Christy Bautista in the 2010 Yorktown High School yearbook (photo courtesy of Arlington Public Library’s Center for Local History)
(Updated at 12:25 p.m.) The woman murdered in a D.C. hotel room this past weekend was an Arlington native who attended Yorktown High School.
Christy Bautista was a student at Yorktown High School from 2007 to 2010, per high school yearbook photos, and was in orchestra her freshman year. She previously attended Swanson Middle School, confirmed by other former students and address records.
Bautista, 31, was in the city to attend a concert, her family told NBC4, and had checked into the Ivy City Hotel on New York Avenue in Northeast D.C at around 6 p.m. Friday night.
Less than an hour after arriving, a man brutally attacked her with a knife inside her hotel room. Security cameras showed the man entering the room, followed by an audible struggle, court records note.
Thirteen minutes later, District police entered the room and arrested a 43-year-old man. Bautista was pronounced dead at the hotel at 7:10 p.m.
The suspect is being charged with first-degree murder, per court documents. It’s believed that he and Bautista did not know each other.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help Bautista’s family with funeral expenses. As of midday Wednesday it has raised nearly $10,000.
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
File photo
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington County police are on scene of a bank robbery along Columbia Pike.
The Bank of America near the corner of the Pike and S. Glebe Road was robbed around 10:30 a.m. by a man who displayed or implied a gun and passed a note demanding cash, according to initial reports.
No injuries were reported. The suspect, described as a heavyset black male, possibly with tattoos on his arms, ran off with the cash.
Update on 4/5/23 — The police department has released the following on the robbery in its daily crime report.
BANK ROBBERY, 2023-04040102, 3400 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 10:29 a.m. on April 4, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the unknown male suspect entered the bank, slipped the teller a note, implied he had a weapon and demanded money. The suspect then entered a blue sedan and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. No weapon was seen or displayed, and no injuries were reported. The suspect is described as a Black male wearing a black jacket and a white mask. The investigation is ongoing.
The U.S. flag flies at half-mast in front of Arlington House (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington House grounds (staff photo)
Arlington House in Arlington National Cemetery in 2014
The interior of Arlington House in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington House, as seen from the Kennedy gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery in 2011 (staff photo)
A unique reunion will take place at Arlington National Cemetery later this month.
Descendants of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee will gather with descendants of enslaved persons at the place where they once lived: Lee’s former plantation home, Arlington House.
The reunion, supported by the National Park Service, will feature families whose name has been etched in Arlington history over the years: Syphax, Custis, Gray, and so on.
A planned program on Saturday, April 22 will be open to the public and is set to include “music, remarks from descendant family members, and a ceremonial signing of a commitment letter to affirm the shared interests of the National Park Service and descendant families in shaping and sharing how descendant family histories and legacies are presented to the public.”
More, below, from a press release.
After more than 160 years, the descendants of the families, both enslaved and free, who lived on the historical plantation home of George Washington Parke Custis and Robert E. Lee will come together in-person for a milestone celebration of togetherness, reconciliation and storytelling. The three-day event, the first of its kind, will be held the weekend of April 21-23, 2023.
The Saturday April 22nd program beginning at 10AM on the grounds of Arlington House, will be open to the public and include music, remarks from descendant family members, and a ceremonial signing of a commitment letter to affirm the shared interests of the National Park Service and descendant families in shaping and sharing how descendant family histories and legacies are presented to the public.
Stephen Hammond, one of the organizers of the event and a Syphax family descendant, said, “We are pleased to announce our first face-to-face reunion of the descendant families connected to Arlington House. For the last two years, we have been meeting virtually, as a family circle, thanks to reconciliation dialogues sponsored by the National Park Service. Our facilitated conversations grew from members’ initial work to get to know one another and listen to one another. Through these deliberate and thoughtful conversations, the group has become a meaningful circle for its participants, who are now inviting the larger Arlington House descendant community to join us.”
