, on that I agree with you. That said, the show producers/networks may still think it’s too risky (they have in-house lawyers and bean counters who urge conservatism AND there are many case with convictions and saucy details, no liability issues). Agree with Hoya on the camera issue – shows want visuals. Also, if the criminal case were still going on, too, they’d be considered public figures and the networks would have a wider berth (the standard is different for public figures). BUT I WANT SOMEONE TO DO IT!
Why hasn’t Faux News touched this case, from their own perspective? We may know why CNN passed early on — but the reluctance to do anything on the part of the other outlets can only help “the real killers” to get away with the crime.
I think in-house lawyers are FAR too conservative. This was really brought home to me when Joy Behar (sp?) made her (tasteless) Uchitel-she’s-a-hooker crack on “The View”. Gloria Allred threatened to sue unless Behar apologized, and the lawyers for the show caved. It was the wrong decision. They should’ve called the bluff and said, “We’d be happy to retract the comment if you’ll provide a sworn affidavit from your client saying that she has never received any financial gain as a direct or indirect result of a sexual relationship with Tiger Woods.”
That’s what I was TRYING to say but didn’t effectively do so. They are bean counters – and are unlikely to touch anything that can get them sued even if they scratched the surface to realize why they’re not likely to. They write internal memos about “risk” and “vulnerability to suit” and then the suits kill the idea. Maybe someone will champion a show but it’s going to take a champion with clout, in my opinion.
Just writing to say hello to old friends. Its been a tough year and I will be glad to see the end of 2012.
Best to all, and here’s to catching, trying and convicting Robert’s killers.
Meto
I was reading this post
https://whomurderedrobertwone.com/2011/05/24/hes-lying/
and it isn’t related directly, but it got me to thinking how everyone in 1509 Swann that night seemed to be pissed off. Vic Zaborsky comes home early and can’t even find his partner when he rushes off to the gym. He burns the steaks. Finds out towards the end of the evening that a guest is staying the night and no one had told him! He finds his cable’s been cancelled and he’s only just been on a sshort business trip! P.O’d.
Ward has the drudgery of making the bed for Robert Wone, and then has to get up from his evening reading of The New Yorker with it’s murder image to answer the door, because his partner, on the next floor with his other partner(!) can’t hear the door. Meanwhile, he’s bored with his relationship (apparently, sparkly c.) so waiting for that third.
And then J. Price, has to deal with the above frustrations, which relate to him/are a result of him/his actions and also fix the leaky water pipe problem, etc.
And I bet Robert Wone had a really decent and exciting day. New job, new class, meeting the staff. Long, but productive day.
How could this have happened to him?
I hope the police reward stands and someone’s conscience gives way reward or no reward. Even if people don’t know who murdered Robert Wone but heard something strange or know of something that might be connected, maybe they will come out and share.
Firstly I want to thank the blog owners for keeping this blog up. I lurked here on and off during the earlier days but I’m pretty sure I never posted. I haven’t visited in a couple years at least. I wouldn’t call myself an amateur sleuth but have always enjoyed true crime shows, and think this case would be very deserving of a television treatment. There’s just something haunting about it. OTOH, I have to admit the little bit of me that’s an activist worries about how it will fuel more vitriol against the LGBT community.
As a gay man who was at W&M roughly contemporaneously to Robert but did not know him, I wanted to share impression of the case. I have no doubt Robert was -not- responsible for own death. I do not believe he committed suicide, for a host of reasons, but most obviously, why hide it if he did? Why would that have seemed _more_ like a cover up by the residents than what did happen? It simply defies logic…you can be more certain he did not commit suicide than many other mysterious deaths. But I don’t think we can wholly rule out various other theories. Believe me, there were a lot of closeted guys at 1990s W&M. Some have since come out, some haven’t. I remember a Korean guy who somewhat obnoxiously seemed to flirt with me for a brief period near the end of our freshman year. He’s now married with kids. Of course every campus has a few but I think it was something of a specialty there. An English professor even once theorized that the name of the school limned a kind of gender ambiguity that might be subliminally attractive to so-called questioning teens. I didn’t know Robert, but I knew people with roughly the same vitae. For example, some formerly close co-workers were a Asian couple (one had gone to UVA & one to W&M) who flat out suggested to me that her husband – who had hit on me several times – still fooled around with a white, male friend he had met in college. Almost implying she didn’t mind if I wanted to fool around. Did I misinterpret? Was it just a joke gone wrong, perhaps? Additionally, I knew of an Asian lawyer in DC whose homosexuality was an open secret to his partners; it was never clear if his wife knew. It was generally understand that he had to produce heirs and this was the way to do it. Yes, I’m just using anecdotes, not statistics, but I’m making a point that these sort of things DO happen in all cultures, and not every kind of “down low” is between men who are total strangers to one another, nor kept as absolutely close secrets. I think there’s something about Asian culture that pragmatically values the appearance of order even more than a kind of western, Abrahamic obsession with pure moral “rightness”.
Anyhow back to Robert, something about an Asian freshman from NYC, who attended a Catholic HS, befriending an openly gay senior from rural Virginia (right? or was it TX?) strikes me as not quite expected. Again, this is only about probability and is not a direct suggestion of causation. It was very cliquish. Asian students tended to run with Asian students, northeastern students with northeastern, etc. Every fraternity had the “type” of student it was known to attract. I remember a student newspaper article about some guy being in a sports fraternity but also playing a musical instrument in a classical ensemble, and my closest female friend and I joking along the lines of “isn’t that a violation of the honor code or something?”
