Defendant in Hotel Murder Case Waives Right to Preliminary Hearing

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William Barrett, who is accused of strangling, then brutally beating a woman to death with a toilet tank lid, waived his right to a preliminary hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on May 30.

Barrett, 69, is charged with first-degree murder and second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in the death of 36-year-old Romaine Maddox on the 1600 block of New York Avenue, NE, on Feb. 23.

According to court documents, Maddox was found in a hotel room, not breathing and displaying multiple signs of trauma, and was pronounced dead at 11:28 a.m. on Feb. 23.

An arrest warrant document states that Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives reviewed CCTV video from the hallway outside the hotel room from the 16 hours leading up to the discovery of Maddox’s body. According to the detectives, no one entered or exited the room except the individuals they identified as Barrett and Maddox.

Court documents report that MPD detectives issued a Be on the Lookout (BOLO) for Barrett based on the ID card he provided in renting the hotel room. On his arrest, MPD reported seizing as evidence several items of Barrett’s clothing and possessions that appeared to have blood on them.

According to court documents, Barrett told MPD detectives that he and Maddox were in a romantic relationship and that she assaulted him verbally and physically during the night in the hotel room.

Court documents state that Barrett confessed to strangling Maddox with his belt until he thought she was dead. When she regained consciousness, he beat her in the face with the lid of the toilet tank, breaking it in the process, according to his confession as reported by court documents.

The next hearing is scheduled for July 29.