On the evening of August 2nd, 2006, Robert Wone stayed late after work and decided to stay at a friend’s house instead of making the train ride out to the suburbs of Washington DC. Robert spoke with his wife throughout the day and eventually told her he was heading to their friends house, but he would be dead only hours later. Despite evidence pointing to a sinister end at the hands of the 3 men in the house with him, Robert Wone’s unsolved murder is one of Washington DC’s most notorious cases.
Who Was Robert Wone
Robert Eric Wone was born June 1st, 1974 in Manhattan, NY. Growing up, Robert was raised in Brooklyn. He was the eldest of two sons to William and Aimee. He was a fourth generation Chinese American. Robert’s great grandparents immigrated from China to the US in the 1930s, and the family has lived in New York ever since. Robert was a bright kid who easily made friends. People described Robert as the kind of person to do good deeds just for the sake of doing them. In college, he snuck out of his dorm once to clean bird poop off of school statues. He would put change into parking meters when he saw they were about to expire to keep people from getting parking tickets.
When it came to school, Robert was dedicated and knew what he wanted. He graduated from Xaverian High School as valedictorian and afterwards attended William And Mary in Virginia as a James Monroe Scholar. According to the William and Mary’s website, less than 10% of undergraduates receive this, and “Monroe Scholars demonstrate a concern for community, intellectual depth, curiosity, and devotion to learning for learning’s sake.” While there, he worked in the president’s office as an aide.
Robert also joined a secret society when he was in Virginia, the 13 Club. There is very little information out there regarding the 13 Club, which makes sense, since it’s supposed to be a secret society. Some members’ families don’t even know that they were a part of the society until after their deaths. The 13 Club isn’t regarded as some high society / skull and crossbones evil doing secret society, they’re a club that does good deeds and philanthropic work around William and Mary’s college for the betterment of the school and their peers. Robert graduated from William and Mary’s in 1996, and then went to the University of Pennsylvania Law School and graduated with Honors in 1999.
Following his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, Robert served as a law clerk for Judge Raymond A. Jackson, of the Federal District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia. After that, Robert landed a great job with a prestigious law firm, Covington and Burling in Washington DC. While there, Robert became a rising star within the Asian American Legal community, serving as the general council for the Organization of Chinese Americans.
In January of 2002, Robert attended a legal conference, where he met Katherine Yu. Katherine was from a family of Korean immigrants who had her own list of academic achievements and accomplishments as well as a budding career as a lawyer. Kathy grew up in Chicago, and the two hit it off immediately. After the conference, they started a long distance relationship which quickly turned serious. Within a year, Robert proposed and Kathy moved to Washington. They married in 2003. Friends and family described their marriage as blissful and loving.
In 2006, Robert had begun to feel… unfulfilled isn’t the right word, but he just felt like he could do more for his community. He was achieving many great things at Covington and Burling in DC, but wanted to serve his community and heritage to the best of his abilities. He talked with Kathy about leaving his prestigious job and trying to get a position as general council for Radio Free Asia. Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a US government funded non profit that broadcasts radio and online news programs for audiences in Asia. Their mission is to provide accurate and uncensored reporting to countries in Asia that have poor media environments and limited protections for press freedom and freedom of speech. Basically, they try to get unbiased, uncensored news out to countries / areas where the local government censors everything.
While making a change of this magnitude would most likely mean a huge drop in his income, Kathy was all in on his career change. She said that she wanted him to be happy and feel fulfilled with his work. She had a great job with a healthcare consulting firm, and they would be more than fine with her salary. From there, Robert applied and started to go through the interview process with RFA. Not surprisingly, Robert got the job and in early August of 2006, he was settling into his new position and was the president elect of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
Robert’s Murder
Robert decided that he was going to stay late one evening and meet the night staff at RFA and attend a CLE (Continuing Legal Education) class. Typically, he and Kathy carpooled from Oakton, a suburb of DC, into DC for work. Robert decided that since he was going to stay late, it would be better for him to just stay in DC overnight and then go home with Kathy after working the following day.
