Two Washington, DC, men face first-degree murder charges in the brutal killing of a 40-year-old man inside his upscale condo near Logan Circle. Rico Barnes, 36, and Alphonso Walker, 39, allegedly choked, beat, and burned Syed Hammad Hussain after exploiting his kindness.
The Deadly Attack
Hussain returned home around 1:30 a.m. on February 11 after picking up food. Surveillance video captured Barnes and Walker following him into his loft-style, one-bedroom condo in the 1400 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW, valued at over $480,000 in The Zenith building.
The suspects attacked Hussain in the lobby before dragging the assault out of camera view. They knocked on his door, and he let them inside, likely mistaking them for neighbors, according to Interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery W. Carroll.
“They knocked on the door, he let them inside,” Carroll stated during a press conference. “I’m sure he probably thought it was somebody else from the building … in this case, they just took advantage of him.”
Discovery of the Victim
Firefighters responded to a 911 call about smoke in the building hallways around 3:30 a.m. They found Hussain face-down in the living room, arms bound with neckties. Blood covered his head, the floor, and a nearby wall.
Two 25-pound dumbbells lay near the body. The apartment filled with smoke from a small fire, quickly extinguished by authorities. The condo appeared ransacked, with missing laptops, a cellphone, and a bicycle charger.
Cause of Death and Evidence
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Hussain’s death resulted from blunt force trauma and ligature strangulation. His skull fractured in three places, with neck abrasions matching a cord or similar object. Burns on his chest and upper body occurred postmortem.
Detectives tracked Hussain’s cellphone, which pinged near the 700 block of Fairmont Street by Howard University after the suspects fled. Barnes worked nearby, and Walker’s court-ordered GPS ankle monitor placed him at the scene.
Video evidence proved crucial. “Our homicide detectives poured countless hours into locating video that captured the suspects after they left Mr. Hussain’s apartment,” said Kevin Kentish, commander of the Metropolitan Police Department’s criminal investigations division.
Post-Murder Activity
An acquaintance reported that Barnes and Walker arrived at his apartment afterward, carrying a bag with about $50,000 in foreign currency, jewelry, watches, laptops, and a passport believed from El Salvador. They admitted entering a house, tying up a “foreign person,” and striking him each time he regained consciousness.
Walker was already in custody on unrelated charges when arrested. Barnes faces a preliminary hearing on May 18, while Walker returns to court on June 2, per DC Superior Court filings.
Family’s Grief
Hussain’s uncle, Syed K. Hussain, described the loss as “so devastating for us.” He added, “He lived his life. He was happy,” and plans to follow the trials.
