A man allegedly entered a Washington, D.C. hotel room Friday and stabbed a woman from Virginia more than 20 times, killing her.
George Sydnor Jr., 43, is accused of killing Christy Bautista, 31, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, less than an hour after she checked into the Ivy City Hotel on New York Avenue NE at about 5:55 p.m., according to police and court documents, NBC 4 reported. Bautista was visiting Washington, D.C., to attend a concert.(RELATED: ‘A Violent Start To The Year’: Murders Are Already Soaring In These Six Major Cities)
Less than an hour after a Virginia woman checked into a D.C. motel Friday evening, a man on a bicycle approached her room, opened the door and then brutally stabbed her, according to court documents. https://t.co/irpk4HHZR2
— WTOP (@WTOP) April 4, 2023
Sydnor pleaded not guilty in court Monday. The presiding judge ruled he needed to be held without bond. Security footage appeared to show Sydnor riding a red bike to the hotel parking lot at about 6:45 p.m., and then listening to Bautista outside of room 116. Later footage then appeared to show him entering the room and causing a struggle. Bautista repeatedly yelled for help before the door shut.
NEW: Woman stabbed to death inside Ivy City Hotel Friday night was visiting DC to attend a concert. DC Police still investigating how suspect got inside Christy Bautista’s hotel room. 43-year-old George Sydnor faces first degree murder charges @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/lxH7RIyGxI
— Tom Lynch (@TomLynch_) April 2, 2023
Police found a large broken kitchen knife on one of the hotel room beds next to Sydnor’s jackets. The broken part of the blade was in one of the jacket’s pockets.
“Our family is devastated by the loss of our beloved Christy,” Bautista’s family said in a statement. “She brought joy to everybody who knew her and was a shining light in all of our lives.”