August 2nd started as any typical day for the Wones. The couple went to the gym near their house before taking the Metro into DC. They kissed and parted ways to their offices. They emailed one another when they arrived safe and sound, which was a daily habit. After the work day, Kathy went home and Robert went to his CLE class with a coworker. The coworker said they grabbed a sandwich from Subway and ate together. The class ended around 9:30, and the coworker confirmed that Robert attended both classes offered that night. Afterwards, he got a cab and called Kathy on the way back to RFA to meet the night staff. He told her that when he left work for the night, he would be going to a friend’s house to sleep. It was the last time that Kathy talked to her husband.
A little after midnight, Kathy got a call from Joe Price, the friend that Robert was staying with. He said “I can’t believe I’m calling you about this. Go over to George Washington Hospital. Robert has been stabbed in the back.”
Robert had left RFA and went to the house that Joe Price shared with his partner Victor Zaborsky. Robert had met Joe at William and Mary’s, Joe was a senior when Robert started to attend the school. Joe was also a lawyer and was very active in the gay community of Virginai / DC. After he graduated from UVA, he became the president of the Gay and Lesbian Alumni Association. In 2006, Price was working at Arent Fox, a world known, high powered law firm with offices in DC. Robert’s partner, Victor worked as a marketing manager form the Milk Processors Education Program, the people behind the “Got Milk?” campaign. Robert and Victor were pillars in the gay / lesbian community, ofen holding events and fundraisers. In 2004, they began a polyamorous relationship with Dylan Ward, and the three of them moved into a 1.2 million dollar townhouse. This is the townhouse that Robert went to stay at. The throuple was close with the Wones. They hosted Robert’s 30th birthday party, and Joe and Victor even attended their wedding in 2003. When Robert told Kathy he was staying with Joe, she didn’t give it a second thought.
A little before 10:30 PM, Robert called Joe, presumably to tell him that he was going to be heading to their house soon. Joe said that they had just finished up dinner, and Robert arrived between 10:30 and 10:40 PM. Joe’s house was just a short cab ride away from the RFA office. According to Joe Price and Dylan Ward, when Robert arrived, they talked in the kitchen for a little bit and drank water. Victor was upstairs watching Project Runway when Robert arrived, and said that Joe joined him to watch the last 10 minutes or so. Dylan Ward said that he took a sleeping pill and went to bed, reading a book for a few minutes. Robert took a shower before heading to a guest room, Dylan said that he heard Robert leave the bathroom and go to the guest room and close the door.
Joe said that it was a hot night, and he told everyone to close their bedroom doors to maximize the air conditioning. Joe watched a few minutes of TV, but Victor wanted to go to sleep so they turned the TV off and went to sleep between 11:05 and 11:10 PM.
The townhouse had an alarm system that would make a chime sound when an exterior door was opened. Joe and Victor said that they were woken up by the sound of the chime, but didn’t think anything of it, since they thought it was the person they sublet the first floor to. She was at a friend’s house though, and wouldn’t return home that night.
A few minutes after the chime, they claim to hear a series of guttural grunts and low sounding screams. They rushed to the second floor where they saw the guest room ajar and Robert laying on the bed bleeding from stab wounds. They both said that they never heard anyone run down the steps or another door chime after that. Joe told Victor to call 911 as he knelt by Robert to try to stop the bleeding. With Victor on with 911, Dylan Ward came out to see what was going on. The three men theorized that someone broke into the house by climbing over a security fence in the back, stabbed Robert, and then escaped. That’s what they told the 911 operator as well, that someone broke in and stabbed Robert, then left.
The Scene and Investigation
When the paramedics arrived at the townhouse, they were creeped the eff out. One later said that it made the hair so the back of his neck stand up. The three men were calm and not acting like one of their friends had been stabbed at all. Victor was on the front steps in a white bathrobe when they arrived and he pointed them to the 2nd floor. On the way in, they passed Dylan Ward, also in a white robe, as they ask him what was going on, he wordlessly points towards the guest room then goes into his own room and shuts the door.
