April 4, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C.—An Asian woman was murdered Friday after a man entered a Washington D.C. hotel room and stabbed her more than 30 times, according to police.
Christy Bautista, 31, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was in town for a concert. Within an hour after checking into the Ivy City Hotel on New York Avenue, she was brutally attacked and murdered.
The suspect is described as an African-American male from Baltimore, according to sources.
NBC4 Washington identifies the suspect as 43-year-old George Sydnor Jr. He was found inside the hotel room with blood-soaked hands and clothing.
Sydnor was taken into custody shortly after the attack and charged with first-degree murder. On Monday, he pleaded not guilty in court and is currently being held without bond.
According to court documents, Bautista checked into the hotel around 5:55 p.m. and parked directly in front of the door to room 116. A security camera captured Sydnor riding a red bike to the hotel parking lot at about 6:45 p.m.
The footage then showed Sydnor eavesdropping in front of room 116. Within minutes, Sydnor is seen stepping into the hotel room, and footage captured sounds of a struggle.
A witness reported seeing a panicked woman open the hotel room door and scream for help before a male suspect pulled her back inside. That witness immediately called 911.
The 31-year-old victim was heard screaming, “Help! Help!” in security footage before the door was slammed closed. D.C. police officers arrived on the scene about 10 minutes later and knocked on the door.
A male voice was heard saying “everything is fine,” according to court documents.
After an officer saw the suspect’s bloody hands through partially opened window blinds, the officer obtained the hotel’s master key and entered the room around 7 p.m.
Bautista was on the floor with multiple stab wounds and a pool of blood while Sydnor was trying to light a cigarette.
Bautista showed no signs of life when EMS arrived and was pronounced dead at 7:11 p.m.
Authorities found a large kitchen knife with half the blade broken off on one of the hotel room beds, next to Sydnor’s jacket. The broken section of the blade was also found in one of his jacket’s pockets, according to NBC4 Washington.
Sydnor has an extensive criminal record and has been arrested many times before. He was arrested back in October 2022 for armed robbery.
Although a D.C. judge denied Sydnor bond in December because of his extensive criminal history, a different judge later released Sydnor less than two weeks after his initial threat assessment. He then failed to appear for a court hearing eight days later. He’s also wanted in Maryland on other charges.
Feature Screenshots via YouTube