Local
Judge dismisses 2 charges in Wone case
Gay men still face seven charges after Thursday ruling
A D.C. Superior Court judge Thursday dismissed evidence tampering charges against two of the three gay men on trial for conspiracy and other charges related to the 2006 murder of attorney Robert Wone.
But Judge Lynn Leibovitz rejected a defense motion to dismiss all charges against the men and instead ruled that prosecutors presented enough evidence to allow the trial to continue.
Her decision came after prosecutors rested their case Tuesday following testimony of more than 30 government witnesses across four weeks. The trial now enters the defense phase, with defense attorneys saying they expect to call about five or six witnesses.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenn Kirschner, the lead prosecutor in the case, said closing arguments could come in the middle of next week.
Leibovitz dismissed an evidence tampering charge against defendants Victor Zaborsky, 44, and Dylan Ward, 40, saying prosecutors never presented any direct evidence that the two touched a knife that the defense says was used by an intruder to stab Wone to death in the men’s Dupont Circle home.
The judge upheld the evidence tampering charge against the third defendant, Joseph Price, 39, and upheld charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice against all three men.
“The government has met its burden and a reasonable juror could find guilt,” the Washington Post quoted Leibovitz as saying. She added, though, that her decision was not a “verdict” or a “signal” of what she will decide in the final outcome of the case, the Post reported.
No one has been charged with Wone’s murder, and court observers have noted that regardless of the outcome of the trial, the mystery of who killed Wone won’t be solved in this case.
Leibovitz, rather than a jury, will determine the trial’s verdict at the request of the three defendants, all of whom chose to give up their right to a jury trial.
Prosecutors have argued that the knife found near Wone’s body was planted by the defendants, and one or more of them wiped Wone’s blood on the knife with a towel. Kirschner and two assistant prosecutors have argued that the defendants disposed of the actual knife used to kill Wone, intending to cover up for the killer.
Kirschner has said the men know the identity of the killer and that the government believes the killer might be Price’s brother, Michael Price, who had a key to the men’s house. Wone was found dead in a guest bedroom of the Dupont Circle area house where the three men lived at the time of the murder.
Wone and Joseph Price were friends from their days as students at Virginia’s College of William & Mary. Wone decided to spend the night at the men’s house after working late at his nearby office, where he served as general counsel for Radio Free Asia.
Prosecutors have presented numerous witnesses, including evidence experts and police officers specializing in home burglaries, who testified that they did not believe the murder was committed by a burglar or intruder. The witnesses noted that there was no evidence of a forced break in, nothing was taken from the house, including Wone’s wallet and Blackberry phone, which were laying on a nightstand in plain view at the time of the murder.
The defense has argued that the killer entered the house from an unlocked rear door while the three defendants were asleep in their respective bedrooms. The defense has asserted that the men never saw the intruder.
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Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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