VIRGINIA, USA — The commonwealth's Attorney General Jason Miyares is demanding action from D.C. officials after a Virginia woman was brutally murdered in her hotel room.
Last weekend, Christy Bautista was stabbed to death while visiting D.C. for a concert. Officers say they all but caught a bloody man, George Sydnor, Jr., red-handed after he allegedly stabbed Bautista 30 times in the chest, the back and the head.
Investigators say Bautista did not know Snyder, who was experiencing homelessness at the time of the attack. Court records show Sydnor, the man accused of murdering Bautista, has an extensive criminal history going back 20 years. He was arrested late last year but was released in January.
Miyares sent a letter to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC City Council saying District officials' inability and refusal to enforce public safety laws and address crime rates is the reason Bautista was killed.
"An innocent woman lost her life to someone who should have been in jail," Miyares wrote. "Her murder is a tragedy that should have never happened."
The attorney general says he feels responsible for the more than 8 million people who live in Virginia and he refused to stand by as D.C. leaders continue to deny, reject and refuse the growing crime problem. A problem, he says, that has become Virginia's issue as well.
"Unfortunately, due to the proximity of our communities, D.C.’s crime problem has become Virginia’s crime problem," Miyares's letter reads.
The letter was sent in direct response to Bautista's death.
"It has become painfully apparent that Washington, D.C. can protect neither its residents nor the thousands of Virginians who commute daily to the city for work or entertainment," Miyares's said.
He points out that the Virginia woman was in her D.C. hotel room for less than an hour before she was killed.
Miyares also points to the recent stabbing of a Capitol Hill staffer, who was attacked seemingly at random in broad daylight.
Additionally, he listed several other Virginia residents who were murdered in D.C., including Aaron Bourne, Kenithy Manns, Christian Gabriel Monje and Ahmad Clark.
"Yet, D.C. Council Chairman Mendelson recently denied that D.C. had a crime crisis," Miyares said.
The Metropolitan Police Department saw more than 200 homicides in both 2021 and 2022, which Miyares says is a distinction the city hasn't reached in nearly two decades.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department's crime data, homicides in D.C. have increased by 31%, sexual assaults are up by 84% and motor vehicle theft has increased by 107%.
"Washington, D.C., is dealing with a crime explosion," Miyares wrote.
He says actions speak louder than words and that the actions taken by D.C. leaders have lessened criminal penalties, further fostering an environment for crime.
"There is no deterrent for illegal behavior in Washington, D.C., as these repeat offenders know they will either not be charged or let back on the streets in no time," he said.
Miyares believes these lenient policies are responsible for Bautista's death.
"That’s why we lost Christy Bautista. D.C.’s lenient policies and perspectives are responsible for her murderer’s release when he should have been in custody," he wrote. "An innocent woman lost her life to someone who should have been in jail. Her murder is a tragedy that should have never happened."
The attorney general says Virginia and D.C. must work together to address the rising crime problem, saying the first step is acknowledging that there is a problem "rather than sweeping it under the rug."
Miyares is urging D.C. leaders to address the scourge of violent crime that he says is growing more intolerable by the day.
DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson responded to the letter Thursday evening. In a statement he provided to WUSA9, he said he was completely shocked by the letter as Miyares has never reached out to him regarding any concerns.
He said while Miyares did not request to meet, he would like to in order to discuss how Virginia and D.C. can address the issue of rising crime. An issue, Mendelson says is happening across the country.
“Indeed, given the pipeline of illegal firearms flowing into the District from the Commonwealth, he is in a position to stop that flow, to stop the gun violence in our city by holding Virginia arms dealers accountable," he added.
Mendelson suggested joining forces with Miyares to press the U.S. Attorney to prosecute more aggressively. He claims the man accused of murdering Bautista in her hotel room was on the streets because of a plea deal with federal prosecutors, who prosecute all felonies in D.C. He also pointed out a federally-appointed judge released the man.
"The only role of the District, in that case, was to arrest him, which we did," he said. “Working together could be productive. I look forward to AG Miyares following up.”
A young woman from Virginia in town to see a concert stabbed to death at a D.C. hotel. The suspect will be held without bond on first degree murder charges.