Man sentenced to 40 years for 2023 hotel killing of concertgoer

People reports that George Sydnor, 46, was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Friday, Jan. 16, after pleading guilty in October 2025 to one count of first‑degree murder while armed, the U.S. Department of Justice said. His term will be followed by five years of supervised release.

According to prosecutors, Sydnor attacked 31‑year‑old Christy Bautista shortly after she checked into a ground‑level room at the Ivy City Hotel in Northeast Washington on the evening of March 31, 2023; she had traveled to D.C. to attend a concert. Prosecutors said surveillance footage showed Sydnor arriving on a rideshare bike, parking in front of Bautista’s window, standing at her door and then entering her room; once inside, he stabbed her multiple times, killing her.

WUSA 9 reported Bautista had been stabbed 34 times in the neck and back, and officers found Sydnor sitting on the bed smoking a cigarette with blood on his hands. The release said Sydnor was on release for a previous attempted robbery at the time of the killing and prosecutors described the attack as “sadistic.” Sydnor, who sat in a wheelchair, gave a brief apology in court, saying he "never intended for none of this to happen and I’m terribly sorry," WUSA 9 reported.

Key Topics

World, George Sydnor, Christy Bautista, Ivy City Hotel, Washington D.c, Harrisonburg