Sarah Fleming, a Lee family descendant, said, “My fourth great grandfather, Richard Bland Lee, was Robert E. Lee’s uncle. I grew up knowing slavery was abhorrent and hearing of the pride my family took in being related to the Lees. We never talked about the space in between – about how the Lees themselves were enslavers. As a descendant of the Lees of Virginia, I am honored to have been invited to join the Arlington House Descendants’ Family Circle and to work towards healing the racial harms caused by slavery and by my ancestors.”
The Arlington House Family Circle was formed in 2021 with support from the National Park Service by descendants of enslaved persons, including the Branham, Custis, Gray, Henry, Norris, Parks and Syphax families, as well as descendants of enslaver families including the Custis and Lee families. The Family Circle participated in an innovative trust-building and truth-telling process, called The Welcome Table, which fostered difficult but necessary conversations about history that created a pathway to address the past while also charting a way forward together.
Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial, reopened in June 2021 after a 3-year renovation. The renovated plantation house, along with gardens and other buildings with exhibits will be open. Descendants will be on hand as docents, to answer questions.
Parking Sensor Installation Underway — “After getting a $5.4 million grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation, Arlington County is trying out new technology to tackle its parking problem. Starting Monday, they’ll begin installing in-ground sensors for its Performing Parking Pilot project. The sensors can detect whether there is or isn’t a car in the parking spot. Officials say crews will be starting on 14th St N somewhere between N Barton St and N Taft St.” [WJLA, Twitter]
April Is Preparedness Month — “Arlington Preparedness Month in April is an observance to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. The 2023 theme is ‘Be Ready, Arlington! Prepare now to protect the life you love.'” [Arlington County]
Housing Event Set for April 29 — “LAIF, Live in Arlington Information Fair, aspires to be a gateway to critical community services and information to those who need it the most. This event is brought to you by Centro de Apoyo Familiar or Center for Assistance to Families (CAF) in partnership with Arlington County Housing Division.” [LAIF]
Whitlow’s Reopening in D.C. — “If there’s a comeback kid of DC’s bar scene, it’s Whitlow’s. The casual neighborhood tavern, which got its start in downtown DC at the end of World War II, moved to Arlington in 1995 for its ‘Whitlow’s on Wilson’ decades. After lease negotiations fell through there, co-owner Jon Williams–whose family has owned the bar since the ’70s–moved the concept to U Street last year. Now he’s bar-hopping again, but not far. Whitlow’s 4.0 will take over the longtime Brixton space in May.” [Washingtonian]
It’s Tuesday — Partly cloudy. Warm. High of 77 and low of 55. Sunrise at 6:48 am and sunset at 7:34 pm. [Weather.gov]
A man leaves with a piece of the Broyhill mansion during its ongoing demolition (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Demolition of the Broyhill mansion is underway (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Demolition of the Broyhill mansion is underway (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Demolition of the Broyhill mansion is underway (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Demolition of the Broyhill mansion is underway (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Signage warning of demolition at the Broyhill mansion (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Signage warning of demolition at the Broyhill mansion (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A man leaves with a piece of the Broyhill mansion during its ongoing demolition (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Demolition began this weekend on the 70-year-old Broyhill mansion in the Donaldson Run neighborhood.
The lengths to which some have gone to oppose it, including allegedly impersonating a photographer and stealing tile today (Monday), has left a bitter taste in the mouths of the owners.
The 10-bedroom home at 2561 N. Vermont, near the Washington Golf and Country Club, went on the market last November for $3.6 million after the previous owner died and the beneficiary, the Catholic Prelature of Opus Dei, decided to sell it to a residential buyer, the Falls Church News-Press reported.
As of January, the only interested buyers were husband-and-wife duo Mustaq Hamza and Amanda Maldonado. They purchased the home — described on Redfin as a “jewel [that] unfolds like a diamond necklace” — f0r more than $1 million under asking price, with the intention of knocking it down and building something more suitable for family life.
“The house was built for entertaining, not for raising a family,” Maldonado told ARLnow this morning.
