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

Bumping^^^ THANK YOU @aliciaengel010 for posting pics along with your extremely thought-provoking post. I appreciate you taking the time you did to show details. It's valuable info to have on this thread along with actual pictures. To see, with our own eyes, the distance in a pic is really shocking!

Wow, there is something wrong with LE not investigating this to the max. WTH! I can't understand how he would've walked that far and why. There's just something that can't be explained easily that only LE might have been able to dwell into, and didn't.

Do you think the person living in that house where RS was found dead the next morning should have or could have heard him outside? You lived in that area before and might be able know what it's like better than I. Keep going, you're doing a good job of it. JMO-- just try to handle one subject at a time thoroughly, and revealing the different ways to look at it. Great work!

Thank you for your response and your feedback :) I know I get really passionate about stuff and I tend to throw a lot of my ideas together all at once LOL. I'll try to divide everything up. I'm glad the pictures were helpful.

So, to answer your question as to whether or not the person in that home would've heard something: obviously there's a possibility that he could've been hard of hearing, or on some sort of medication that induced a deep sleep, etc. but just speaking from my own experience, and given the proximity from where Robert's body was found to the house, the chances of the resident not hearing a thing are extremely slim to none, especially on a Saturday night. I lived in Rancho Santa Fe about 5 minutes away from where Robert died... right off that same road, just a little further east. (Which is why I'm surprised I hadn't heard about this case at all until recently, but then again there's a lot of clandestine activity out there in RSF and I still have nightmares about some of the stuff I witnessed while I lived in that area).

But anyways, the house I lived at had a very similar outdoor set-up to the one where Robert's body was found. The thing about that area is that it's isolated and generally extremely quiet (sometimes TOO quiet to the point where it's eerie), so it's nearly impossible not to hear a scream or even someone running on your property, especially on a weekend night when there is little to no people or traffic flow out there. (The only time there's really any traffic at all out there is on the weekday mornings & early evenings when workers use Paseo Delicias as a shortcut during their commutes. But the roads were practically empty out there on weekend nights).

So anytime there IS a noise of some kind, it's very noticeable. And it also tends to echo very heavily because of the mountains and the deep valleys around there. So not only would the resident have probably heard Robert out in his driveway, especially that close to his house, but any noise made would've been enhanced due to the physical setup of the area (i.e. the echoing). Plus, that gate would not have been easy to climb over. I imagine even just the struggle of climbing over that gate would've created some highly alarming noises and if Robert had the strength to climb over that thing, he most likely would've had the strength to be screaming his heart out for help. So again, I can't speak for that resident, but from my experience of living right around there, it's extremely hard for me to believe that the guy didn't hear a thing in a quiet area like that. (And given that the dude was awake at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning, when he claims to have found the body, it's fair to assume he wasn't boozing it up hardcore the night before. But I digress. Sticking to one topic for now lol... yes, I do think the resident should've heard something happening and I don't know why LE didn't seem to press further on that).
 
The pictures are provided by @aliciaengel010 to go along with their post.
The theory of him crashing and then climbing over this gate seems more far-fetched to me,....
1661987850316.png

LE considered RS was being chased after car crash, climbing over this gate, and not collapsing there. There's some witness report about RS's driving and him over-correcting at a curve. So, someone saw him driving? Being chased would create even more noise. However, it's preposterous to think someone would chase him that far over road rage, leaving their own car. No witness to that, and it's only a LE speculation left uninvestigated like everything else.
I've zoomed in and circled in red where the gate is. Hope this helps.
1662021125405.jpeg

As you say, if it is so deserted out there on a Saturday night and there was no traffic on the road, RS may have had to go further to get help, but seeing this in pics makes it unbelievable to me. No one in the house heard RS out there, and he couldn't get to the door of the house, but died out there with no one hearing a thing. He may have suffered that head injury there.
The pin at the bottom is where Robert's car was found. The red line shows the path leading up to the spot where his body was found. So, he would've had to walk the distance...
1662021444218.jpeg

Correct me if I'm wrong please.
I thought LE didn't find much of a blood trail leading up to where RS was found with blunt force trauma to the head that wasn't part of the car crash. LE speculated that RS was being chased and got all that way to that house. The owner found him the next morning, recognized him from being a vet customer himself, and had once saved an newspaper article about RS.

If the owner of the house did hear some noise outside and went out thinking RS was a prowler, he or someone on that property could have hit RS on the head and caused fatal injuries. Did LE consider that?
 
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https://ecf.casd.uscourts.gov/doc1/03718038294
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that Plaintiff Pamela Stonebreaker and Defendant The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America have settled. Plaintiff anticipates signing settlement documents, including a joint dismissal of the entire case with prejudice in the
very near future....
This is the only article (below) that I could find about the injuries being inconsistent with a traffic accident. Apparently, the spouse and the insurance companies have had some kind of settlement, but the mystery of Dr. Stonebreaker's death remains unsolved. Somebody murdered him and he deserves Justice.
"But an autopsy determined his death was caused by head injuries inconsistent with a traffic collision, and the case was ruled a homicide."

