Man charged in Va. hotel sex assaults after sting operation

WASHINGTON — A Virginia man has been charged with burglary and attempted sex assault after police say he sneaked into rooms at a Manassas hotel and inappropriately touched two teens and a 63-year-old woman while they slept.

Prince William County police arrested Brandon Charles Murdock, 31, of Front Royal, Virginia, following a sting operation at the Wyndham Garden Hotel on Vandor Lane in Manassas. A string of late-night assaults had been reported at the hotel going back to October 2015.

Detectives set up a decoy in one of hotel’s rooms on Oct. 6, and police say Murdock took the bait, sneaking into the room.

“We were expecting an extended operation but luckily, we were able to locate the subject quickly,” said Sgt. Jonathan Perok.

Perok said Murdock does not work at the hotel, but found a way to get access to the rooms of two teenage girls visiting from South Korea in October 2015.

After one of the teens reported waking up to a man she didn’t know inappropriately touching her, another girl reported a similar assault happened to her the night before.

Almost a year later, a 63-year-old woman visiting from the UK was assaulted under similar circumstances at the same hotel, authorities said.

“When we responded last month to something that was eerily similar … we knew we had a potential repeat offender on our hands,” Perok said.

Perok said Murdock could face more charges. The case is complicated because the victims were tourists and are now back overseas.

Police are unsure if Murdock targeted the teens and woman because they were foreigners.

Megan Cloherty

WTOP Investigative Reporter Megan Cloherty primarily covers breaking news, crime and courts.

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