Evergreen Reporter

William Barrett, a 69-year-old resident of Mount Holly, New Jersey, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Romaine Maddox. The sentencing took place in D.C. Superior Court and was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Barrett had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed on August 23, 2024. Judge Robert Okun delivered the sentence on October 25, 2024, which includes five years of supervised release following incarceration.

The incident occurred on February 22, 2024, when Barrett and Maddox checked into a hotel on New York Avenue in Washington D.C., intending to celebrate Maddox's birthday. Surveillance footage showed them entering their room together around 7:00 p.m., but later that night at approximately 2:00 a.m., cameras captured Maddox screaming for help from within their room.

According to Barrett's account to detectives, an argument between him and Maddox escalated into violence. He admitted to striking her with a ceramic toilet tank cover multiple times before strangling her with his belt as she lay face down on the floor. Afterward, he fell asleep beside her body and left the room the next morning without seeking help.

Hotel staff discovered Maddox's body hours later.

U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith acknowledged the efforts of those involved in investigating the case from both the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also recognized Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah C. Santiago for her role in prosecuting Barrett.