CA CA - Dr Robert Stonebreaker, 53, Rancho Santa Fe, 16 Jan 2010

[lafeeverte]

On Saturday evening (January 16th 2010), around 9:30pm on Paseo Delicias in Rancho Santa Fe, CA a silver 2008 Porsche Carrera belonging to Robert Stonebreaker, a San Diego Veterinarian, was discovered. It was crashed, next to the road down a 15-foot embankment. Evidence at the scene suggested that the vehicle had been involved in a single car crash. As such, this case was initially investigated as a traffic collision by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Officials with the CHP said that when they arrived, the driver was missing and that there was no blood apparent at the scene.

Robert was found dead the following morning in the driveway of a home about 2,000 feet away. A significant amount of blood was on the driveway. He would have had to jump a fence (or have been let in by the owners) to end up there. The home where he was found (6792 Paseo Delicias Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067) was/is owned by T. Michael Reed, retired personal injury lawyer/consumer attorney. He told officers that he recognized Robert Stonebreaker because he had used his veterinary services in the past and had also kept a newspaper article about him.

The medical examiner reported that his injuries were not consistent with those of a car accident, or from falling afterward. San Diego County Sheriff's Lt. Dennis Brugos said Stonebreaker was likely killed at the scene where his body was found and that he died of blunt force trauma.

Robert Stonebreaker was the owner and Veterinarian of the Animal and Bird Hospital in Del Mar, CA. He also owned and operated Free Flight, an exotic bird sanctuary, mostly for birds who were no longer wanted by their owners. He also volunteered for Project Wildlife. He was a humorous, compassionate man with three young children. His family is still left wondering what happened, and who would have wanted him dead.

 

[momtective]

I'm wondering why this attorney would have saved a newspaper article about a man that just happened to wind up dead in his driveway. :waitasec:

 

[lafeeverte]

True, but also why would he tell police that? Plus he is an attorney with many years of experience, so Im guessing he knows what to say to police. Robert has no known connection with this man (other than possibly helping his animals) so why would he want him dead?

 

[SunnieRN]

I wonder how old this attorney is? Does he have a daughter who may have dated the vet prior to his marriage? It says he has three young children, was he married prior to this marriage, possibly to someone who knows or is related to the lawyer? Very strange circumstances for sure!

 

[nervous_nellie]

could he have startled someone when he was trying to get help and they hit him with something thinking that he was a burglar or something? very sad, i hope they figure out what happened...

 

[lafeeverte]

Nellie, That is a possibility, and one theory of his relatives, that he startled the attorney. But if the attorney recognized his face from getting treatment from Dr. Stonebreaker, and he kept a newspaper article with a photo of him, it seems implausible (to me) that he was so startled he killed him. If someone I didn't know was in my driveway, and I was startled, I wouldn't go about killing them first thing! I would at least say "who are you?" "why are you on my property?" etc. And his car was found at around 9:30 at night, so it's not like it was in the middle of the night. Also, if the attorney was startled, and accidentally hit him too hard, why not call 911 or try to get him some help?

 

[lafeeverte]

Sunnie, Dr. Stonebreaker did have a previous marriage, but his ex-wife has no relation to the attorney.

 

[JulieR]

Very strange case.
I wonder if any doors were open on the car when the police found it, if so how many one or two?
Did the car have air bags and did they go off? Did Robert normally wear a set belt?
Was Robert due home at the time the car was found? Was he missing for any period of time?
Did he have a cell phone on him when he was found? Money?
Was the car checked for prints other than Roberts?
Robert could have had some injuries in the car accident and whoever was with him finished him off in the driveway....as Robert was trying to get help?
I would be asking for another ME to look at Roberts body just to be sure there was no mistakes.

 

[JulieR]

It would be nice to know the area of the driveway he was found in.....closest to the road, closer to the house or in the middle? If Robert was moved blood would show that, I hope the police checked the black top carefully.

 

[JulieR]

The paper said Robert was found at 7:50 AM wonder how long the ME said he was dead? That would help narrow down the time of death.

 

[lafeeverte]

The police said he was murdered where he was found, there was a large pool of blood around his head, so they say he was not moved. They say "driveway" and if you look on google maps you can see the driveway. There is a wall/fence that he was said to have jumped to have ended up where he was, so he was found on the inside of the fence on the driveway.

 

[JulieR]

Well by the looks of the fence it is more like a short stone wall, pretty easy to get over and the drive way is more like a road. I think he was going there for help, I don't think anyone in the house was involved. By the looks of the marks left on the road is looks like he took a sharp turn to head off the road. It would be nice if the police and ME would release more information. I would really be asking for another ME to look at the autopsy reports. I wonder how hard they looked for blood on the street it would be hard to see on black top. JMO but he didn't walk out of that car with no injuries it's crazy to think he did. Wonder who called in the accident.

 

[lafeeverte]

the short stone wall leads up the road to two driveways. one driveway has no fence around it, the driveway where he was found was in the gated driveway of 6792. If he walked up that street to the two driveways, wouldn't he have chosen the one without the gate? Unless he was being chased and was trying to get away... which is another theory.

 

[lafeeverte]

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Vets-Death-Is-True-WhoDunit--82188627.html

There is a video on this page you have to click on the picture of Robert with the maroon scrubs and white cockatoo. The road they are taping off (where the fire truck is driving up) leads up to the two driveways. When you see where he crashed from a bird's eye view, it seems like he went through the vegetation to get to the driveway.

 

[Skully]

If I were going to guess what happened; I would say, someone ran him off the road then kept going and turned around to make sure he was dead. They may have seen him jump the wall and went in to kill him because the car accident didn't do the job. So why do people want his innocent man dead? Maybe road rage, but that seems so over the top, but if it was a gang member doing an initiation killing, drug induced angry person, something like that, it can happen. You just make the wrong person mad and they go off. I can't think of another reason.

 

[rosario]

very unusual, what are the cops saying, where is the investigation going?

 

[lafeeverte]

The police haven't really released any new information since January, when it happened. Still, no one knows where he was headed that night, if anyone was with him, etc. If the police do have any new information, they aren't releasing it.

 

[shefner]

I would be curious to see his cell phone usage. When was his last phone call made? Who was he calling or who was calling him?
Also, did he have any work associates, business partners, or other entanglements? How was his marriage...any separations, financial troubles, insurance changes/policies?
Have his computers been checked for any information?
What were his hobbies?

 

[JulieR]

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Vets-Death-Is-True-WhoDunit--82188627.html

There is a video on this page you have to click on the picture of Robert with the maroon scrubs and white cockatoo. The road they are taping off (where the fire truck is driving up) leads up to the two driveways. When you see where he crashed from a bird's eye view, it seems like he went through the vegetation to get to the driveway.

It really makes me wonder since the accident happened at night 9:30 if the police really looked around for Robert in the dark. After Robert was found I wonder if anyone went back and looked around that vegetation for clues on how he got there. Is this a heavily traveled road, it seems like it isn't? Seems to me police aren't doing a bang up job looking for someone.

 

[JulieR]

The police haven't really released any new information since January, when it happened. Still, no one knows where he was headed that night, if anyone was with him, etc. If the police do have any new information, they aren't releasing it.

Well I sure wish they would release more information......it would make our job a lot easier....lol just kidding.