Inset: Susan Cvengros (Metropolitan Police). Background: F Street NE in Washington, D.C. (Google Maps).
A Washington, D.C., man who was arrested for the alleged murder of his neighbor has been released from jail.
George Mudd, 71, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of his neighbor, 24-year-old Susan Cvengros. According to reporting by Washington, D.C.-based NBC affiliate WRC, the arrest came after Metropolitan Police said DNA evidence connected Mudd to the scene where Cvengros was found dead in her apartment.
Mudd was being held in jail without bond, but WRC reported that he was released from custody due to medical reasons. According to the case docket, prosecutors did not object to the release request.
Cvengros” cousin Sarah Powers told WRC that Mudd’s release was “terrifying,” adding that “it just really scares me for the women of the D.C. area that he’s currently free.”
According to court documents obtained by local news outlet DC Witness, Cvengros was found stabbed to death in her apartment on May 21, 1999. For years, police asked the public for help finding who was responsible for the crime. The Metropolitan Police announced that they had arrested Mudd on July 9, 2025, in connection with Cvengros’ murder.
Police said Mudd entered Cvengros’ apartment and stabbed her 13 times in the neck and torso. According to the complaint, Cvengros “was alive when her throat was cut because there was froth, indicating that she was still breathing, drowning and conscious.” Police said she was likely sexually assaulted after the stabbing, citing the DNA found on her body and nightgown that was later matched to Mudd.
During a hearing after Mudd’s arrest that was covered by DC Witness, a judge agreed that there was probable cause to charge him due to Mudd’s home being in close proximity to Cvengros’ home and his reported habit of threatening women with “pointy objects” after taking drugs. Mudd pleaded guilty in 2000 to robbery and threatening a woman with a box cutter. Police obtained Mudd’s DNA while investigating that case, giving them the ability to match the DNA found on Cvengros.
Mudd’s attorneys argued at the time of his arrest that their then-70-year-old client had medical issues, but a judge still ordered him jailed without bond. Earlier in September, WRC reported that another judge disagreed, saying that Mudd “is not some springy 35- or 40-year-old. This man is — no offense Mr. Mudd — this man is, like, over 70 years old, walks with a cane and has a multitude of medical issues.”
Mudd was granted pretrial release after a hearing on Sept. 11. He is scheduled to go on trial for murder in October 2027. His next court date was scheduled for Oct. 9.