Some however, are upset to see it go. On Saturday, Hamza said people shouted profanities and walked onto the property and demanded materials be set aside.
“That’s not what we expected when we were trying to plan,” he said, adding that now, he and his wife are doing some “soul-searching.”
“Our intention coming here to build the house for our family seems predicated on the fact that this was a nice neighborhood to raise our children in and stay forever,” he said. “It seems not to be the case, and disappointed as we are, we’re open to having been wrong.”
Unwanted visitors — flouting signs saying “private property” and “danger” — continued on Monday afternoon, when ARLnow photographer Jay Westcott was taking photos of the demolition.
When Westcott arrived, he met a man impersonating a photographer, who announced he was “here to take the pictures.” In addition to a camera, he wore a fluorescent vest, a hard hat and a K95 mask, and left in his red Prius with, Hamza says, historically unremarkable tiles and air filters. He says he is considering filing a police report.
The couple insists that the home is not the historical marvel it has been made out to be. They have preserved items inside and given them away if people requested them, the couple said.
“There’s nothing architecturally stunning about the house — it’s a 1950s replica,” Maldonado said. “There’s nothing in the house that can’t be purchased today. We looked to see if there was anything worth preserving and anything that there was, we saved.”
Northern Virginia home builder Marvin T. Broyhill Sr. built the mansion in 1950 after making his fortune building the classic 3-bedroom brick homes that could be bought for $20,000 during the post-World War II housing boom, according to the neighborhood conservation plan for Donaldson Run.
Three armed men attempted — unsuccessfully — to carjack someone in Pentagon City late last night.
That’s according to the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report.
The attempted carjacking happened just before midnight Sunday on the 700 block of 12th Street S., near the Pentagon Centre shopping center and the Pentagon City Metro station entrance.
“At approximately 11:56 p.m. on April 2, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person,” said ACPD. “Upon arrival, it was determined the victim was in his parked vehicle when the suspect vehicle approached, and three suspects exited. The suspects approached the victim’s vehicle and brandished firearms and the victim fled the area.”
“No injuries were reported,” the crime report continues. “Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspects yielding negative results… The investigation is ongoing.”
Arlington police have reported at least nine completed carjackings so far this year.
County Board candidate Audrey Clement in Virginia Square on Election Day — Nov. 7, 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Audrey Clement is again tossing her hat in the ring for the upcoming Arlington County Board race.
Clement said in an email to supporters this morning that she is planning to run as an independent in the race, which will fill the seats of Chair Christian Dorsey and member Katie Cristol, who are not seeking reelection.
The repeat candidate, who has unsuccessfully run for various offices in Arlington nearly a dozen times since her first County Board race in 2011, won a few northern Arlington precincts in the Board general election this past fall. Clement says she will again run with her opposition to “Missing Middle” housing rezoning front and center.
While two of the other contenders for County Board have also recently spoken out against Missing Middle, I’ve been vocal in my opposition to it since long before it was popular to speak out — February 22, 2020 to be exact.
These County Board candidates also say that Missing Middle will provide a way for moderate income residents to get starter homes, even though most of the units will be rental.
If you object to subsidizing overpriced housing and the constant misleading hype about the supposed benefits of Missing Middle, then you should vote for Clement for County Board on November 7, 2023.
If elected, I pledge to:
Seek immediate tax relief for residents and businesses.
Demand full transparency in the deals the County cuts with developers.
Preserve Arlington’s cultural heritage. Stop permitting the destruction of historic structures.
Save our parks, streams and tree canopy. Stop clearcutting wooded areas on public property.
Say YES to real social justice reforms and NO to symbolic gestures.
If you share my agenda, then:
Spread the word about my candidacy.
Donate to my campaign.
Help make the “Arlington Way” more than an empty phrase.
Clement will face the two Democratic candidates who emerge from the party’s primary in June. Democrats will utilize ranked-choice voting to choose among the announced candidates of Maureen Coffey, Jonathan Dromgoole, Natalie Roy, Julius “JD” Spain, Tony Weaver, and Susan Cunningham.
