A career criminal with 25 prior arrests, who was free on bail, has been sentenced to four decades in prison for the brutal and random murder of a young woman in her Washington DC hotel room.
A Fatal Visit and a Random Attack
George Sydnor, 46, pleaded guilty in October to murdering 31-year-old Christy Bautista on the evening of March 31, 2023. Bautista, a graduate of Virginia's James Madison University, had checked into the Ivy City Hotel in northeast DC just an hour before the attack. She was visiting from Harrisonburg, Virginia, to attend a concert.
Surveillance footage showed Sydnor, who was wanted for failing to appear in court, riding his bicycle to the hotel and scoping out ground-floor rooms. He parked his bike next to Bautista's car, which was directly outside room 116. After listening at the door, he suddenly burst inside.
A Brutal Assault and Chilling Aftermath
Prosecutors detailed that Sydnor launched a frenzied attack, stabbing the innocent woman approximately 30 times with a kitchen knife around 7pm. Witnesses reported hearing her screams for help, and loud thuds were captured on the hotel's security footage.
Police arrived within ten minutes of emergency calls. When officers first approached, Sydnor claimed everything was fine, but they noticed blood on his hands. Using a master key, they entered the room to find a horrific scene. Christy Bautista was on the floor with multiple stab wounds, while Sydnor was attempting to smoke a cigarette beside her body.
A large kitchen knife with a broken blade was discovered on the bed next to his jacket. Sydnor also had blood on his trousers, shoes, and vest. Bautista was declared dead at the scene just eleven minutes later.
A Lengthy Rap Sheet and a Final Sentence
At the time of the murder, Sydnor was on bail for an attempted robbery case. He had originally been denied bond for that offence due to his extensive criminal history, but another judge released him two weeks prior to the killing.
On Friday, Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz handed down the 40-year jail term. The Department of Justice condemned Sydnor as a 'monster'. In a statement, US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said: 'The victim, Christy Bautista, was visiting D.C. to attend a concert—an experience that should have been safe and routine. Instead, this monster brazenly rode his bike up to her motel, entered her room, and launched a deadly stabbing attack against an innocent woman.'
Bautista's devastated family remembered her as a 'shining light' in a heartfelt statement. A GoFundMe page set up in her memory has raised over $42,000, far exceeding its initial goal. The family believes her killer was a complete stranger, underscoring the random and senseless nature of the crime that cut short a promising life.