"Sgt. Roy Frank of the sheriff’s homicide unit said the case is being actively investigated as a homicide. “We know it’s not an accident. (Stonebreaker’s) injuries were not consistent with a traffic accident.”'
 
The pictures are provided by @aliciaengel010 to go along with their post.

1661987850316.png

LE considered RS was being chased after car crash, climbing over this gate, and not collapsing there. There's some witness report about RS's driving and him over-correcting at a curve. So, someone saw him driving? Being chased would create even more noise. However, it's preposterous to think someone would chase him that far over road rage, leaving their own car. No witness to that, and it's only a LE speculation left uninvestigated like everything else.

1662021125405.jpeg

As you say, if it is so deserted out there on a Saturday night and there was no traffic on the road, RS may have had to go further to get help, but seeing this in pics makes it unbelievable to me. No one in the house heard RS out there, and he couldn't get to the door of the house, but died out there with no one hearing a thing. He may have suffered that head injury there.

1662021444218.jpeg

Correct me if I'm wrong please.
I thought LE didn't find much of a blood trail leading up to where RS was found with blunt force trauma to the head that wasn't part of the car crash. LE speculated that RS was being chased and got all that way to that house. The owner found him the next morning, recognized him from being a vet customer himself, and had once saved an newspaper article about RS.

If the owner of the house did hear some noise outside and went out thinking RS was a prowler, he or someone on that property could have hit RS on the head and caused fatal injuries. Did LE consider that?

I'm sorry I should've been more clear in my post. That red line on the image I posted simply just shows the path he would've had to have walked/ran in order to get from the spot where his car was found crashed to the spot where his body was found at the top of the driveway next to the house. It's not meant to represent a path of blood. (I apologize for the confusion- the reason that line is red is to make it visible but it's not meant to show a trail of blood lol). LE has reported that there was no blood at the scene of the car, and no trail of blood leading to the driveway. The only area blood was found was right by where his body was found at the spot where that red line ends next to the house, so LE concluded that he was killed in the spot where he was found. That's why it seemed weird to me that no one heard anything. The prowler theory would make sense, but I guess where I get confused is that if the guy knew Robert from having used his veterinary services, wouldn't he know then that he wasn't a prowler? I would think maybe he'd ask him first what was going on or attempt to help him. Unless someone else in the house who didn't know him had mistaken him for a prowler, and the lawyer who lived there who DID know Robert concocted this story of "finding him" to protect his family member. (Obviously I don't have proof of that but it's just a theory).
 
I thought LE didn't find much of a blood trail leading up to where RS was found with blunt force trauma to the head that wasn't part of the car crash.

I'm sorry I should've been more clear in my post. That red line on the image I posted simply just shows the path he would've had to have walked/ran in order to get from the spot where his car was found crashed to the spot where his body was found at the top of the driveway next to the house. It's not meant to represent a path of blood.
That's not what I said, so no need to apologize. You were clear enough, and never mentioned a blood trail. I mentioned it because earlier posts on this thread talk about there not being a sign or, at least, mention of it by LE. If true, that would mean he was struck on the head where his body was found dead.

How many scenarios can you think of that would explain who might've hit him on the head there?

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That's not what I said, so no need to apologize. You were clear enough, and never mentioned a blood trail. I mentioned it because earlier posts on this thread talk about there not being a sign or, at least, mention of it by LE. If true, that would mean he was struck on the head where his body was found dead.

How many scenarios can you think of that would explain who might've hit him on the head there?

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Oh my bad, I misunderstood/misread your last post and thought you were saying you had interpreted the red line as representing a trail of blood. Sorry about that. Now that I re-read your post, I realize that's not what you were saying haha. It's been a long week and I swear sometimes my brain just turns into mush lol. Thanks for being patient with me. :)

As for the scenarios, I can think of a few possibilities but I need to just be clear on what the rules are exactly... since I'm kind of new to posting on this board. I do have some ideas of what might have happened at the house based on the research I've done, but are there rules posted anywhere about what we can or cannot post? I just want to be totally careful so I don't accidentally upset someone or seem like I'm purposely trying to slander anyone's name. Thanks in advance :)
 
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...I do have some guesses but is there rules posted anywhere about what we can or cannot post? Like I said, I just want to be totally careful so I don't accidentally upset anyone or seem like I'm purposely trying to slander anyone's name. Thanks in advance :)
Your posts are very interesting and I hope you continue to follow cases on WS. It is appreciated that you want to post by The Rules. The owner of WS has explained The Rules at the link below. You will notice the Notification (Bell) and Private Conversation (Letter) symbols in the upper right corner. (*Private messaging (PM) is just that - private. PMs are not to be referenced on the public threads.)

