The gruesome death of a straight attorney, Robert Wone, in a case that implicates several high-powered gays in Washington, is something I've paid a small amount of attention to, thanks mainly to articles in the Washington Blade.
A friend the days when I lived in DC, Craig Brownstein, emailed me recently to tell me that he and some friends had created a blog about the murder of Wone. Correctly thinking I needed a refresher of the outlines of the case, Craig provided these details:
I’d like to put something on your radar. Privileged and successful gay men in DC beating a murder rap... It’s about the gruesome murder of a straight man, Robert Wone, in 2006 at the home of DC gay rights attorney Joe Price.
While murder charges have not been filed, Joe, his partner Victor Zaborsky and their roommate Dylan Ward are all facing multiple obstruction of justice, conspiracy and tampering charges related to Wone’s death.
This case moves to trial in April and since there hasn't been enough media attention on the case, so we replaced our initial primitive blogspot site with one on wordpress to help stir interest in Wone's death. Click here to visit our site.
What began as a conversation about this shocking and convoluted crime at my birthday dinner back in December grew into a blog that has attracted eyeballs, some media and the attention of various legal teams. I’ll be the first to admit, we’re amateurs at this, both as sleuths and bloggers, but that lack of experience hasn’t stopped us from trying to make sense of this senseless and horrific crime that goes straight to the heart of the DC gay community.
If you haven’t read up on the details of the investigation, I’ll warn you that it isn’t pretty. Robert appeared to have been incapacitated with a paralytic drug, sexually assaulted then stabbed in the chest and left to die.
Joe & Victor were prominent and high profile A-Listers in gay DC who along with their friend Dylan, all maintained what looked to be a clandestine and reckless lifestyle that led to the murder of their mutual friend.
All three defendants were at home when the crime occurred and none of them saw a thing maintaining their innocence, while all of them were only just a few feet away while Robert was attacked and killed.
A re-air of “Party Monster” on cable the other night brought up some haunting imagery, but instead of glitter, boas and platform shoes, these defendants which include a prominent K Street lobbyist wear Brooks Brothers, Thomas Pink and Johnson & Murphy. The drugs however seem to remain the same: X, K and the entire alphabet soup.
We’re honestly trying to strike the balance between journalism (two of us are/were credentialed members of the DC press corps) and conjecture all the while showing sensitivity and sobriety since there is a grieving widow, family and many of Robert’s friends left behind. And while Joe, Victor and Dylan could easily be described as a "family," myself and my fellow editors very much consider ourselves family too. We’re close friends, boyfriends and in some cases, ex’s and this vicious attack and murder occurred mere blocks from where we all live.
Details aside for just a moment, because I have to say that if I were murdered I'd sure as hell want a full and competent investigation carried out, and if the cops couldn't make an arrest, for my friends to make a stink about lack of justice.
That being said, the wrongful death suit filed by Wone's wife, according to a story posted at the Blade site today, written by Lou Chibbaro, continues along this Friday, when a judge will hear arguments to release emails and phone records of the suspects. Click here to read the article.
As someone who has worked to bring attention and justice to cases of murdered gays, I know the importance of speaking up for law enforcement officials to perform their duties to solve the murders and punish those responsible. This is why I'm blogging about Wone's murder. I want to make a small web-based contribution to help solve the murder.
Check out the Who Murdered Robert Wone? blog and watch the short YouTube video. Let's hope those who killed Wone are soon prosecuted.
Thank you for helping to bring attention to this horrible crime. Robert Wone continues to be missed and remembered fondly by all the people who knew him.
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