Trial Date Set
Suspects in Wone case face 2010 trial date
At this point, a murder trial in the murder of Robert Wone seems unlikely. It’s been more than three years and no one has been charged in the mysterious death of the 32-year-old Oakton, Va., lawyer, who was found dead inside the Swann Street home of his college friend Joe Price, a prominent gay attorney; Victor Zaborsky, Price’s partner; and the couple’s then-roommate, Dylan Ward.
Those three men, who claim an intruder killed Wone on August 2, 2006, have been charged with obstruction of justice. And they now have a trial date: May 10, 2010.
Judge Frederick Weisberg told a packed courtroom on Friday, May 22, that he didn’t want to wait until the next status hearing, Sept. 11, to set a trial date.
”I think I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t [set a trial date],” he said.
Many of Price’s family members, and the victim’s widow, Kathy Wone, attended the May 22 status hearing. Three of the four gay men who manage the “Who Murdered Robert Wone?” blog also attended, meeting Kathy Wone for the first time. In addition to raising awareness about the case through the blog, the men have recently posted fliers in D.C., promoting the effort and asking anyone with information to notify authorities.
The Sept. 11 status hearing was set after the defense and prosecution agreed on 105 items be tested for forensic evidence. The case against the three men is ”based on forensics” alone, defense attorney Thomas Connolly said in court Friday.
The items being tested include the towel on which Wone’s blood was found. The defense team estimated that completing and verifying all tests could take between six and 12 weeks.
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