Roy and Cunningham have also expressed degrees of opposition to the Missing Middle changes.
Lacrosse practice at Long Bridge Park (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
House Fire in Barcroft — “Crews are working a structure fire, 500 blk S ABINGDON St. Fire had been knocked down. Please stay clear of area while crews continue overhaul… no civilian injuries, one firefighter being treated for minor injury, fire marshal office conducting routine fire investigation.” [Twitter]
Power Restoration Work Continues — After Saturday’s wind storm that knocked out power to at least 3,500 Dominion customers in parts of Arlington, crews were still out on Sunday… “No power in parts of @NauckCrescent. Tree down taking out lines @ARLnowDOTcom. S Nelson Street.” [Twitter]
County Publishes Pickleball Feedback — “The county also released 89 pages of comments surrounding the project, with some in favor of the courts and others pushing back for various reasons. ‘I live a mile from the Lubber Run pickleball courts, and I work from home. Even with my windows closed, I hear the pickleball pop all day and night (until the courts are closed),” said one participant. “I love pickleball, but I do not want to hear it. The pop is loud and incessant.'” [WUSA 9]
Theo Not Running for County Board — From Adam Theo: “I cannot run as a Dem in good conscience. I have been a political independent for most of my life, and I believe it is disingenuous for aspiring politicians to suddenly portray themselves as a member of the dominant party simply to gain personal political power… after careful thought, I will not be running for CB in 2023, even as an independent. I believe there are other worthy efforts that need my attention this year.” [Twitter]
No Arlington Dive Squads in Div I — “The realignment setup is complete for this summer’s Northern Virginia Swimming League’s diving competition, which includes four Arlington teams. For the first time since the 2018 season, none of those four squads will be in Division I this summer, but Overlee and Donaldson Run are each in Division II. Overlee dropped from Division I last year and Donaldson Run moved up one spot.” [GazetteLeader]
Recycling Event Coming Up — “Arlington E-CARE (Environmental Collection and Recycling Event) returns to Wakefield High School on Saturday, April 15, 2023, for the best disposal of household hazardous materials and old electronics that take up so much space in so many homes. The list of accepted items includes mercury, batteries, printer cartridges, gas cylinders and fluorescent tubes–the kinds of things that shouldn’t just get tossed in the trash.” [Arlington County]
Baby Boomer Buyers Back on Top — “The share of Baby Boomers has surpassed Millennials to once again makes up the largest generation of home buyers, according to the latest study from the National Association of Realtors. The 2023 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report, which examines the similarities and differences of recent buyers and sellers across generations, found that the combined share of younger Boomer (58 to 67 years old) and older Boomer (68 to 76 years old) buyers rose to 39 percent in 2022, up from 29 percent the year prior.” [GazetteLeader]
It’s Monday — Broken clouds. Mild. High of 69 and low of 39. Sunrise at 6:50 am and sunset at 7:33 pm. [Weather.gov]
A man broke into a woman’s apartment in Virginia Square early this morning and sexually assaulted her.
That’s according to a press release just issued by the Arlington County Police Department.
The break-in happened on the 3900 block of Fairfax Drive, which corresponds with the address of the Quincy Plaza apartment tower. After sexually assaulting the resident, the man fled on foot.
The suspect remains at large and police are asking for the public’s help in identifying him. The press release, however, only included a vague description of the man and no surveillance image.
From ACPD:
The Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect involved in a residential burglary with sexual assault which occurred in the Ballston-Virginia Square neighborhood.
At approximately 4:15 a.m. on April 2, police were dispatched to the report of an attempted rape in the 3900 block of Fairfax Drive. Upon arrival, it was determined the unknown male suspect gained entry into the female victim’s residence, entered her bedroom and sexually assaulted her before fleeing the scene on foot. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately in his mid-20’s, wearing dark clothing.
