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Group accused of drugging, robbing men at Hell’s Kitchen gay bars convicted of murder
By
Samantha Max
Published Feb 10, 2025
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New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
By
Samantha Max
Published Feb 10, 2025
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A Manhattan jury convicted three men of drugging and robbing patrons of Hell’s Kitchen bars and nightclubs, including two men who were given a dangerous concoction of fentanyl-laced drugs and died of overdoses.
Jayqwan Hamilton, Robert Demaio and Jacob Barroso were convicted Monday of all the charges against them, including murder, robbery and conspiracy. They could each spend the rest of their lives in prison.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office accused Hamilton, Demaio and Barroso of offering drugs to people to incapacitate them. Once their targets passed out, prosecutors said, the men stole the victims' cellphones, credit cards and other valuables. Prosecutors said the men also tried to send themselves money from their victims’ bank accounts and used the money they stole to buy expensive sneakers and other luxury goods.
“These defendants were motivated by greed, and their callous behavior left two young men dead,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “I know the families who lost their loved ones are still suffering from so much pain, and I hope this verdict can provide at least some measure of comfort.”
Julio Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker, and John Umberger, a 33-year-old consultant, both died of drug overdoses, according to prosecutors and the medical examiner’s office. After they died, the medical examiner’s office found a similar combination of drugs in their systems, including fentanyl, cocaine and lidocaine. Their families sat through the Manhattan trial, at times taking notes or crying during witness testimony.
The district attorney's office said Hamilton, Demaio, Barroso and others worked together to drug and steal from at least five people between March 2021 and July 2022. A 23-year-old former NYU student testified at trial that the men took his laptop, credit cards, designer perfume and prescription medications. Two other alleged victims told the jury about similar experiences. All the robberies targeted people leaving gay clubs in Hell’s Kitchen, which stoked fears among the local gay community.
Hamilton, Demaio and Barroso are expected to be sentenced in April. Two other men accused in the conspiracy pleaded guilty before trial. Andre Butts pleaded guilty to robbery and Shane Hoskins pleaded guilty to attempted robbery.
Defense attorneys for Hamilton, Demaio and Barroso could not immediately be reached for comment Monday afternoon.
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manhattan
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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