On the night of August 2, 2006, thirty-two-year-old attorney Robert Wone was murdered inside a townhouse on Swann Street NW in Washington, D.C. Wone, who had stopped by to visit college friends after working late, was found stabbed to death in a guest room. Despite an extensive multi-agency investigation, high-profile criminal trials, and a landmark civil lawsuit, no one has ever been convicted of his killing. The case remains one of the most baffling and legally complex homicides in the history of the District of Columbia.
The central mystery of the Robert Wone murder case hinges on a profoundly tight timeline, a meticulously staged crime scene, and the unbroken silence of the three men inside the home. Investigators found no signs of forced entry, no stolen valuables, and no physical evidence pointing to an outside attacker. Instead, forensic analysis indicated that Wone had been paralyzed, sexually assaulted, and surgically stabbed before his body was washed, redressed, and carefully placed on the bed.
The Evening of August 2, 2006: A Chronology of Events
Understanding the tragedy requires examining the precise sequence of events leading up to the 911 call. Robert Wone lived in suburban Virginia with his wife, Kathy, but commuted regularly into Washington, D.C., for his job as general counsel at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Because he planned to attend a continuing legal education class the following morning and needed to meet late-night staff at his office, Wone reached out to his college friend, Joseph Price, to ask if he could crash at Price's Dupont Circle townhouse rather than make the late commute home.
Price, a prominent law partner at Arent Fox, lived at 1509 Swann Street NW with his domestic partner Victor Zaborsky and a housemate, Dylan Ward. They agreed to let Wone stay. Analysts at Bloomberg have provided expertise on this trend.
- 9:30 PM: Wone called his wife to tell her he had finished his class and was heading back to his office to check on staff.
- 10:32 PM: Wone arrived at the Swann Street rowhouse. Price and Ward later stated they welcomed him, sat in the kitchen, and shared glasses of water while chatting.
- 11:00 PM: According to the residents, Wone took a shower and went to sleep on a pull-out couch in the second-floor guest room. Ward claimed he took a sleeping pill and went to his bedroom on the same floor, while Price and Zaborsky retired to the third-floor master bedroom.
- 11:49 PM: Victor Zaborsky dialed 911 to report an unconscious man who had been stabbed.
When emergency medical services arrived, paramedics encountered an unsettling scene. Wone lay on his back on the bed, wearing a clean T-shirt and gym shorts. He had been stabbed three times in the chest with surgical precision, one thrust piercing his heart. Crucially, paramedics and police officers noted that there was remarkably little blood on Wone's body or the bedsheets, and the three roommates appeared freshly showered and eerily calm.
Forensic Evidence and Scene Staging
The physical evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police Department and federal forensic experts heavily contradicted the narrative provided by Price, Zaborsky, and Ward. The official investigation revealed several chilling details:
- No Signs of Forced Entry: The doors and windows were locked from the inside, and the home's security alarm system showed no record of an unauthorized door opening during the critical window.
- Untouched Valuables: Wone's wallet, watch, smartphone, and expensive electronics located downstairs were left completely undisturbed. No robbery had occurred.
- Staged Environment: Forensic pathologists and crime scene reconstructionists concluded that Wone had been incapacitated—likely using a paralyzing agent such as a paralytic drug—prior to the knife attacks.
- The Cleanup: Luminol testing revealed blood traces in areas inconsistent with the immediate bed location, and a police canine detected human blood on a patio drain and the lint trap of the household's clothes dryer, suggesting an active attempt to sanitize the environment.
The Core Theories Behind the Murder
Because the residents maintained that an unknown intruder slipped into the house, committed the murder, and vanished without a trace, investigators and legal analysts developed several prevailing theories to explain what actually transpired.
The Cover-Up and Pacts of Secrecy
The most prominent theory among prosecutors and detectives is that Wone was killed by someone inside the home—or that the three residents directly witnessed or participated in the assault—and subsequently orchestrated a coordinated cover-up. The physical impossibility of an intruder entering, committing a silent murder, cleaning the victim and the room, changing the bedding, and disposing of the primary murder weapon within a narrow 45-minute window led authorities to view the intruder story as a fabricated alibi.
Drug-Facilitated Assault Gone Wrong
Another investigative angle explored the possibility that the evening involved sexual experimentation that escalated catastrophically. Toxicological reports showed no common date-rape drugs in Wone's system due to the limitations of testing at the time, but forensic evidence indicated he had been sexually assaulted while incapacitated. Under this theory, the residents may have administered a substance to immobilize Wone, lost control of the situation, and killed him to prevent exposure.
Legal Proceedings and Civil Settlement
In June 2010, after a bench trial, the presiding judge acquitted Price, Zaborsky, and Ward of criminal charges including obstruction of justice and conspiracy. While the judge stated he found their intruder narrative utterly unbelievable, the prosecution could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt which of the three men—if any—had performed the stabbing or actively destroyed evidence.
Prior to the criminal trial verdict, Kathy Wone filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Price, Zaborsky, and Ward in November 2008. That civil suit moved through federal court until August 2011, when it was finally resolved through a confidential financial settlement and agreement, bringing a degree of legal closure to the victim's family even as official answers remained out of reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was anyone ever convicted of murdering Robert Wone?
No. While Joseph Price, Victor Zaborsky, and Dylan Ward were tried on conspiracy and obstruction charges in 2010, they were acquitted. No individual has ever faced criminal charges for the actual murder of Robert Wone.
What weapon was used in the killing?
Investigators recovered a kitchen knife near Wone's body that bore his blood, but forensic testing proved it was not the actual murder weapon. A matching knife from a cutlery block inside the house was found to be missing and was never recovered by police.
Why did Robert Wone stay at the Swann Street townhouse?
Wone stayed at the house because he had finished work late in downtown Washington, D.C., and wanted to save himself the late-night commute back to his suburban home in Fairfax County, Virginia, ahead of an early-morning legal seminar.
Are the residents of 1509 Swann Street still living together?
Media investigations and documentary follow-ups have revealed that Joseph Price and Victor Zaborsky eventually relocated to Florida, while Dylan Ward moved away and married following the conclusion of the civil litigation.