This remains an active investigation. Anyone with information regarding the identity of this individual, details surrounding the incident, and/or home surveillance that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Detective J. McGrath (703-228-4244 or [email protected]) or Detective C. Oesterling (703-228-4241 or [email protected]) of the Special Victims Unit. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Lights out and police blocking N. Glebe Road near Glebewood, where a tree fell across power lines (staff photo)
Power outages during wind storm on April 1, 2023 (via Dominion)
Power outages during wind storm on April 1, 2023 (via Dominion)
Power outages during wind storm on April 1, 2023 (via Dominion)
Strong wind gusts have brought down trees and knocked out power in parts of Arlington tonight.
More than 3,500 Dominion customers were without power in Arlington as of 10:45 p.m. The power company’s outage map shows sizable outages in the following local areas:
Long Branch Creek, including the intersection of S. Glebe Road and S. Arlington Ridge Road
Glebewood and Waverly Hills, along N. Glebe Road just south of Langston Blvd, where ARLnow observed power crews and a tree down
Old Glebe, Chain Bridge Forest and Rivercrest in far northern Arlington, along the N. Glebe Road corridor
There were also smaller outages in the Dominion Hills and Bluemont neighborhoods. Estimates of when the power would be back on were not available on Dominion’s website.
The outages come amid wind gusts of up to 60 mph in the D.C. metro area, which is under a High Wind Warning. National Airport recorded a 60 mph gust around 10 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Damaging winds are expected to continue through about midnight, forecasters said.
Throughout Northern Virginia, Dominion reported more than 43,000 customers without power.
Update! 40,000 cust outages in NoVa due to strong winds taking dwn trees, wires, poles.
➡️Please be safe! Stay 30 ft. away from downed lines & report @ 866-366-4357.@DominionEnergy crews are working as quickly & safely as possible to restore power. Thx for your patience! 🙏
10:30p: Winds seem to have eased slightly in the past hour, but still gusting 40-50 mph. They probably won’t diminish much more until after midnight. Could still see a few more trees come down before then.
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) April 2, 2023
(Updated at 2 p.m.) A 40-year-old Arlington man has been arrested and charged with murder.
James Ray Williams is accused of fatally shooting a man at an apartment on the 100 block of N. Thomas Street in the Buckingham neighborhood earlier this week.
Police say Williams was arrested Friday evening on the 4200 block of Henderson Road, also in the Buckingham neighborhood and just a few blocks from the crime scene. In addition to murder, he is facing several gun and drug charges.
More from an Arlington County police press release, sent this afternoon.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is announcing the arrest of a suspect for his involvement in a fatal shooting in the Buckingham neighborhood.
During the course of the investigation, detectives developed a possible suspect description based on evidence located at the scene and witness interviews. Arrest warrants were obtained, and the suspect was taken into custody in the 4200 block of Henderson Road on the evening of March 31. James Ray Williams, 40, of Arlington, Va. has been charged with Murder, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of Controlled Substances with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Schedule I/II Narcotics. The suspect is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.
Detectives continue to investigate the events that preceded the homicide. This incident remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact police at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
On Friday, ACPD identified the victim as a 28-year-old man.
The deceased has been identified as Sean Bowman, 28, of No Fixed Address. This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Court records show that Williams has at least twice been sentenced to prison for crimes in Arlington. That includes a net two-year sentence in 2010 for drug, gun and wounding charges, and a net eight-year sentence in 2013, with five years of probation after, for drug distribution and a probation violation.
Additional court records suggest that a man named James Williams, with the same birthday as James Ray Williams, was arrested for petty larceny in Arlington recently, on Feb. 5, but was released on a summons. He failed to appear at an arraignment on March 1 in the larceny case and was declared a fugitive, according to the records.
One law enforcement source tells ARLnow that the petty larceny suspect is not the same James Williams as the murder suspect. Contacted by ARLnow, an ACPD spokesperson declined to provide any clarification.
“An individual’s criminal history is protected under Virginia Code §19.2-389 and we cannot speak to any other possible criminal incidents involving the suspect,” said ACPD’s Alli Shorb.
