The Washington Post has reported that a wrongful death suit has been settled, and the victim's wife awarded $20 million from three men that were acquitted in the criminal case.
R.W., 32 at the time of his death on August 2, 2006, was allegedly drugged before sexually assaulted and stabbed to death while in the company of three friends in an upscale Dupont Circle townhouse.
The three men, J.P., 40, V.Z., 45 and D.W., 40, are believed to have been involved in sexual relations with each other. They were charged with conspiracy and tampering with a crime scene - as they were accused of hiding the identity of the actual killer.
There was 14 pages of documentation prepared by the prosecution alleging the scenario that they believe occurred the night R.W. died.
K.W., the victim's wife, has been plagued with grief, loss of work and tabloid sensationalism, since her husband's death.
Documents show that there was no signs of a struggle, nothing was stolen and -
sadomasochistic sex toys, and machines, were found in the home.
After the award was made, K.W., now 40, said in an interview, "It was a huge shock for me. It pushed me way back. I felt like (R.W.) had been killed all over again."
All three men had been acquitted in the criminal case by a Superior Court Judge and maintain that they had no involvement in R.W.'s murder. The three claimed that someone broke into the home and murdered the victim.
There has been no other suspect named in the stabbing.
The definitive terms of the settlement were not released.
K.W., a lawyer at the American Health Lawyers Association, filed her wrongful death suit against the three men on the same day the men began their criminal trial. Her lawyers stated that the issue for their client wasn't the monetary award but the need to make someone accountable.
The men invoked their 5th amendment rights not to testify during the suit, leading K.W.'s lawyers to believe that K.W. may never learned what happened the night her husband died.
J.W. responded, "They can rot from the inside out from all the secrets they chose to keep. That's their choice. I chose to move on."
The three men have since sold the townhouse and moved to Florida.
Now, with the settlement made, K.W. said, "I am moving on. I want to spend the next 40 years of my life focusing on good. I miss (R.W.) every day. Not a day goes by when I don't think about him. It's tough going through each day without the person you assumed you'd spend the rest of your life with. I'm getting better at it. It's lonely."
Half of the settlement will go to R.W.'s estate. The other half will be given to R.W.'s alma mater, the Pennsylvania Law school - namely to a law clinic that provides legal aid.
File your wrongful death lawsuit if you believe that foul play was involved. As you read in the above article, even if a criminal is acquitted, you still have a case. Contact a personal injury lawyer today!