WILLIAM F. BARRETT | Man Bludges Girlfriend With Ceramic Toilet Tank Cover Before Strangling Her With Belt In Hotel Room On Her Birthday, Sleeps With Her Body At Foot Of Bed, Leaves Body For Staff | Autographed Letter, Signed

William F. Barrett. Autographed Letter, Signed. Handwritten, Commercial #10 (4.125 × 9.5 envelope). Washington, DC. November 21, 2024. Content unknown. SEALED.

William Barrett, a 69-year-old man from Mount Holly, New Jersey, was involved in a tragic and violent incident that led to the murder of his girlfriend, Romaine Maddox, who was 36 years old. The events unfolded on February 22, 2024, when Barrett and Maddox checked into a hotel in Washington, D.C., to celebrate her birthday. This seemingly celebratory occasion turned into a horrific crime.

Details of the Incident

According to the evidence presented during the investigation, Barrett and Maddox entered their hotel room around 7:00 p.m. Surveillance footage captured them appearing happy initially; however, as the night progressed, an argument erupted between them. By approximately 2:00 a.m., hotel surveillance recorded Maddox screaming for help from their room. Tragically, she was never seen alive again.

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 over an onion 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.

Barrett later confessed to detectives that the argument escalated into physical violence. In a fit of rage, he struck Maddox multiple times with a ceramic toilet tank cover after which he strangled her with his belt. The severity of the assault was such that the ceramic lid broke into three pieces during the attack. After committing these acts of violence, Barrett went to sleep next to Maddox’s unconscious body and did not report her condition until hotel staff discovered her lifeless body hours later.

Legal Proceedings

Following the incident, Barrett was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and second-degree murder while armed. He ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed on August 23, 2024. On October 25, 2024, he was sentenced by Judge Robert Okun to serve 25 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

The prosecution highlighted the brutality of Barrett’s actions and commended law enforcement for their thorough investigation into this case. The evidence included surveillance video footage and forensic analysis that confirmed Barrett’s involvement in Maddox’s death.

VIDEO: Man arrested after woman found dead in Ivy City hotel room | NBC4 Washington | https://youtu.be/1KUIne-N4G8

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