By Julio Menache
The prosecution in the Robert Wone case in D.C. Superior Court rested its case in chief at about 2:20 this afternoon.
The court is on break until 4 p.m., while Judge Lynn Leibovitz reads pleadings on the defense’s motion for acquittal. At 4 p.m., Leibovitz said she planned to reconvene to hear arguments on the pleadings.
Earlier this morning, Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenn Kirschner called forensic pathologist Dr. David Fowler to the stand. Fowler has been the chief medical examiner for Maryland for eight years and was recognized as an expert on stabbing crimes.
He testified that he thought it was unusual that forensic evidence showed that Wone had remained still while his killer stabbed him multiple times. He said it was remarkable that Wone had little or no blood on his hands, since he would have expected the victim to touch his wounds.
Fowler also said that, in all his years of practice, he had never seen such "precision" and "uniformity" in a stabbing case. He estimated the wounds were 4-5 inches deep.
In cross-examination, defense attorney Thomas Connolly of Wiltshire & Grannis asked Fowler if the knife found near Wone’s body was the one that killed Wone. Fowler said yes.
Connolly also asked Fowler if there was any indication that Wone had been paralyzed, to which he replied no.
On rebuttal, Kirschner asked Fowler about the length of the knife that caused Wone’s wounds. Fowler said a knife that was shorter than the one found near the victim’s body could have made the same wounds.
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