Christy Bautista. (Image: GoFundMe)
A man forced his way into a woman’s hotel room and stabbed her about two dozen times, even severing her spinal column, according to cops in Washington D.C.
George Levern Sydnor Jr. 43, is now charged with first-degree murder in connection with the attack.
Christy Bautista, 31, was in the city for a concert, her family said, according to WRC-TV. They did not believe she knew her killer.
According to police documents, surveillance footage showed her checking into the Ivy City Hotel on New York Avenue NE and entering room 116 Friday afternoon. Less than an hour later, at 6:44 p.m., Sydnor arrived at the hotel parking lot riding a red bicycle.
“Syndor appears to be riding slowly through the parking lot and looking around, observing things on the property,” officers said.
Police claim he got off the bike, went into the hotel, and began listening at the door of Bautista’s room.
“Based upon the video and audio, it does not seem that Sydnor ever knocks on the door or makes his presence known to the decedent,” they said.
He allegedly stepped into the room at 6:45 p.m. on Friday.
“The sound of a door closing and then bouncing as if it did not close all the way can be heard,” cops said.
Audio showed sounds of an apparent struggle, including several thuds and someone possibly trying to open a door.
“Help!” Bautista yelled. “Help!”
A woman, who was nearby smoking a cigarette, saw her yell for help and appeared in distress, officers said. A man pulled Bautista back into the room and closed the door, according to documents. The witness called 911.
Though 911 dispatch notes said the victim was pulled inside room 116 by possibly two men, cops found no indication that a second suspect was involved, only Sydnor.
“From the time Sydnor opened the door and entered the decedent’s hotel room until the time that MPD officers arrived at the door, no one entered or exited from room 116,” officers said. “Also, the room does not have an additional exit. The only window and door to room 116 are in the front.”
Police arrived at 6:55 p.m., mere minutes after the attack.
“When officers arrived on scene, they noticed the door was closed and lights to the room were off,” they said. “The first officer to the door heard a male voice coming from inside of the room.”
Cops said they knocked on the door. No response at first. The man went silent. They identified themselves as cops and kept knocking.
A male voice told them everything was fine, but an officer shined a flashlight through a window, in which the blinds were partially drawn up, according to documents.
“The officer observed a male near the door with blood visible on his hand,” cops said. “The officer was also able to observe the male walk to the second bed in the room and grab cigarettes from a black jacket.”
After getting a master key from hotel management, officers entered room 116 to find a woman on the ground near the door, they said. She was covered in blood from multiple apparent stab wounds.
“The male was standing directly in front of the window at this point and was attempting to light a cigarette,” police wrote. Officers said they put him in handcuffs without incident and took him out of the room. The man, later identified as Sydnor, had several lacerations to his right hand, cops claim.
Officers said they found a broken, bloodied Santoku-style kitchen knife with a red handle. They said Sydnor’s black jacket was on one of the beds, and it had the broken half of the knife.
“The broken half of the knife blade was found inside of the black jacket in the front left pocket,” they said. “This half of the knife was also covered in blood. There were no other weapons or cutting instruments found inside of room 116.”
A doctor later determined at the autopsy that Bautista sustained approximately 30 sharp force injuries.
“The majority of the wounds were to the decedent’s back and were deep,” officers said.
Her lungs and liver were perforated. Some of the stab wounds were so forceful they caused blunt force trauma in addition to sharp force injuries, officers said. This included broken ribs.
Other injuries included “two sharp force injuries” to her scalp, and a stab wound to the back of her neck that punctured her spinal column, possibly causing paralysis.
“Our family is devastated by the loss of our beloved Christy,” Bautista’s family said in a statement to Law&Crime. “She brought joy to everyone who knew her and was a shining light in all of our lives. Please respect our privacy as we mourn her at this time. We want to avoid interfering with the important work of law enforcement in this case. Please refer to them with any further questions.”
A GoFundMe campaign to support Bautista and her family raised more than $9,000 of a $10,000 goal as of Wednesday.
At a police station interview room, Syndor allegedly said, without being asked what happened, that “he got his hand chopped with a knife.” But upon being given his Miranda right, he said he would not talk without an attorney there.
Sydnor, who had been treated at a hospital, had blood on his hands, and there was a bandage on his right hand, police said.
“There was blood on Sydnor’s shoes, pants and his blue fleece vest,” officers wrote.
Cops determined he had two outstanding arrest warrants, including one for failure to appear at a status hearing in a D.C. attempted robbery case, and an arrest warrant in Maryland for failure to appear regarding theft between $25,000 and $100,000.
His attorney Jesse Winograd declined to comment when Law&Crime reached out by phone. A preliminary hearing is set for May 8.
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