 
Your posts are very interesting and I hope you continue to follow cases on WS. It is appreciated that you want to post by The Rules. The owner of WS has explained The Rules at the link below. You will notice the Notification (Bell) and Private Conversation (Letter) symbols in the upper right corner. (*Private messaging (PM) is just that - private. PMs are not to be referenced on the public threads.)

Thank you so much!!
So I sort of have a few possible theories which I do want to research on a bit more before I post them lol but another friend of mine looked at the picture of the damaged Porsche and pointed out that the damage on the windshield (on the driver's side) is an indication that someone was smashing the windshield repeatedly. He said it was unlikely that it was just a rock or debris that would cause this type of damage; someone caused that with something that had a flat surface, i.e. a hammer or tire iron. (I've posted a photo again just in case for reference's sake.) A road rage theory would explain that, but the road rage theory wouldn't explain why Robert ended up at the top of the driveway of such a faraway house that would have definitely not been visible from the road on a rainy day (having lived off that road, I remember it being eerily dark especially in rainy weather). It's also unlikely someone would be mad enough to chase him all the way up a driveway that far, especially in that type of weather.

1662283872532.png

Anyways, here's a theory I do have - or a partial theory at least - (and of course this is just speculation so I'm not trying to slander anyone by any means): Robert was at that house, drove up to the top of the driveway and parked there because a resident let him in. Whether or not this was the lawyer who lived there, or the lawyer's wife, or another family member, I'd have to search a bit more as to the possibilities indicated there, (though for the sake of this theory we'll say hypothetically it was someone else in the home and not the lawyer- it was Saturday night and maybe the lawyer was out to dinner or at a party somewhere). But one theory I have is that someone got angry (whether it was at Robert or they were just a maniac - hence why I call it a partial theory lol because I'm still unclear as to WHY someone would get so angry with him), but anyways maybe while Robert was in the house, something went down in the house that made someone so angry that they ran out to the driveway, started smashing his windshield with a tire iron (or something similar), and Robert may have run out to see what was going on or to try to calm this person down, and as he ran up behind that person, maybe in the midst of smashing the windshield repeatedly, that person accidentally swung back too far and smacked Robert in the head with this object, causing him to fall down and eventually die right there in the driveway.

Now, as to how the car ended up in the ditch, I'd have to know if the police ever tested for any DNA or fingerprints on the steering wheel, but maybe this person panicked after they realized what they did and took Robert's keys, tried to drive the car away, and THAT'S what the witness who reported seeing Robert driving recklessly saw? Do we know they actually saw Robert himself, or did they just see a Porsche? Or maybe I'm confused and police said that Robert "overcorrected twice" for the curb due to skid marks on the road? Maybe this person who smashed the windshield, accidentally killed Robert, then tried to drive the car off was completely intoxicated or on some sort of drug, and that's how they ended up driving recklessly and crashing into the ditch? No blood was at the scene, and people's muscles relax when they're intoxicated, so upon impact, maybe this person didn't actually suffer any injury. Perhaps this person then called the lawyer who lives at the house where Robert's body was found (this person could've been the wife of the lawyer, or the adult child, or another relative who lived at the house, etc.) and said, "Oh crap, Dad/honey/[whoever the lawyer is to this person], I made a huge mistake and accidentally smacked a guy over the head... you're a lawyer, what do I do?!" The lawyer, who perhaps might've been out somewhere, then came home and thus they came up with the story of "finding" Robert in the driveway. The lawyer was a personal injury lawyer who would know how to deal with police, and that's why he was the one who spoke with them that morning.

Well, that's one theory at least lol. I might be totally off, but I did notice that the windshield wipers on the car were up, indicating the car was actually in motion when it crashed. So maybe my previous theory of Robert leaving the car parked in neutral wasn't correct after all. This theory that I just mentioned is the only thing I can really think of that would explain all the pieces of the mystery (at least to my knowledge).
 
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OMG, :eek: the front windshield is not damaged as though in an accident, but looks bashed. Thank You for your observations, @aliciaengel010. That was such an important thing to notice.

Why would someone be pounding on that front windshield? Your theory could work. It seems there was rage involved. Was RS in the car with someone hitting the windshield?

At first I thought where ever someone bashed at that window, it would leave pieces of glass, but not likely unless it's a greater force. LE must've figured something out about that windshield. It's obviously weird.
Windshield glass is laminated, meaning it consists of two layers of glass with a thin plastic film between the layers... Can a Cracked Windshield Shatter? | Glass.com

Either RS walked to that preposterously far location, was not carried, or maybe he drove himself. Which seems likely? RS body being found so far from the road, with no tell-tale blood trail, begs for a theory that he may have been let into that gate and hit on the head where his body was found dead the next morning. Like you theorized, the car could've been moved back to the road in a ditch.

