Robert Wone

Craig and Doug over at the excellent (and relentless) Who Murdered Robert Wone? site offered an update this morning on the now 3 1/2-year-old murder case. In their latest post, they’ve published the 10th and final page of the toxicology report prepared by the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which details the list of tests that were performed on Wone’s blood during the original investigation into his death.

Prosecutors have long hypothesized that Wone was injected with some kind of paralytic drug prior to his death, due to the combination of unexplained needle marks and the lack of defensive wounds found on his body. But they’ve never been able to prove that Wone was drugged, and this toxicology report shows exactly which tests were performed (“ethanol, acetone, methanol, isopropanol…amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine metabolites, methadone, methamphetamines, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP), propoxyphene…gamma-hydroxybutyrate…(and) carbon monoxide…”) — which in turn serves to show us which tests weren’t performed, as well. As the authors of WMRW write:

We have long speculated whether ketamine could account for the curious circumstances around Robert’s murder. However, the affidavit did not specifically mention whether ketamine was tested for – and you can’t prove a negative, or a thing by its absence.

…

All tests were negative – or in the normal range. It is now certain that NO testing was done for ketamine.

And since ketamine has a short half-life, with residue testing at its limits at 2-4 days, not 2-4 years, all parties can safely assume any further testing on the remaining blood samples will never show positive for ketamine.

No one has been charged with Wone’s murder. The three men who lived in the Swann Street residence where Wone was killed, Joseph Price, Victor Zaborsky and Dylan Ward, are currently facing charges of obstruction of justice, conspiracy and evidence tampering in the case. A status hearing in that case is scheduled for Jan. 15.