Latest news with #SusanCvengros
Newsweek
09-07-2025
- Newsweek
70-Year-Old Man Charged in 1999 Murder Case
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Washington, D.C., police arrested a 70-year-old man on Tuesday in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 24-year-old woman in 1999. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the arrest of George Mudd, who is charged with first-degree murder while armed (premeditated), in a news release on Wednesday. The Context Susan Cvengros was found suffering from stab wounds at a residence in Northeast Washington, D.C., on May 21, 1999. Police said she was pronounced dead after lifesaving efforts failed. Investigators determined that DNA found on the victim came from a single source and the profile developed from the samples matched Mudd in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, according to an affidavit obtained by Newsweek. The breakthrough highlights how DNA testing can assist in cold-case investigations. The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., announced an arrest in connection with the fatal stabbing of Susan Cvengros in 1999. The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., announced an arrest in connection with the fatal stabbing of Susan Cvengros in 1999. Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia What To Know An autopsy report said that Cvengros' cause of death was incised and stab wounds of neck and torso, and the manner of death was a homicide. DNA samples from a sexual assault kit, the victim's nightgown, a comforter, fingernail clippings and multiple cigarette butts were sent to the FBI for forensic examination. In 2012, the FBI determined that the DNA on swabs from the sexual assault kit were consistent with Mudd. Multiple samples were sent to DNA analysis company Bode Technology for further testing in 2013 and 2014. In 2005, Mudd was convicted of assault with intent to commit kidnapping while armed, carrying a dangerous weapon and unlawful entry in an unrelated case. During an interview with detectives in 2012, Mudd said the victim in that case was lying and had stabbed herself while high on Ecstasy, according to the affidavit. Mudd was questioned about Cvengros' death by detectives in 2023. He said he did not recognize the victim or the house where she was killed. He denied ever committing murder or rape. Newsweek reached out to the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia for comment. What People Are Saying MPD Detective Todd Williams, in an affidavit: "Based on the aforementioned facts and circumstances, your affiant submits that there is probable cause to believe that George Mudd committed the sexual assault and murder of Susan Cvengros." MPD Lieutenant Keith Batton, told WUSA9: "Our technology has grown so much from 1999 to now. It's really grown. So we're able to utilize some of the new technologies to get us to where we're at." What Happens Next A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for July 30. Mudd is being held without bond, according to court records. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Washington Post
D.C. man, 70, charged with first-degree murder in 1999 stabbing
A 70-year-old D.C. man has been charged with murder in the long-unsolved stabbing of an aspiring artist found dead in her Northeast Washington apartment 26 years ago, police said Wednesday. The victim, Susan Noell Cvengros, 24, who had worked as an exotic dancer in D.C., was found dead in her bedroom by a former roommate on May 21, 1999, according to police and news accounts at the time. Her body was partially clothed and sprawled across a bed. Her throat had been cut, and she had been stabbed several times. Police said George Mudd, of Northeast Washington, who was in his mid-40s when the killing occurred, was arrested Tuesday and charged with premeditated first-degree murder while armed. The court affidavit that police used to obtain an arrest warrant in the case was not immediately available Wednesday, and authorities, in announcing the arrest, disclosed no details about their years-long investigation. Mudd was scheduled to make his initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday. Some friends in 1999 described Cvengros as shy and quiet, a small-town South Carolina girl who moved to the city with aspirations to become an artist. She was found dead that May night in her basement apartment in the 400 block of F Street NE. 'She was so sweet and friendly, but she never talked much about herself,' one fellow dancer at JP's Nightclub on Wisconsin Avenue NW told The Washington Post at the time. Cvengros worked at the club for about a year. Being quiet and reserved was 'really unusual at a place like this,' the dancer said, 'because most people open up quite a bit about themselves.' Earlier in 1999, Cvengros had decided that she wanted to get out of exotic dancing, friends said back then. She quit JP's, where she had been making more than $500 a week, to work at America restaurant at Union Station, where she made $3 an hour plus tips. 'She was trying to straighten out her life,' the owner of JP's said at the time. 'She wanted to get a regular daytime job.' The club owner and the owner of the restaurant where she worked said in 1999 that Cvengros had complained that the lock on her apartment door was broken and that she was planning to move for safety reasons. A woman who had lived with her for several months told The Post that she had recently moved out because of safety concerns. 'She had a lot of positive karma, and it messed up the chemistry of the whole restaurant when she was killed,' the restaurant owner said at the time. 'Her nature was so positive. You knew she had been through a lot of hard knocks. … But she hadn't gotten that hard D.C. edge yet.' This story is developing and will be updated.