When they arrived at the guest room, they found Robert in the bed in a t-shirt and shorts. His head was resting on a pillow that only had an indention from his head. His body was on top of the sheets, and the bed looked like it hadn’t been used at all. Robert had his mouth guard in, which he wore at night due to teeth grinding. Joe was sitting on the bed, in only his underwear. Paramedics asked what was going on and he told them that he heard a scream as he moved out of their way. One of the paramedics said that he gave them an uneasy feeling, and that he kept an eye on him the entire time, particularly his hands. He never put his back to him.
When they began to look at Robert, they saw 3 slit-like wounds in his abdomen, but no signs of life. There was a slight film of blood that was on his body, indicating that blood had been wiped away, and three holes in his shirt that matched up to the wounds on his body. They quickly loaded Robert onto a stretcher and got him to a hospital. Robert was pronounced Dead On Arrival when they arrived at George Washington Hospital though.
At the crime scene, it’s noted that the 3 men still there all looked like they were freshly showered before the paramedics arrived. They were all acting subdued as well, definitely not how you would expect someone who had just had one of their friends stabbed to death by an unknown assailant to act. Joe Price told the first officer to arrive on scene that they found Robert by the patio door, then took him to the upstairs room and put him in the bed. That officer told him to put some clothes on, since he was still running around in his underwear. One of the paramedics said that when they saw Roberts body, it looked like he had been showered, dressed, and then placed in the bed.
They noted that none of Robert’s personal items were missing. In fact, nothing was missing from the house at all. Several thousands of dollars worth of electronics were still on the first floor. So, it would appear that if someone broke in, their main goal was just to kill Robert then leave. They found two wallets, Robert always carried 2, one as a dummy wallet in case he got mugged. His blackberry and mouth guard case were there too. On a nightstand beside the bed, there was a black handled knife that was from the kitchen downstairs. It had Robert’s blood on the blade. Joe said that he moved the knife from Robert’s stomach to the side table, so they might find his fingerprints on it. When it was tested for fingerprints later, none were found. There was a white towel near Robert’s overnight bag with a little blood on it. Besides that, the room appeared to be undisturbed. The investigators noted that there was no sign of forced entry to the house at all.
Police searched the house, including all the men’s rooms. In Ward’s room, they found several sex toys, many which were described as being used in BDSM. Amongst the toys, they found an Erostek machine, which is a stimulation device to induce ejaculation in men via prostate stimulation. They also found Ecstasy after a drug dog allerted on it. Cadaver dogs were brought in, and they hit on the dryer and a drain in the back patio. The garden hose was unwound and the drain cap was removed from the drain. Also in Ward’s room, they found a cutlery set rolled up and one knife was missing. Ward’s mom would later say that the set was a gift for his graduating culinary school, but she kept that particular knife as a memento.
As the three men were talking with the investigators, Dylan began to speak, and Joe glared at him and Dylan quickly shut up. That’s when the three men were separated and individually questioned. Joe was described during his interrogation as arrogant, flippant, and aggressive. Victor was initially tearful, but turned passive quickly. Dylan was detached and distant. All three men said the same thing, that it was an intruder that stabbed Robert. After their initial interrogations, all three men hire lawyers and refuse further questioning without lawyers present, which is smart, if you’re guilty or not. LAWYER UP PEOPLE! They do submit DNA, fingerprint, and hair samples when asked.
An autopsy revealed that Robert suffered three stab wounds that penetrated his right lung, heart, and abdomen, each was between 4 and 5 inches in depth. There were no defensive wounds or signs of a struggle. They estimated that he lived for at least 60 seconds after the first wound, most likely longer because his digestive system was filled with blood and veins in his eyes ruptured, signs indicating that he was struggling to breathe. They also noted that there were several needle puncture marks on his body; right ankle, left neck, chest, hand, left forearm. 3 of these are able to be traced to the medical treatment Robert received when they tried to save him, but the others can’t. No drugs were found in Robert’s body when they ran the basic screen, and Kathy said that Robert hadn’t had any doctor’s visits recently which would have resulted in needle punctures / blood draws. Robert’s blood wasn’t tested for any type of paralytics, and there was no blood saved / stored for future testing. During the autopsy, they also found Robert’s own semem around his genitals and in his anus.