Questioning how LE included that RS over corrected a couple of times needs explanation. I want to go back to see if it was reported by a witness or rubber on the road marks. After 12 yrs. the few info links we have aren't enough. Not included on this thread, but there must be a police report, and I'd like to see the Medical Examiner Autopsy Report.

Why would RS be driving on a rainy Saturday night? Where was he going? There has to be a reason he was out there. It was said the spouse didn't speak with or answer LE's questions. Geez, that seems the best way to clear yourself. Where was RS going? Knowing even that would help.


I know we can't sleuth other residents of the house here on this thread. Does someone know more and never was interrogated? It's sometimes easy enough to find out the others that were living there, but probably impossible to fill in all the blanks. What, Why, How...??? Did RS have some type of connection to anyone in that vicinity to make him be around there on a rainy Saturday night?

Was RS lured to that particular property? LE must've gone through all his phone & computer records to see if there was a link. A gf, a potential deal of some kind, a meeting with someone? Was this possibly a planned murder? LE looked at that angle I imagine when they looked at the spouse. LE also thought he was being chased from the road to that spot he died. Rain leaves a chance of tire tracks.

All MOO, and my own thoughts and speculations.
 
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These are snippets from some of the first posts on this thread. Some of the links no longer go to the news articles.
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.
^^^ Pool of blood around his head. Sounds like he got hit in the head right where he was found. Who hit him on the head and left him there?
It is also interesting that no one knew where he was going. Other than residences, there is a plant nursery and golf club (he was not known to have attended) that he could have been heading to. If I was going to pick up plants,
The hits to the windshield are aimed so low. @aliciaengel010, your observation has gripped me to keep searching for scenarios. Wonder if someone used a handy golf club to bash that windshield? It was later, dark and rainy though, so nobody was probably golfing or buying plants.

Dr. Stonebreakers 2010 death his car windshield bashed.png
 
These are snippets from some of the first posts on this thread. Some of the links no longer go to the news articles.

^^^ Pool of blood around his head. Sounds like he got hit in the head right where he was found. Who hit him on the head and left him there?


The hits to the windshield are aimed so low. @aliciaengel010, your observation has gripped me to keep searching for scenarios. Wonder if someone used a handy golf club to bash that windshield? It was later, dark and rainy though, so nobody was probably golfing or buying plants.

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You're right that the aim is very low! I didn't think of that. So, I'm thinking it's fair to say that the person who smashed the windshield was probably on the shorter side - not more than 5'4" or so. Those cars are about 4 1/2 to 5 feet tall (I'm 5'3" and those cars are shorter than me, so it might be someone who is around my height.) And that damage looks like someone was repeatedly smashing at the windshield. It could've been someone with a golf club handy (Rancho is a big golfing community, though like you said, no one would be out buying golf clubs or even golfing at all on a rainy night) From what I can see, it looks more consistent with something that has a more round end, like an old tire iron.

I'm also curious about that driver's side window. Did they find it rolled down like that, or was there glass found shattered near it, as if someone smashed out that window? Or... I know other posts have mentioned there being an intercom on the gate in front of the house where he was ultimately found dead at. Did RS roll down his window to press the intercom button on the gate as he drove up, to let the residents know he arrived? Of course that's speculation, and for that theory to be true, that means that RS was in fact at the house at the invitation/knowledge of the residents before he died. (That's just a possible explanation/MOO. But something to consider. Do we know if the gate intercom ever tested for fingerprints or DNA?)

This also makes me more curious to see the ME/Coroner's report and see what sort of blunt force trauma was inflicted onto RS and see if it matches up with an object with a rounded edge. One thing that stood out to me was law enforcement saying that RS died from a blow to the head, not multiple blows. That leads me to think that it was an accident. I feel like if it were more intentional, there would've been at least several blows to the head, and possibly more damage to RS' body. I haven't seen any indications that RS was beat up or injured really in any other way, unless I'm missing something. (I know there was the theory he was being poisoned, but was there any proof of that other than LE inquiring about his fingernail size? He was a doctor, and they usually have short fingernails. Maybe I'm missed something so correct me if there was actual evidence of poisoning.)

