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Earlier this week we reported on some of the twists and turns in the murder investigation of 32-year-old lawyer Robert Wone in a Swann Street rowhouse in early August. A killing that was originally blamed on an intruder suddenly became more complicated late last week, when police announced that the room in which Wone's body had been found had been cleaned before police could arrive at the scene. Commenters on our post -- some who knew Wone, others who know the residents of the house in which he was killed -- floated a number of theories as to what happened and why it happened. Now police are looking in a new direction -- criminal conspiracy.
WUSA 9 reported last night that police are looking towards the three residents of the rowhouse as being potential suspects. They reported:
Law enforcement sources tell 9NEWS NOW it's becoming increasingly clear the murder of Robert Wone involves a criminal conspiracy. Multiple sources say, at the very least, the attempted clean-up; if not the act of murder itself, involves more than one person...News like this is sure to fuel rumors concerning the motives for the crime, not to mention the role that the three residents of the house -- two of which are prominent members of the gay community -- may have played in it. Of course, the investigation won't likely go anywhere fast -- the three have hired defense attorneys, and not the cheap kind.Furthermore, we're told it is very obvious anyone present inside that row-house would have been aware of the killing and subsequent activity inside such a small dwelling. One official told us "it's like a sardine can inside." The owner of the house, Joseph Price is general counsel for Equality Virginia, a gay lobbyist group and a member of the Arent Fox law firm where his office has been searched and his computer seized by homicide detectives...
Once again, police sources say there is no evidence of any other person inside the house that night. The back door was open, we're told, but not forced open. Detectives suspect it was left open as part of the cover-up.
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Why did you swap the knife for the MPD badge? Maybe DCist is learning from its mistakes...
I quickly realized that the image was in poor taste, and would rather have commenters discuss the meat of the post and not the image attached to it.
The good news is: the person(s) responsible for Wone's death are on the clock. He/they better enjoy their freedom while they have it, because the evidence is looking very bleak for the residents of the Swann house.
It likely is a matter of time before one of the residents cracks (likely the resident who did not stab Wone, but helped with the clean-up), and fingers the resident responsible for the stabbing.
Beyond the question "Why?", for which no facts have been made public, there is another interesting question:
Could the person(s) involved with the clean-up but not the stabbing be charged with murder?
From the news articles, we now know that Wone's wounds were an hour old when police arrived at the scene. Also, the articles state that Wone was unconscious when police arrived and pronounced dead at the hospital a short time thereafter. Can a person be charged with murder if they aid in covering up the murder and take no action to assist the victim?
matter of time: Yes, that's an easy conspiracy charge. If they assist with prosecution I don't think it would be totally dropped, but a reduced sentence with probation would be likely.
to
(Sorry for the phantom post above)
Yes, the persons who actually did not do the stabbing can be charged with a whole host of things including conspiracy, accessory and lesser degrees of manslaughter.
I can't wait for this story to pan out.
this man was my good friend and lawyer. i am flabbergasted and i have no clue what the hell is going on here.
was he caught in a gay lover's dispute?
did china send hitmen to kill him b/c he was advancing the cause of freedom in china via RadioFreeAsia?
this man was the kindest, most charming young man you'll ever meet.
a shock and tragedy
what the hell is going on here?!?!
Politburo and Kate,
Thanks for your comments. Certainly the aiders and abettors can be charged with the things you list. My question is whether aiding and abetting can become murder; i.e. must a person actually be the stabber, trigger man, etc. or can certain conduct constitute direct involvement with a murder?
If Wone was still alive while he was being moved, and the aiders and abettors know this, and failed to assist Wone but rather assisted in covering up the crime, then, in a way, the aiders and abettors may have been directly responsible for his death. Cleaning-up after a person has been murdered and lying about it would certainly be aiding and abetting and conspiracy. What about if you are involved in the clean-up and moving the victim around while the victim is still alive?
I read through the comments on the other post, and while the actions of the Swann street residents are very suspicious, I would like to argue we all avoid rushing to judgment until the facts are out.
It's clear the police are strategically leaking information about this case to try to flush out some kind of confession. However, what's not clear is whether the information published by the newspapers is legitimate fact or speculative hyperbole designed to put pressure on the Swann street residents. Newspapers and local broadcast journalists don't follow the same standards of evidence as a courtroom, and also don't have to convince anybody except their editors that the story is legit.
Folks on this board have also been crowing about about why "innocent" residents of Swann Street would need to hire lawyers. Remember, however that the cops on this case are facing the intense pressure of a summer crime emergency and general outrage over the run-away murder rate in the "better" parts of DC these days. The history of lazy police work at MPD would sure make me want to protect myself if I were in the residents' shoes.
