Previously, in episode 1 of “Who Killed Robert Wone?” We learned of the murder of a 32-year-old Asian American man named Robert Wone at the residence of his friends. As the investigation progressed, we discovered additional strange things that had come to light as a result. As those three friends that Robert was spending his night with became the major suspects in the murder, the murder mystery developed into a game of cover-up. These three suspects appeared to be withholding crucial information from the investigators while also attempting to develop a notion about an unseen and unheard intruder in their home, which the detectives found to be untrustworthy. However, an autopsy on Robert’s body revealed more than just a stab wound as the cause of death. The medical examiner suggested that Robert may have been anesthetized by some paralyzing medicines. Robert’s body was examined for any indications of a sexual assault, but some findings that no one could have predicted came out. Robert Wone’s own semen was discovered in his genitalia and the rectal region.
Robert’s semen being discovered in his own anal cavity was the most baffling and unsettling revelation. The investigation team speculated that the joy toys discovered in Joe Price’s residence might have been used in this regard. But the problem became much more complicated because no sign of any of those three men’s sperm was discovered in Robert’s body. Several ideas suggested that a fourth member was present in Price’s residence and that he may have come to murder Robert. Joe’s brother, Michael Price, a phlebotomist at the hospital, was the person who came under investigation. The results of the autopsy and blood sample revealed that Robert’s blood contained no paralyzing chemicals at all. Investigators hypothesized that a small amount of a paralyzing drug, such as succinylcholine, could have been injected into Robert’s body and completely broken down in blood, leaving no traces of the drug.
As Michael turned out to be a phlebotomist, he became the key suspect who might obtain easy access to succinylcholine at the hospital. Michael Price was even questioned about where he was the night Robert was killed, but a friend later confirmed that he was at home that night. The investigative team had to rule him out of the case as a result. Glenn Kirschner later revealed that the murder weapon was actually a kitchen knife. There were no traces of Robert’s garment fabric on the murder weapon used in the incident. Instead, the knife had towel-like fibers, indicating that a towel had been used to scrub it. In Joe’s bedroom, a knife set was discovered that was missing one of its knives. Glenn was confident that this murder had been carefully planned out and calculated because the surgical flaws that had been discovered on Robert’s body didn’t even match the length of the knife that was put on Robert’s chest. Defense counsel Bernie Grimm called all these hypotheses ludicrous and irrational because he believed in the intruder theory and that the police had utterly neglected the possibility of an intruder going into Joe’s residence.
Robert’s wife, Kathy, was putting pressure on the police a year after the murder because she wanted closure. Eric Holder, the nation’s top prosecutor, intervened on Kathy’s behalf during a press conference by pleading for details that would benefit the investigation. Yet, all three suspects stayed completely silent and offered no additional details that could have aided in identifying the murderer. By this point, Kathy had begun to doubt the intruder theory and was convinced that three of them had been concealing important facts. Dylan Ward was detained for a murder cover-up two years after the crime. However, neither Dylan nor the other two provided any information, which prompted the police to file charges against all three for meddling with physical evidence, conspiring to pervert the course of justice, and obstructing an investigation. Glenn created the affidavit in support of Dylan Ward’s arrest warrant on October 27, 2008, to observe any response or confession. According to the report, Robert Wone had been sexually assaulted, rendered unconscious, and killed at 1509 Swann Street. The report also claimed that these three defendants were misplacing actual evidence and concealing it from the authorities, but the three of them declared the affidavit to be purely assumptions and insinuations.
When the murder trial finally started, it lasted for close to five weeks. Glenn continuously raised the possibility that the three of these men had been interfering with the evidence and had most likely killed Robert Wone. On June 24, 2010, the final day of the trial, Judge Lynn Leibovitz announced that Joe Price, Victor Zaborsky, and Dylan Ward had all been found not guilty of these crimes. Although Leibovitz refuted the idea that the murderer was an intruder and made it evident that these three might have known something, she did not find the three suspects guilty of any of the charges. They would only be found guilty if the prosecution’s attorney presented sufficient evidence to convict them.
After the verdict had been passed, it profoundly crushed the family and close friends of Robert Wone and even the prosecution attorney, Glenn. Although he was certain that one of these three was responsible for the murder, he gave up due to a lack of proper evidence. The murder mystery surrounding Robert Wone is still unresolved. Many things have changed over the years, including the fact that Joe Price and Victor are still together and now go by different names, while Dylan ended their relationship. Michael Price had never been put on trial for the offense. Even the burglary charge from Swann Street against him was withdrawn.
In the documentary’s final segment, we see that Bernie Grimm was questioned about Dylan Ward and his reasons for thinking he couldn’t be the murderer. As Joe and Victor were in the same room, Dylan might be the killer who was down the corridor and had easy access to kill Robert. If Bernie had no choice but to identify one of the three as the murderer, Dylan might be it; he admitted it very casually. He nevertheless steadfastly maintained the innocence of Joe Price, Dylan Ward, and Victor Zaborsky in the murder of Robert Wone. The documentary series came to an end with a request made to the loved ones of the victims and suspects for any information that would help the inquiry reach a conclusion, so that Kathy Wone may get some closure.
