George Sydnor, a 46-year-old resident of Washington, DC, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of Christy Bautista, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Sydnor will also face five years of supervised release following his prison term.
Sydnor pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated) on October 17, 2025. The sentencing was handed down by Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz.
“The victim, Christy Bautista, was visiting D.C. to attend a concert—an experience that should have been safe and routine,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “Instead, this monster brazenly rode his bike up to her motel, entered her room, and launched a deadly stabbing attack against an innocent woman. Today’s 40-year prison sentence delivers justice and sends a clear message: those who commit acts of extreme violence will be held fully accountable.”
The government’s evidence showed that on March 31, 2023, Bautista traveled from Harrisonburg, Virginia to Washington, DC to attend a concert and checked into the Ivy City Hotel on New York Avenue Northeast. After she began unloading her belongings from her car, Sydnor arrived at the hotel about an hour and a half later on a rideshare bike. Surveillance footage captured him parking near her room and standing at her door before entering abruptly and closing the door behind him. Inside the room, he stabbed Bautista multiple times resulting in her death.
Witnesses reported hearing loud noises and a woman screaming for help after Sydnor entered the room. At the time of this incident, Sydnor was out on release for an attempted robbery case.
Sydnor was arrested on March 31, 2023 and has remained in custody since then.
Interim Chief Jeffrey Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the sentence. Both officials commended members of their respective agencies for their work on the case and acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Santiago and Lindsey Merikas for prosecuting it.
