The Mysterious Circumstances Of Robert Wone’s Death

When emergency responders arrived at the home on Swann Street, they found a peculiar scene. 

Robert Wone, whose murder is highlighted in the Peacock docuseries “Who Killed Robert Wone?,” was found on the bed of a second-floor guest room on the night of August 2, 2006. He was wearing a T-shirt from the College of William & Mary, gym shorts and a pair of boxers. He had been stabbed three times — once in the heart — and yet, the sheet he was laying on was nearly spotless, an EMT told The Washingtonian.  

Something felt off to Emergency Medical Services worker Jeffrey Baker, who told the outlet that the entire scene “made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.” 

RELATED: See The Trailer For Peacock's New Docuseries 'Who Killed Robert Wone?'

That evening, Wone had been staying with friends Dylan Ward, Joseph Price and Victor Zaborsky, who were in a polyamorous relationship and lived together at the Washington D.C. home. Wone had been working late in the city and decided to stay with the men since he had to be back in the office early the next morning.  

The men told police that when they went to sleep in their respective rooms around midnight, an armed intruder entered the home, stabbed Wone in the guest room and then disappeared without a trace. What’s more, this so-called intruder seemingly took the time to clean up, with investigators noting in affidavits cited by The Washington that there was minimal blood splatter and the bed sheets had apparently been changed. 

Robert Wone Photo: Peacock

The circumstances surrounding Wone’s death were made all the more eerie when Deputy Medical Examiner Lois Goslinoski conducted an autopsy. She found that there were “several needle puncture marks” on various areas of Wone’s body, including his neck, chest and foot, according to an arrest affidavit. Emergency responders said they did not make the puncture wounds, and Wone’s wife, Katherine Yu, was not aware of her husband having the marks prior to August 2. 

What’s more, Goslinoski described the three stab wounds as “perfect, slit-like" defects that were “methodically” inflicted.  

In addition to the puncture marks and stab wounds, there were signs of asphyxiation, but strangely, no defensive wounds on his arms, according to the affidavit.  

Goslinoski theorized that Wone was “alive, but incapacitated, at the time the stab wounds were inflicted,” according to the affidavit. It’s unclear how Wone was knocked unconscious, but she noted, “There are various incapacitating or paralytic drugs for which no tests were run.” 

One of the most baffling findings was the existence of semen in Wone’s anal cavity. Tests conducted by the FBI determined that the DNA was a match to Wone, with Goslinoski saying the findings are “suggestive of Mr. Wone having been sexually assaulted.” 

Ultimately, Goslinoski ruled that Wone died of the stab wounds and his manner of death was homicide. 

To this day, Wone’s murder remains unsolved and no one has been charged in his murder. Ward, Price and Zaborsky maintain that their friend was slain by an intruder and did not respond to producers' requests for comment.  

To learn more about the theories surrounding the case and to hear from Wone’s friends, watch “Who Killed Robert Wone?” on Peacock.