I'm not saying the Swann St folks are innocent. I'm just asking that folks leave the detective work to the police, and stop speculating on things for which we have seen no direct evidence or explanation.
If you've ever seen an episode of Law & Order, you would know to get a good lawyer if the police think you're guilty, whether you're innocent or not.
You would also understand how the police can get people to confess to crimes they never committed.
Wow, no tacky graphic. Way to go, DCist!
Getting a good lawyer is one thing, not assisting the police in the investigation and actively covering up the crime is a whole 'nother.
And we can speculate about this all we like, we're not trying the guy(s). We're not doing "detective work" but discussing the facts of the case as we know it.
This reminds me of a murder in San Francisco where a gay couple of Silicon Valley techies killed a lawyer in the Castro. Very sordid triangle.
>
Actually, it's often the same thing, since any good lawyer will tell a defendant not to go out of their way to assist the police. It's the policemen's job to investigate and build a case. It's not up to the suspect to build a case for them. Why? because in the cases where a suspect is innocent of the crime, we don't want his lack of help to the police to be used as some sort of evidence that he's guilty.
You're right, mojo, there's nothing I can do to stop folks from dreaming up wild theories about gay 4-somes, deranged drug-addled robbers stalking the neighborhood, etc. The fact is, it's all a bunch of hooey until there is court-entered evidence to back up these wild claims.
So sorry for the semantic misstep of saying folks are doing detective work.
It's actually the exact opposite. All we have is lurid speculation about a dead man's personal life without any facts other than what muckraking journalists dredge up from questionable MPD sources. It's both unseemly and a violation of our justice system.
What I was trying to get across is that I have about as much confidence in the MPD leaks as I do the intentions of the Swann St folks. Naive as it may be, I'd rather see an end to the speculation until the DC Atty General files charges.
I keep forgetting where DC1974 used to live?
This one time, in band camp, in California?
I'm so glad none of you will make the jury pool.
And for heaven's sake, if you're going to mention a sordid case in SF, at least have the presence of mind to come up with a good one. To wit:
http://www.courttv.com/trials/dogmaul/index.html
It just came over CNN that John Mark Karr has confessed to this killing as well. He still awaits extradition to the United States from Bangkok.
Between DC1974 drawing a comparison to San Fran, and Copperred complaining about people not serving on jury duty, I think it's my duty to chime in that if we had open primaries, the crime would be solved by now.
I knew it. Who gets stabbed inside their house in Logan?
If guilty, Joe and Victor are going to be very difficult to take down. Joe especially; he's a freaking partner at a law firm. I hope Rob's family will support finding the killer no matter what it takes, even if it means that a few embarassing secrets may come out as a result. The family and his wife have been so quiet up to this time. Does anyone have any insight on how strongly they feel about this?
The residents of the Swann Street house are friends of mine and I have been their house guest before. In fact, I stayed in the same room that Robert was found in. One comment that I keep seeing is completely incorrect...the house is by no means the size of a sardine can and it is very possible that no one heard what was going on, especially from one floor to the next.
Reading through these comments brings one word to mind... schadenfreud. Somewhere in all of these posts the fact that a human life was taken and friends and family lost a loved one. And because Robert was such an extraordinary person, the worl is worse off without him in it (and I never even met the man). This isn't something for random bloggers to salivate over. Turn on the TV, they run Law & Order episodes all day. Get your rocks off that way... not over this incomprehensible loss of life and friendship. I agree with "Hey wait a min" about the MPD. Jumping the gun would be an understatement in this instance.
To A Matter of Time, I think you are asking about the felony murder rule, which essentially imputes the criminal intent needed to obtain a murder conviction to someone involved in the commission of a dangerous felony, even if he wasn't the trigger man. For instance, if two men hold up a bank and one shoots and kills the teller, the other one can also be charged with murder. I don't think that's likely to apply in this circumstance.
If Wone had been stabbed an hour before the police arrived, and it took the police 13 minutes to arrive, why didn't they just take him to GW themselves? I mean, let's put ourselves in their shoes. If there was no conspiracy, how could they not hear commotion or Wone's immediate pleas for help, if any, related to a violent stabbing? He must have been stabbed just after, or around, 11 PM, at which time they would have found him and taken him to the hospital, which is a short car ride away. GW hospital is at I and 20th and they are near S & 18th, which is 2 blocks over and 9 down, about 10 minutes. Conclude as you wish.