Murder of Young Woman at Washington Hotel Brings Renewed Attention to Capital’s Skyrocketing Crime

The murder of a 31-year-old Virginia woman in her northeast Washington, D.C. hotel room, allegedly by a man who recently was released from jail, prompted another round of calls for reform of the city’s lax law enforcement as a wave of violence engulfs the nation’s capital.Christy Bautista of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was visiting the city to attend a concert with friends and staying at the Ivy City Hotel when she allegedly was set upon in her room by 43-year-old George Sydnor Jr. and stabbed 30 times. Police arriving on the scene said they found Sydnor standing over her body with bloodied arms, according to arrest records viewed by the Washington Post. Security footage showed the young woman calling for help before the door to her room slammed shut.The two were not believed to have known each other, police said. “Our family is devastated by the loss of our beloved Christy,” Bautista’s family said in a statement, which asked for privacy. “She brought joy to everybody who knew her and was a shining light in all of our lives.”Sydnor has a lengthy criminal record, according to the report, and was released from jail after pleading guilty to an attempted robbery in October during which he waved a firearm at a woman sitting in her car in the southeast part of the city, demanding her keys and cellphone. The charges against him were reduced to attempted robbery from armed robbery.When he was committing that crime, Sydnor was already awaiting trial on a separate charge of attempted larceny in Prince George County, Maryland. He had missed court dates for both of those crimes and authorities had issued arrest warrants for him. Despite all this, he was still on the streets.Crime is up dramatically in the District so far in 2023. As of Tuesday, murders are up 33 percent — to 57 so far this year — versus the same period in 2022, a year in which the capital surpassed 200 homicides for only the second time in two decades. Incidents of sex abuse are up 83 percent over the same period last year, and motor vehicle theft is up 109 percent.Congress, which has veto authority over Washington’s city government, is starting to take note, especially after a 26-year-old Senate staffer from Senator Paul’s office was stabbed after leaving a restaurant not far from Capitol Hill at 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday night in another apparently random act of violence. The accused in that case had been released from prison only a day earlier.“This past weekend a member of my staff was brutally attacked in broad daylight in Washington, D.C. I ask you to join Kelley and me in praying for a speedy and complete recovery, and thanking the first responders, hospital staff, and police for their diligent actions,” Mr. Paul said in a statement. “We are relieved to hear the suspect has been arrested. At this time we would ask for privacy, so everyone can focus on healing and recovery.”Last month, the Washington city council was forced to rescind a proposed reform to its criminal justice code that would have reduced the penalties for many violent crimes committed in the city. Congress approved a resolution blocking the reform, and President Biden signed off on that resolution after earlier threatening to veto, citing the importance of self-governance and home rule.On Tuesday, staff at the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, headed by an Ohio Republican, James Comer, called the incident a “tragedy.”“The murder suspect had a lengthy criminal record. He was arrested for armed robbery in October and then released to the streets,” the committee tweeted. “Christy Bautista should still be here. This is the crime crisis the D.C. Council refuses to see.”

Murder of Young Woman at Washington Hotel Brings Renewed Attention to Capital’s Skyrocketing Crime

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