Sentenced: Man Accused Of Killing Romantic Partner With Toilet Tank Lid In DC Hotel Room

[Sugar Cookie]

William Barrett, 59, is accused of killing a woman he had been in dating relationship with.

The victim has been identified as 36-year-old Romaine Maddox.

Court documents reveal the couple went to the Ivy City Hotel in Northeast D.C. on Feb.22, 2024.

A hotel staff member found Maddox dead the following morning.

Police say surveillance video taken at 10:20 p.m shows Maddox walk out of the hotel room completely nude. She’s was apparently locked out of the room for a few minutes, then went back inside until just after 1 a.m.

Police say at 1:15 a.m., Maddox came back out of the room wearing only underwear and Barrett later walks out, completely nude, appearing to search for her. They both went back into the room five minutes later and within an hour, police say audio captured what sounded like a woman screaming "get off me" and "help."

Barrett stated that he and Maddox had an argument that turned violent. Barrett said "she was running her mouth and hit me." He went on to say that he choked Maddox with a belt until she was unconscious.

Barrett stated that Maddox began screaming for help when she came to.

"Barrett told police that he thought he had killed Maddox at that point but she suddenly woke up and began screaming for help. Barrett then punched her, grabbed the lid of the toilet tank and hit her with it multiple times, eventually causing the lid to break into three pieces."

According to the court documents, Maddox suffered "blunt force trauma to the forehead" and "deformities" to her head as well as several lacerations.

Barrett said he then fell asleep and awoke to Maddox being cold to the touch.

Source Article

Man beat woman to death with toilet tank lid in DC hotel room, court documents say

Newly released court documents detail the brutal beating death of a woman found in a D.C. hotel room last week.

www.fox5dc.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

William Barrett, 69, was sentenced in D.C. Superior Court, for the February 2024 murder of his girlfriend, 36-year-old, Romaine Maddox. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Barrett pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder while armed on August 23, 2024, before the Honorable Robert Okun, who sentenced the defendant, on October 25, 2024, to 25 years’ incarceration followed by five years of supervised release.

According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 7:00 p.m., on February 22, 2024, Barrett and Ms. Maddox, checked into a hotel in the 1600 block of New York Avenue, N.E., to celebrate Ms. Maddox’s birthday. Hotel surveillance cameras captured the defendant and the victim, who was ecstatic to celebrate her birthday at the hotel, entering their room, where they spent the next several hours.

At around 2:00 a.m., hotel surveillance video captured Ms. Maddox screaming for help from their hotel room. She was never seen alive again. Barrett told detectives that he and Ms. Maddox got into an argument that turned physical.

Barrett became enraged grabbing a ceramic toilet tank cover from the bathroom and hitting Ms. Maddox over the head several times, causing the ceramic lid to break into three pieces. While she was lying face down on the floor, Barrett wrapped his belt around Ms. Maddox’s neck and pulled upward. Barrett then fell asleep while the victim’s bloodied body lay at the foot of the bed. Barrett got up in the morning and saw Ms. Maddox unconscious and unresponsive on the floor and he left her in the room. Hotel staff discovered her body a few hours later.

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https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/judge-hands-25-year-prison-term-man-who-murdered-his-girlfriend