Odds are there was nothing there. But of all the people I know who went there, I don’t know anybody else who formed a lasting-into-adulthood friendship across a boundary of 3 years. Maybe it was somewhat more common in a fraternity but I’m sure they didn’t have that connection. And, mind you, I’m not saying this in any way excuses what happened. I’m not blaming the victim, I’m just looking for answers. That Robert and Joseph were close, trusted friends make what happened all the more tragic. NOR am I even implying anything sexual happened that day. Maybe all that happened was that something was said that opened an old wound of some kind, or made someone jealous. I’m just reminding people not to rule out things based on assumptions that everyone’s life is as conventional as it seems. Things are not always what they seem.
Oops! I mean “his own” death. Coffee wasn’t quite working yet.
BTW, one thing I want to stress is that I think the real legacy of this case has nothing to do with how Robert might or might not have experimented in college, or even what nefarious goings-on took place at 1509 Swann in the days or months leading up to the murder: it is the incompetence of the police in being unable to solve the crime. I was reading about the case and reminding myself of the mistakes they made. How could they have not thought to look for Ketamine? How did they not fully secure the crime scene? etc. etc.
I also need to clarify that the reason I wanted to focus on Robert and Joseph’s history was, again, not to blame to victim but to try to understand the overall criminology. Sure, they could have just decided they wanted to kill someone in cold blood. We can’t rule that out. But the need to use Robert as a sexual object or victim, when he had no prior sexual connection to any of the 3, is what I’ve never quite been able to accept. Sex in a gay ghetto is incredibly easy to find, or so my friends tell me. I was always about as random hookup-avoidant as one can be. But if one of them had wanted to act out a rape fantasy, it would have been much easier to find someone random with no connection to any resident of the house. Of course, if their reasoning was incapacitated by drugs, they might not have thought that. OTOH if they were all completely strung out at the time, it seems more likely that one of them would have made some kind of critical mistake early on. But that goes back to my first point: maybe one of them did and a better investigative body would have found the clue in time. Too bad that didn’t happen.
RIP Robert Wone.
Nice post. A couple of corrections, though, in that Joe was not out in college – tightly closeted, in fact, so if he told Robert then he was one of very few told. More likely it was over a process of years – they knew each other only one year in college and then Joe moved on to law school. They had the Student Government tie which apparently was strong, along with a number of other friends, including Lisa, the CNN reporter, who went to the police station that night and knew both Joe and Robert well.
I don’t care if Robert was on the DL but his opening up his request for a place to stay to both Joe and Lisa suggests that it wasn’t a sex troll.
I wish something would break in this case. It is a travesty that K wasn’t checked for, that Luminol wasn’t used, and that the detectives weren’t better prepared for the interrogation at Anacostia that night. Really crummy job overall. But Dylan lied about something, or so the polygraph would suggest, and there were too many inconsistencies (coupled with too many over the top consistencies) for me to believe the three don’t know more than they’re saying – and that’s the baseline of guilt in my opinion. Would each one put his life on the line had one among (or two) been the murderer? I suspect so, particularly if Victor was the non-killer and Joe was a killer – not that I know this to be true, but pure speculation. If none of the three had any involvement in the murder but knew the killer, why not say?
My guess is that it’s something in the middle. Some level of culpability on Joe and Dylan’s part (one or both) that put them too deeply involved to be able to point at the real killer and not be drawn into it and face charges of some kind. Joe convinced them to roll the dice, in my opinion, orchestrated it fairly well, and the cops made their failures to seal their success – for now anyway.
I can never get over Joe knowing the back gate was locked. That’s the clincher for me personally. Any intruder will unlock it and not climb the fence. He could only know it was locked if he knew no one left that way.
It’s all about Joe, as always. Take Joe out of the picture, and there probably would not have been a murder.
So why would Joe maintain a friendship with Robert? Why would Joe require at least two partners at once? Why would he store intimate photos on a work computer? Why?
Lots of why’s about him, Clio. Why represent your brother’s partner in a court against your brother? Why not tell police about brother having a key to your home? Why pretend, before a police detective, that you are searching for an email on a phone you know is not your own? Why tell your occasional third S. Hixson that you pulled the knife out of R. Wone when during an interrogation break when you didn’t tell that to the cops? Why ask K. Wone to drop atty-client privilege and give him access to her private representation? Those are just some other why’s.
Dey was some nasty shit goin on with dat gay 3some, including price, da ringleader.
Hi Concerned Citizen,
Nice to see your posts and read your thoughts. One thing about Robert Wone you might not have considered is
1) he met JP when checking out the school with his parents and I believe was placed as his roommate. That is coincidental though. Not sure if it was by design. But 2) RW was known to make and keep friends, at least from what we know about W&M. He kept female and male friends from that time, gay, straight, etc. 3) he only once ever before–at least as the official record has it—stayed at their house and that was their Cap. Hill house. 4) The police (during breaks from giving Charlie Sheen-types escorts and other folly) if they areally are still considering this case should look at all scenarios to rule them out or in.
But bottom line: Gay, straight, celibate, kinky, not, etc., etc. Robert wone went to 1509 Swann Street alive and left murdered (oh with the slightest hair of life left after stab wounds and more). There are countless craven and otherwise individuals on the downlow or straight and having affairs, etc. In all but rare cases they don’t wind up murdered.
Whats the latest on Michael Price?
The answer is simple, the dc police were inept. The alpha male in this murderous gay ménage a trios got the two submissives in this “relationship” to clam up. As a lawyer, the alpha male was able to buy his way out of trouble with the best criminal attorneys in dc. The wife was eager to cash in and was likely unhappy her husband turned out to be that most slippery of eels, the Asian closet case. Justice delayed is justice denied. There is a “Price” for everything and after death God will judge.
“Alpha male”, hardly then and certainly not anymore! Wife cashing in: not likely! “Most slippery of eels”: masseurs who have written for children!
Does anyone know if JP has been disbarred?
The clincher for me was his use of bleach on the crime scene.