I know I sorta discussed a few topics there lol, but these points so far have led me to a theory along these lines (just a disclaimed this is MOO- just speculation based on what I've gathered so far. This is similar to the theory I posted a few days ago, just a bit more detailed/more added):

For whatever reason, RS was invited to the house by the residents (I'll have to go more into that in a separate post as I have my theories here too, but for now just sticking to the specific events that may have led to his death), and he arrived at the gate in front of the house, rolled down the window to buzz the intercom to announce his arrival so they'd let him in. Robert leaves his window down as it was possibly too hard to see through the windshield alone due to the rain and the inherent darkness of that area. He drives up to the top of the driveway, parks, goes inside. Something happens in there (I'll theorize more there later), and perhaps it was nothing really wrong that Robert did; maybe one of the residents was on some sort of substance and/or medication and misinterpreted something he said, or maybe tried to make a pass at him and he refused - (all random ideas - and of course even if he said something that might've upset someone, it doesn't mean he deserved to die so I don't want to seem like I'm implying that in any way). Whatever happened pissed this person off so badly that they started having a meltdown, possibly a psychiatric episode and/or a bad reaction to drugs/alcohol/meds, ran outside and grabbed a tire iron or something similar and started smashing the windshield of RS' car, while RS was still in the house.(I don't think he was in the car when it was smashed). Robert runs out, yells, "stop! what are you doing?" and in the midst of that person's anger and repeated smashing, s/he accidentally swings back too hard, knocking RS to the ground. He dies. Also remember that we are analyzing this from a logical perspective, so we are struggling to make sense of the evidence we've been shown. But whoever committed this crime is obviously unhinged and their actions might have no logical explanation at all. Maybe after this person realized what they did, and in the midst of their panicking, grabbed RS' keys and tried to drive his car away as an impulsive act. His or her anxiety takes over (or maybe a bad medication reaction kicks in), causing that person to crash/ swerve off the road, and then that person climbs out through the vegetation and makes his or her way back to the house and spends the evening trying to come up with a plan on what to do with the help of the lawyer (granted if it weren't the lawyer himself who did this) and at 8 a.m., they finally call for help after they've concocted a story of "finding" him in the driveway.

While that was just a speculation/theory, I did learn some facts about the residents of that house in my research that I'm very surprised were just brushed over by LE. I have A LOT more to add but I'll do it separately as I've already written a lot lol).
 

Why would RS be driving on a rainy Saturday night? Where was he going? There has to be a reason he was out there. It was said the spouse didn't speak with or answer LE's questions. Geez, that seems the best way to clear yourself. Where was RS going? Knowing even that would help.

I know we can't sleuth other residents of the house here on this thread. Does someone know more and never was interrogated? It's sometimes easy enough to find out the others that were living there, but probably impossible to fill in all the blanks. What, Why, How...??? Did RS have some type of connection to anyone in that vicinity to make him be around there on a rainy Saturday night?

Was RS lured to that particular property? LE must've gone through all his phone & computer records to see if there was a link. A gf, a potential deal of some kind, a meeting with someone? Was this possibly a planned murder? LE looked at that angle I imagine when they looked at the spouse. LE also thought he was being chased from the road to that spot he died. Rain leaves a chance of tire tracks.
I agree that it seems weird that RS' wife Pam didn't talk with LE, if that's true. Do we know if she literally NEVER spoke to them at all, or if she maybe did one brief interview with LE and lawyered up?

While I agree that it seems like an innocent spouse would WANT to help law enforcement solve their spouse's case and would be totally cooperative, I can see it from both perspectives. I actually knew someone who was a witness to a murder and he was extremely eager to help the police. Long story, but his eagerness to help led to police zeroing in on him and they ended up building a case against him and ignored other avenues. It was a sloppy case but he was convicted and spent 11 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. He was thankfully exonerated but it's rare to see that actually happen. After he was exonerated, TONS of people commented about how he should've never talked to police, how he should've lawyered up, how it's "dumb" to talk to police because even if you're innocent, they'll find a way to to trick you into confessing to something you didn't do, etc. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. Lol. Since people criticize regardless, it's better IMO to go with the option that will legally benefit you.

It would be nice to believe that LE always has the best interest of justice at heart, but sadly, that isn't always the reality. Given how sloppy and lazy they have appeared to be in this case, I can't say I necessarily blame Pam for protecting herself legally. On one hand, it does kind of look guilty, but on the other hand, if she's truly innocent, maybe she's worried that LE will focus their tunnel vision on her, spend all their efforts trying to make her look guilty, that they might end up ignoring other avenues and overlooking what really happened. (I've seen that happen a lot and that's what happened in my friend's case - they centered on him and ignored the people who they later found out had actually done it.)

RS having a gf on the side was my initial thought, but of course I have no proof of that and I definitely don't want to smear the poor guy's name. My friend who knew RS very well said that she highly doubts it was an affair. She's usually the first to suspect a person of cheating lol so her being convinced that RS wasn't having an affair holds some credibility because I've known her for years and she was around RS for a long time, knew him her whole life until his death. He and Pam may have had marital problems, but really I can't seem to find anything scandalous in RS' life. I'm guessing there might've been a connection through the horseracing scene (the residents of the house were big into horseracing, and the lawyer's wife won a competition in 2011 I think. RS' father-in-law was a horseracing champion whose horse was worth millions that they desperately wanted in Del Mar that year). I'm not saying that was a motive behind his killing necessarily, but that could've been how he was connected to that house. Maybe he went there to meet up and talk over horseracing stuff and somehow an argument ensued and thus led to the tragedy? I have no proof of course - just a possible avenue worth considering.
 
