William Barret: Man faces charges for allegedly beating 36-year-old woman to death in Ivy City hotel room

NEW YORK AVENUE NE, WASHINGTON DC: In relation to the recent death of 36-year-old Romaine Maddox at the Ivy City Hotel, detectives from the Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department have made an arrest.

William Barrett, 59, was taken into custody by police on Friday, February 23, afternoon and is accused of first-degree murder. Officers were called to the hotel earlier on Friday, February 23, due to reports of an unconscious person.

Romaine Maddox and William Barrett seen checking in together at hotel

Romaine Maddox, 36, was discovered suffering from physical trauma inside a hotel room when they arrived at the Northeast hotel. At the scene, Maddox was pronounced deceased.

A DC Medical Examiner reported that she had cuts on her face, linear marks on her neck, blunt force injuries to her forehead, and deformities on her right and left sides of her heads.

Maddox and Barrett may have known each other, according to detectives looking into the murder.

They were shown checking in together at the hotel lobby at 7:20 pm on Thursday, February 22, in surveillance footage that was obtained from the establishment.

Maddox's cries of "get off me!" and "help" were recorded on Friday at 2:19 am by a camera that monitors the small hallway and door where the two were staying. WUSA9 reported.

Barrett was seen by the same camera leaving the room at 9:07 am with a black jacket and blue jeans on. Two hours later, the hotel room door is opened by an employee using a key card.

The staff member leaned in and hurriedly closed the door. Soon after, officers showed up and had a conversation with the hotel manager. Barrett's ID from the check-in was copied by the manager and given to the police.

Barrett was soon placed under arrest and brought into custody. As Barrett was being loaded into the squad car, an officer noticed blood on his face and head.

Barrett talked with detectives after giving up his right to legal representation while in police custody. Barrett reported to the police that he and Maddox had dated non-exclusively for approximately a year.

Romaine Maddox punched William Barrett

After checking into the Ivy City Hotel, the two engaged in physical activities. But Barrett claimed that Maddox became aggressive later in the evening. Barrett attributed Maddox's actions to drug and alcohol addiction.

He claimed that during their argument, things got physical. Barrett was allegedly punched in the head, back, and chest by Maddox. Barrett then grabbed his belt and used it to choke Maddox until she passed out. He believed he had killed her, he told the police.

Maddox regained consciousness a few minutes later and began yelling for assistance. Barrett claimed that after hearing the screams, he punched her. Enraged beyond measure, he removed the toilet tank lid and repeatedly struck her in the head, shattering the lid into pieces.

Barrett says that at this point, he "blanked out". He admitted to the police that he dozed off in the hotel room following the violent attack. He left after realizing that Maddox was motionless and had not moved when he woke up the following morning.

The date of his initial court appearance has not been disclosed by the police.