THE mysterious death of 32-year-old Robert Wone remains unresolved with several theories emerging over time.
Many have been left scrambling for 17 years to find the crucial answers looming over the 32-year-old lawyer's horrific murder after he was stabbed to death.
Who killed Robert Wone?
To this day, no one can be sure who used the knife that ended Attorney Robert Wone's life on August 2, 2006.
Wone was found dead at a friend's house in his guest bedroom in Washington D.C.
After finishing a late night shift at work, the man decided to go back to his mates house instead of his own as he knew his wife Kathy would be asleep.
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The home was shared by Victor Zaborsky and two other men, Joe Price and Dylan Ward, with whom he was in a polyamorous relationship.
Wone was found laid lifeless with three stab wounds in his chest as a knife sat on the table next to him.
Price, Ward, and Zaborsky have always denied any involvement in Wone's death and have said from their point of view an intruder must've killed the young man.
So far no one has been charged with the murder and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
A Peacock documentary called Who Killed Robert Wone? was released on March 7, 2023, and took people through the various different theories and suspects around the murder investigation.
Many were challenged to try and piece together the confusing and tragic puzzle but still no conclusive answer was found.
The documentary even had US federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner saying: “When I die, the first question I am going to ask God is, ‘Who killed Robert Wone?’”
Wone was killed by an intruder
The first and generally most believed theory is that the 23-year-old was brutally slaughtered by an intruder late at night.
After Wone's body was discovered the remaining trio of men told police someone had broken into their home and killed their friend.
They claimed a person was clearly heard going down the stairs and when they went to check where the noise was coming they saw it was the guest bedroom where Wone was staying.
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Police dismissed the men's theory due to the lack of evidence and were charged with evidence tampering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice in 2008.
But later acquitted of the charges two years afterwards.
Defense attorney Bernie Grimm spoke in the documentary and argued that police ignored a neighbor's testimony and didn't probe far enough into the possibility of the culprit being an intruder.
One of the three friends killed Wone
Another theory is that either Zaborsky, Price, or Ward killed their friend.
Many have declared the potential for a sexual encounter gone wrong to be the prime motive behind the murder.
This stems from investigators believing Wone could've been drugged and sexually assaulted moments before his death as BDSM toys were found in the home.
He was also surrounded by very little blood that made investigators think his body had been washed and wiped clean.
Wone was also thought to have been drugged, restrained or tied down as he had no wounds in his body that would suggest he struggled when he was being attacked.
Despite suspicions the autopsy report didn't suggest Wone was high on drugs and the three housemates denied having any sexual relationship with him and still do today.
Wone's widow Katherine filed a separate $20million wrongful death lawsuit which was settled outside of court in 2011.
She said after the settlemnet: "I am moving on. I want to spend the next 40 years of my life focusing on good."
The three friends are covering up the crime
A third theory again pins the blame on Price, Zaborsky and Ward but doesn't accuse them of the murder.
Some believe they tampered with the crime scene in a meticulous cover up for someone else.
Price's story about what happened that night has changed resulting in some jumping to conclusions because of his mixed responses.
He initially claimed the knife was found on Wone's torso but later changed his statement to say he had pulled it out of the his friends torso.
Police believed the evidence found at the crime scene proved the blade had been wiped with a towel suggesting it might not have been the murder weapon.
Later discoveries found that the knife initially believed to be the killers weapon of choice was actually too large to be the one used to commit the murder.
This means an official murder weapon has never been found by police.
Cops also believe the crime scene was altered before they arrived and that Wone may have been moved.
Who was Robert Wone?
Wone was a 32-year-old lawyer, working as general counsel at Radio Free Asia.
He met Joseph Price while studying at The College of William & Mary where the pair took part in a number of extracurricular events together.
They were also both members of the school's honor society and student government and continued their friendship long after graduation.
Wone was at Price's house when he was found dead in 2006.