Hi everyone, sorry that I'm so late coming into this thread. (Also this post will be long so sorry in advance lol). I recently learned about this case from my friend, whose dad was very close friends with Robert Stonebreaker. (My dream job is to be an investigator one day. lol. She told me about this case because she was curious to hear what my opinion was. She told me about how sweet Robert was and how her dad has always been heartbroken that whoever did this hasn't been caught).....
Wanted to go back and comment that your first post was very thought-provoking, @aliciaengel010. You did a great job posting some links that tie into your theories. I was able to verify myself that some of the connections you mentioned do check out.
I agree that it seems weird that RS' wife Pam didn't talk with LE, if that's true. Do we know if she literally NEVER spoke to them at all, or if she maybe did one brief interview with LE and lawyered up?
Pam, the spouse, ended up getting $3 million in life insurance money. No big deal really, that is not a lot of money against their life style and running the business & Free Flight. The loss of his income has to be considered. As I said earlier in this thread, Dr. Stonebreaker would've generated more income had he lived. Even if he really was considering divorce, his spouse would've come away with more over time than $3 million. So, I don't see why LE wanted to concentrate on her so heavily. She may have answered initial investigative questions, and couldn't deal with LE's main focus on her.

I wish someone could answer what RS was doing out there driving around on a rainy night. Where was he going??? Did his spouse have any answer to that important question? Did RS have an appt. with someone?

Robert didn't come home that night his car was found in a ditch. She didn't get a call from him, or a call from LE. We don't know if he stayed out often, or if they were on the outs with each other at that time. The next day, his spouse went to one of the kid's games. That was where all the suspicion started. Is it that suspicious? Somebody had to take the kid to their sports game.
He and Pam may have had marital problems, but really I can't seem to find anything scandalous in RS' life. I'm guessing there might've been a connection through the horseracing scene (the residents of the house were big into horseracing, and the lawyer's wife won a competition in 2011 I think. RS' father-in-law was a horseracing champion whose horse was worth millions that they desperately wanted in Del Mar that year). I'm not saying that was a motive behind his killing necessarily, but that could've been how he was connected to that house. Maybe he went there to meet up and talk over horseracing stuff and somehow an argument ensued and thus led to the tragedy? I have no proof of course - just a possible avenue worth considering.
I see the connections you mentioned. Yes, it checks out that RS's wife's father is a also a vet, and big into horse racing. Won big horse race. Yes, it's seems possible that the attorney lived with a (once depressed then better) spouse also big into horse racing. I believe she may have owned some top horses.

Can you think of any tie-in to RS and the horse racing world? The connections don't mean a thing unless you can tie it to some reason someone may have lured RS there, or someone had a strong motive to want RS dead. Did Robert have anything at all to do with horse racing? (maybe ask your friend's father) Was RS into horse racing or doing something affecting the horse racing world?

MOO, @aliciaengel010, great theories and speculations so far, but they've got to be tied to a motive to go further. Can you go further and come up with any kind of motive that would make sense why horse racing people would want RS dead?
 
The hits to the windshield are aimed so low. @aliciaengel010, your observation has gripped me to keep searching for scenarios. Wonder if someone used a handy golf club to bash that windshield? It was later, dark and rainy though, so nobody was probably golfing or buying plants.
Dr. Stonebreakers 2010 death his car windshield bashed.png

Why hit that windshield like that? I'm thinking probably RS wasn't in the car because the aim is lower than his face would be if someone was enraged and trying to hit him inside his car. No, the hits may have been to make it look like the car was part of the accident. Does that make sense?
You're right that the aim is very low! I didn't think of that. So, I'm thinking it's fair to say that the person who smashed the windshield was probably on the shorter side - not more than 5'4" or so. Those cars are about 4 1/2 to 5 feet tall (I'm 5'3" and those cars are shorter than me, so it might be someone who is around my height.) And that damage looks like someone was repeatedly smashing at the windshield. It could've been someone with a golf club handy (Rancho is a big golfing community,...
People drive around with golf clubs in their cars all the time, but heck people have baseball bats, tire irons, & all kinds of (self-defense) weapons in their cars too. Keeping road rage in mind here too.

If the person who hit the windshield was, in fact, shorter, then I think a taller person would've had to hit the tall RS on the head.

It depends on the ME / Autopsy report says about the head wound location. He may have been hit when down already. Seems if he was standing, a short person even holding a tire iron, would have a hard time making a fatal blow. JMO though.
 
