Man beat woman to death with toilet tank lid in DC hotel room, court documents say

WASHINGTON - Newly released court documents detail the brutal beating death of a woman found in a D.C. hotel room last week. 

According to D.C. police, the woman’s attacker strangled her before beating her to death with the ceramic lid of the hotel room toilet tank.

William Barrett, 59, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 36-year-old Romaine Maddox. She was found dead around 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 23 by an employee at the Ivy City Hotel in Northeast D.C. 

Detectives began investigating and determined that Barrett and Maddox first arrived at the hotel at approximately 7:20 p.m. on Thursday. According to Barrett, the two had been engaged in a romantic relationship for over a year. 

The court documents state that the pair went into room 123 at the hotel and neither were seen again on CCTV footage until about 10:20 p.m. At that time, police say the surveillance video shows Maddox walk out of the hotel room completely nude. She’s was apparently locked out of the room for a few minutes, then went back inside until just after 1 a.m. 

Police say at 1:15 a.m., Maddox came back out of the room wearing only underwear and Barrett later walks out, completely nude, appearing to search for her. They both went back into the room five minutes later and within an hour, police say audio captured what sounded like a woman screaming "get off me" and "help." 

RELATED: 59-year-old man arrested and charged after woman found dead in Ivy City Hotel room: police

No one was seen leaving or entering the room until Barrett left just after 9 a.m. The hotel employee then went into the room around 11 a.m. and was seen on camera quickly shutting the door and speeding down the hallway, the affidavit states. 

After reviewing the surveillance video and collecting evidence from the room — including the toilet tank cover which had been broken into multiple pieces — police arrested Barrett. Detectives say at the time of his arrest, Barrett had blood on his head and face, his cell phone, two pairs of gloves, his boxers and belt. 

When he was interviewed, Barrett told police that after he and Maddox checked into the hotel, they got into an argument that turned physical. 

He said Maddox began punching him and alleged that "she was running her mouth and hit me." Barrett said that’s when he choked her with his belt until she fell unconscious. 

Barrett told police that he thought he had killed Maddox at that point but she suddenly woke up and began screaming for help. Barrett then punched her, grabbed the lid of the toilet tank and hit her with it multiple times, eventually causing the lid to break into three pieces. 

According to the court documents, Maddox suffered "blunt force trauma to the forehead" and "deformities" to her head as well as several lacerations. Barrett said after the attack, he fell asleep and when he woke up, the victim was not moving and cold to the touch.

Barrett’s next court date is not yet known.