18 years ago, 32-year-old attorney Robert Wone was found stabbed to death in bed at a Victorian home on Swann Street. It’s a shocking, gruesome mystery that transfixed the city.
The Night of the Murder:
Wone was staying the night at the home of his three friends — Joseph Price, Victor Zaborsky, and Dylan Ward. Around midnight, 911 received a call that Wone had been stabbed. Responders arrived to a very strange scene.
The police found Wone dead on the pull-out sofa, looking as though he had been “showered, redressed, and placed in the bed.” An autopsy later revealed that he had been sexually assaulted and possibly drugged.
The Investigation:
The three friends said they believed an intruder came into the house to commit the crime, however, there was no evidence of a break-in. The investigation also quickly determined that the crime scene had been tampered with. For one, they found that a knife from the kitchen had been smeared with blood and placed near the body, but was not consistent with the stab wounds. But, a knife missing from a set found in Ward's bedroom was.
One of the three defendants in the Robert Wone conspiracy trial leaving the courthouse. All found not guilty. (The Washington Post/Getty Images)
The Suspects:
No charges were filed for over two years. Finally, Wone's friends were charged with obstruction of justice, but they were acquitted in 2010 due to lack of evidence. They later settled a wrongful death suit filed by Wone’s wife, Katherine. To date, no one has been charged with Wone’s murder.
Dive Deeper:
The case has become infamous in and outside of D.C. Fox5 made a seven-part true-crime podcast on it. There is also an excellent Casefile podcast episode on the case. Then, last year, a two-part docuseries, “Who Killed Robert Wone?”, went viral. The show digs deeper into allegations of homophobia during the investigation (the three friends living together were in a relationship) and gives a peek into the house itself.