This is not fact connected to this case, nor in any way, connected to the victim in this case. If there is any kind of link to the sport, the only way I can speculate that horse racing can be connected to crime and cover-ups is by looking at what has been in the news. The winnings are big in horse racing. Not saying there was any connection to our victim, but it is very possible RS may have known something about this subject and how it may relate to any of the fringe horse racing players mentioned. Wonder if just knowing may be a danger. ALL MOO.
"The indicted included 11 trainers, seven veterinarians and nine drug suppliers and distributors, according to Berman."
 
Wanted to go back and comment that your first post was very thought-provoking, @aliciaengel010. You did a great job posting some links that tie into your theories. I was able to verify myself that some of the connections you mentioned do check out.

Pam, the spouse, ended up getting $3 million in life insurance money. No big deal really, that is not a lot of money against their life style and running the business & Free Flight. The loss of his income has to be considered. As I said earlier in this thread, Dr. Stonebreaker would've generated more income had he lived. Even if he really was considering divorce, his spouse would've come away with more over time than $3 million. So, I don't see why LE wanted to concentrate on her so heavily. She may have answered initial investigative questions, and couldn't deal with LE's main focus on her.
Hi! You'll have to forgive me lol.. I'm a little slow with technology sometimes.. not sure how to divide up the sections I'm replying to. Anyways, other than the one above, I'm italicizing your quotes and then my responses are in regular font :)

(My response to your first point about the life insurance w/ Pam):

Exactly... this is a great point that too many people overlook. $3 million seems like an amazing amount of money, but people who maybe aren't familiar with the area may not realize that $3 million is really not all that much to people like the Stonebreakers. Rancho Santa Fe is a ridiculously expensive area, one of the most expensive zip codes in the nation. A lot of celebrities have their "getaway"/vacation homes there where they go to relax/avoid the paparazzi; they're able to enjoy privacy and play golf without being bothered, which is why so many neighborhoods are so heavily gated with excessive security and driveways are often long, windy, or hilly; it makes it harder for intruders or stalkers to access the residents' homes. Homes are worth well into the millions and come attached with hefty HOA fees. The car Robert was driving is worth about $44,000 (possibly more at the time). The home they lived in, not too far from Rancho Santa Fe in a ritzy Encinitas area, is worth about $4 million. They also had three kids who were fairly young (I think 14, 12 and 5 or something like that), so less than a decade away from college for two of them. That $3 million would've been gone very quickly, especially given that people in that area tend to have total yearly expenses that climb into the millions. So if finances were a motive, you're right, it wouldn't make sense to give up the income Robert would have continued to generate, probably for the rest of his life. (According to my friend, he LOVED what he did and probably would've never retired lol). Plus, with Pam's dad being an affluent veterinarian too and with his luck in horseracing, she most likely would've had a financial safety net to fall back on if she needed to. (Pam is mentioned on her dad's vet website so they aren't estranged).

I wish someone could answer what RS was doing out there driving around on a rainy night. Where was he going??? Did his spouse have any answer to that important question? Did RS have an appt. with someone?
km


I'm going to look more into the horseracing connection just because it seems weirdly coincidental that he would wind up dead in the driveway of a woman who was big to horseracing (whose career was declining at the time, and suddenly boomed after Robert died), and Robert just happens to be the son-in-law of a man whose name was very well-known and sought after in the horseracing world at that time period. (Pam's dad, Leonard Blach, is the co-owner of a horse called "Mine That Bird" who was the unlikely winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby. They were trying to Leonard to bring Mine That Bird to Del Mar/Rancho Santa Fe that year. The horse was $2 million. Maybe they invited him over to see what info they could get on that?) The lawyer who lived at the house Robert died at had recently saved an article about Robert. I'm curious what the article was about.

I'm going to dig more into finding a connection between Robert & the lawyer/lawyer's wife, if there is one; right now the horse racing seems the most likely. I do believe he was there to go to their house that night. There is literally nothing else out there, especially if he was going eastbound. The only thing I can think of is that the road, Paseo Delicias, becomes Del Dios Highway and sometimes is used as a shortcut to the Escondido mall. But I have a feeling he was on his way to the home he died at. It's not visible from the main road. I will try to see if I can dig more to find a motive. My guess though, is that they lured him there possibly by requesting his vet services or maybe asked him to come take a look at one of his pets. (The lawyer did tell LE he'd used Robert's veterinary services in the past, so he "recognized" him when he found him in the driveway, according to LE). Robert did have a mobile veterinary service, and many people have commented saying he would often come out to the homes to check on their pets if they were unable to get to the office. My best guess is that could've been how they got him out there. As for why, I'm going to look into it more. Maybe they were going to try to somehow coax information out of him in regards to his father-in-law & the status of the horse (But of course, this is MOO)

Can you think of any tie-in to RS and the horse racing world? The connections don't mean a thing unless you can tie it to some reason someone may have lured RS there, or someone had a strong motive to want RS dead. Did Robert have anything at all to do with horse racing? (maybe ask your friend's father) Was RS into horse racing or doing something affecting the horse racing world?