There were no fibers from Robert’s tshirt found in his wounds and no blood on the cutting edge of the knife. There were 2 spots of blood on the bed, but those were from the paramedics working on Robert and moving him to the stretcher. The blood patter on the towel was not consistent with having been used to put pressure on a wound, as Victor said they did on the 911 call. It was however consistent with having been used to wipe blood on another surface, like a knife blade.
Investigators doubted that the knife beside the bed was the murder weapon, and thought it was the one missing from the kit in Dylan’s room. The knife was 5.5 inches, and the one that was missing was 4.5 inches.
Nothing about the scene lined up with what the three men were telling investigators. Based on the evidence they found at the scene and the results of Robert’s autopsy, this is what they theorized happened: Robert was attacked and subdued, given a paralytic via a needle. He was then sexually assaulted with the Erostek and stabbed to death. Then the men cleaned up outside with the garden hose and washed their clothes, which is why the cadaver dog hit on the drain and dryer. Police spoke with neighbors, and one claimed that they heard a scream come from the house while watching the nightly news (11:00 to 11:30 PM). They couldn’t say the exact time, but that would give at least a 19 minute gap in the story the three men were telling police.
The day after Robert’s murder, the three men went to the Wone’s home and greived with Kathy as they told her what happened and paid their respects. Kathy had no idea how their stories didn’t line up with any of the evidence. Joe Price even served as a pallbearer at Robert’s funeral.
Within a few weeks though, things were coming to light. Police released a statement saying that they believed that evidence at the crime scene had been altered “Technicians were able to determine that the crime scene had been tampered with, including that the area where the victim’s body was located had been cleaned.”
No Justice for Robert Wone
Over the course of the next year, Robert’s case was passed between three separate prosecutors in the US Attorney’s office, earning it what they called “vagabond status.” The Washington Post released an article about Kathy Wone’s frustration regarding the investigation, saying “It has been trying at times as we continue to wait for the FBI to complete their analysis of all the samples that were taken.” Kathy decided to hire an attorney to pursue the case as well. She hired one of Robert’s former colleagues at Covington & Burling, Attorney Eric Holder. Holder said that Robert was “a kind and gentle man who was killed in the most horrible of ways.”
Kathy held a press conference on the first anniversary of Robert’s murder, in which they appealed for the public’s assistance in getting the killer put behind bars. It was her first public comment on the case. During the press conference Holder addressed Joe Price, Dylan Ward, and Victor Zaborsky directly asking them to come forward and tell authorities the true, complete details of the night.
In October of 2008, Dylan Ward was charged with obstruction of justice. He had since moved from DC to Florida, and lived in a house that was owned by Joe Price. In November of 2008, Price and Victor were both charged with obstruction of justice as well. All three were released pending trial, but had to wear ankle monitors and had curfews. Part of the affidavit filed against them stated that the three men were not being truthful about what happened that night. The mens’ lawyers said that the affidavit was full of innuendo, speculation, and assumptions about what happened.
In November of 2008, Kathy filed a $20 million civil suit against the three men as well, with Holder advising on the case since he had to withdraw as he was named Attorney General by President Barack Obama.
On June 29th, a judge found the three men not guilty of charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and tampering with evidence. She stated that she personally believed that the men knew who killed Robert, but was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that they committed the offenses which they were charged with.
In August of 2011, the civil suit that Kathy filed against the men was settled for an undisclosed sum.
Since Robert’s death, many organizations have established scholarships in his honor and dedicated memorials to him, including two benches and Chinese pistache trees at Barksdale Field and William and Mary’s college. The plaques on the benches are a reference to one of Robert’s favorite songs, What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong:
“Rest awhile and enjoy the wonderful world around you”
