According to Delaware Online, a woman was stabbed to death by 21-year-old David Washington at the Super 8 Motel located at 348 N Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901.
Police received a 911 call from the victim at approximately 9 p.m. on Tuesday, August 31, 2021. They arrived to find her in the hotel with a stab wound to the neck. The victim was transported to Bayhealth Hospital but died from the injury.
Washington allegedly admitted to the police that he witnessed the stabbing, but he had the victim's blood on his shirt and hands. When he was taken for questioning at the Dover Police headquarters, he came clean that he committed the crime. He was booked on a $1.9 million bond. He is being charged with first-degree murder in addition to weapons charges.
Attorney contributor Aman Sharma is an experienced violent crime attorney licensed in Delaware. He has represented victims of stabbings in civil lawsuits for years. Aman has provided some of his knowledge on the legal options of victims stabbed at a motel.
"Motel owners are legally obligated to provide a safe environment for guests and staff on and around their property. In order to maintain the safety of those on their property, motel owners should implement security measures which may include strong lighting and cameras throughout the premises. If a motel fails to provide a level of adequate security and a guest is harmed on their property, like a stabbing, the property owner could be considered negligent and held responsible in a civil lawsuit."
"If a victim is stabbed on the motel property, the victims and their families should inquire how much effort was put into the safety. Motel property owners can be deemed liable for a violent crime, such as a stabbing if the crime is considered reasonably foreseeable. One example of such crime would be if the crime rates in the vicinity of the property were increasing, but the property owner was not adding more security measures. In such cases of neglect, victims and their families should know they could have reason to pursue a civil lawsuit and might even recover financial compensation for damages.