I'm still not 100% convinced that whoever killed Robert deliberately intended to do so. One blow to the head, in my opinion, aligns more with a heat of the moment type of thing/accident. But clearly, there was some reason someone was mad enough at him to attack him like that, or at least mad enough to smash his windshield. I'm definitely going to have to search some more because I have not heard anything about him having any serious enemies. Though, my friend said she will ask her dad about RS' potential involvement with the horseracing world, if any. She did say something interesting though, when I mentioned a potential horseracing connection. Can't remember if I posted this yet but one thing she did say was, "Oh, if it was anything to do with horseracing, that would make total sense. Horseracing is taken SUPER seriously by the people involved, like to the point where sometimes things can turn pretty violent." So, that definitely would be an avenue to look into, so I'll look into it and report back :)
 
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Is there some type of connection to horse racing and Robert? I don't think Robert or his spouse owned any racing horses, as far as I know. MOO, it seems that his spouse's father is a horse vet. He's into horseracing, won a big race with a co-owner, owns and boards horses, and is big in his own horse community. Also, of interest, Robert was found on property owned by people in the horse community, who also owned and even raced horses. However, of note, Robert was a Avian Bird Veterinarian.

We do not know why Robert was out there on a rainy Saturday night. It stands to reason that he may have been lured there. That the car accident was a cover up perhaps. I just can't see an injured or even a chased man going that far, able to climb a gate, etc.,

This was a Homicide according to the Autopsy Results, it was determined the Dr. died at the end of that long driveway from a blow (to the back) of his head, and LE eventually had to admit it was not an accident that killed him, but appeared to be an intentional blow. He wasn't found until the next morning... hmmm. Just the distance from his car to where he was found dead begs for answers. LE apparently did not pursue it further. If he was killed for some reason then what could it possibly be?


Money, Jealousy, Revenge, Passion, Blackmail, Greed, to Silence...?????

This posts contains my own thoughts and opinions.
 
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Robert Stonebreaker was my uncle (my mother's uncle). He was an incredibly kind man and his murder was shocking. I have recently started to try to find information regarding his murder and investigation and there is very few websites or information online. Does anyone have any new information regarding his death and investigation?
<modsnip - referenced post was removed>
Your uncle has not been forgotten nor will he ever be.
 
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Hi. I'm new to this thread so forgive me if this has already been discussed, but here is my thinking after reading through the posts (it's late for me so forgive me if I don't have all the facts straight):

It seems like he intended to go to that house where he was found. For whatever reason. It's a dark rainy night and his driving may be somewhat impaired -- he overcorrects a couple of times and then almost misses the turn, then makes it at the last minute -- leaving skid marks -- and then crashes down the embankment (here I am assuming that the broken windshield occurred at this time, although I know speculation is that it was smashed in by someone -- but it seems like LE would have noticed that). Was he in a hurry? Was he upset about something? Had he had a few drinks and was going to confront someone, or was he anxious to see someone before someone else got home? Was the meeting clandestine, and if so, why? Just questions that I wonder about. There is some reason that he attempted to make that turn to begin with and in my mind it was to get to that house because he coincidentally or not ended up being found right inside the gate. How did he know they didn't have some vicious dog or armed security or something? He must have been there before. JMO.

So he's basically unharmed in the accident and walks up to the property which he intended to drive to. If he were only looking for help, he passes at least on other ungated house in favor of this one farther away with an uninviting gate -- why? Unless he intended to go this house to begin with. He knew someone there. JMO

Anyway, he gets to the house and either climbs over the lower side fence or someone lets him in through the gate. Then someone else arrives home unexpectedly, or someone unexpected is at the house already. He presumably doesn't have his phone so no one can call and alert him or tell him not to come. Maybe they don't even know he is coming. His presence is not welcome or he becomes unwelcome and either someone suddenly attacks for being there, or an argument ensues and he is killed, perhaps even while walking away or trying to leave. So in this scenario it wasn't an accident and he wasn't mistaken for an intruder. We know that at least one person there knew who he was, and that there was a saved clipping of him. Nobody heard anything yet someone they were familiar with was bludgeoned to death in the driveway and wasn't noticed until the morning. If they knew no connection could be made between anyone at the residence and Dr. Stonebreaker, perhaps it wasn't worth the risk of trying to clean up and get rid of the body so they came up with that story. They could have been too panicked the night before to think up the intruder story, plus admitting that someone had killed someone on your property even in error would have lead to further unwanted investigation as to the events leading up to it and why he was inside the gate in the first place.

JMO and all that. Just a theory.
 
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