William Barrett, 59, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 36-year-old Romaine Maddox. She was found dead around 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 23 by an employee at the Ivy City Hotel in Northeast D.C. Detectives began investigating and determined that Barrett and Maddox first arrived at the hotel at approximately 7:20 p.m. on Thursday. According to Barrett, the two had been engaged in a romantic relationship for over a year. The court documents state that the pair went into room 123 at the hotel and neither were seen again on CCTV footage until about 10:20 p.m. At that time, police say the surveillance video 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."
No one was seen leaving or entering the room until Barrett left just after 9 a.m. The hotel employee then went into the room around 11 a.m. and was seen on camera quickly shutting the door and speeding down the hallway, the affidavit states.
After reviewing the surveillance video and collecting evidence from the room — including the toilet tank cover which had been broken into multiple pieces — police arrested Barrett. Detectives say at the time of his arrest, Barrett had blood on his head and face, his cell phone, two pairs of gloves, his boxers and belt.
When he was interviewed, Barrett told police that after he and Maddox checked into the hotel, they got into an argument that turned physical.
He said Maddox began punching him and alleged that "she was running her mouth and hit me." Barrett said that’s when he choked her with his belt until she fell unconscious.
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 after the attack, he fell asleep and when he woke up, the victim was not moving and cold to the touch.
Barrett’s next court date is not yet known.
www.fox5dc.com
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture.
You can follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter , Instagram and TikTok : @juliamariegz.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man beat woman to death with ceramic toilet cover in Washington hotel, police say
No one was seen leaving or entering the room until Barrett left just after 9 a.m. The hotel employee then went into the room around 11 a.m. and was seen on camera quickly shutting the door and speeding down the hallway, the affidavit states.
After reviewing the surveillance video and collecting evidence from the room — including the toilet tank cover which had been broken into multiple pieces — police arrested Barrett. Detectives say at the time of his arrest, Barrett had blood on his head and face, his cell phone, two pairs of gloves, his boxers and belt.
When he was interviewed, Barrett told police that after he and Maddox checked into the hotel, they got into an argument that turned physical.
He said Maddox began punching him and alleged that "she was running her mouth and hit me." Barrett said that’s when he choked her with his belt until she fell unconscious.
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 after the attack, he fell asleep and when he woke up, the victim was not moving and cold to the touch.
Barrett’s next court date is not yet known.
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.
What happened?
According to court documents, this is the chain of events that was captured on CCTV from the hotel before Maddox's body was discovered Friday morning:- Thursday, 7:20 p.m.: The couple was seen checking into the hotel, the night before Maddox's body was discovered.
- 10:21 p.m.: Maddox leaves the room completely naked and is locked out for four minutes before going back inside.
- Friday, 1:06 a.m.: No one is seen leaving or entering the room until a pillow is thrown out of it. Maddox leans out and brings it back into the room.
- 1:16 a.m.: The victim walks out only wearing a pair of underwear. A few minutes later, Barrett walks out completely naked to see where she went.
- 1:20 a.m.: Maddox walks back into the room.
- 2:17 a.m.: The suspect is seen throwing the victim's clothes and shoes out the door.
- 2:19 a.m.: A female voice is heard saying, "Get off me!" and "Help."
- 9:07 a.m.: No one is seen leaving or entering the room until Barrett steps out the door, alone.
- 11:09 a.m.: A hotel employee enters the room and leaves abruptly.
- 11:20 a.m.: Police were called to the hotel, and they found Maddox unconscious and not breathing.
- 11:28 a.m.: The victim was pronounced dead after DC Fire and EMS were called to the scene and found no signs of life.
How was Barrett arrested?
The hotel provided police with a copy of his ID and CCTV footage. An officer who saw an alert on Barrett recognized him from a prior arrest this year and took the suspect into custody on Friday afternoon. According to court documents, the suspect is being held without bond. He will return to court on March 11 for a preliminary hearing.Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture.
You can follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter , Instagram and TikTok : @juliamariegz.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man beat woman to death with ceramic toilet cover in Washington hotel, police say
RIP
