Jayqwan Hamilton (left), Robert Demaio (middle), and Jacob Barroso.Photo: NYPD Crime Stoppers (3)
Nearly a year after the drug-related deaths of two men who were also robbed after visiting popular gay bars in New York City, authorities have arrested multiple suspects.
Jayqwan Hamilton, who NYPD also identified last week as a potential suspect in the homicides, remains at large.
The suspects are among six people – including Andre Butts and Shane Hoskins – indicted for what police allege are the related robberies of 17 individuals, police said. One suspect has not been publicly identified at this time.
Barroso and Demaio have pleaded not guilty,CBS Newsreports. Barroso’s attorney, David Kraus, told NBC News he plans to “fight this case vigorously.” The lawyer representing Demaio said he’s still evaluating the case, according to CBS News.
Butts and Hoskins have also pleaded not guilty, CNN reports. Butts' attorney Terrence Grifferty did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. PEOPLE couldn’t immediately identify a lawyer for Hoskins.
The Victims Were Part of a Citywide Pattern, Police Say
John Umberger and Julio Ramirez.John Umberger Instagram; Julio Ramirez Facebook
Umberger, a 33-year-old political consultant, and Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker, were allegedlydrugged at popular gay bars and later found deadwith thousands of dollars withdrawn from their accounts, according toThe New York Times.
Umberger was found dead in an apartment he was renting, following a night in June at The Q in N.Y.C., while Ramirez was left unconscious in the back of a taxi after an April visit to the Ritz Bar and Lounge, reports say. Ramirez was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Times.
The city medical examiner’s office said the men died from a combination of cocaine, fentanyl and other drugs, according to the outlet.
Citing the medical examiner,The New York Timesreports the pair, who were killed in separate incidents, were a part of what is believed to be a larger string of “drug-facilitated thefts.”
An NYPD spokesperson said in a statement to PEOPLE that authorities are working with multiple agencies “to investigate several incidents where individuals have been victims of either robberies or assault. Some of the victims are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, however it is believed that not all of the victims are. It is also believed that the motivation for these assault/robberies is monetary gain.”
According to NBC, the bank accounts of both men were cleared after they each left the bars with unknown individuals. In both cases, Umberger’s and Ramirez’s debit and credit cards were missing, along with their ID cards.
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Family members told the outlet the suspects were able to gain access to the victims' financial accounts using facial recognition technology.
“I know that no one is safe until these people are off the streets, and that I know for sure,” Umberger’s mother Linda Clary said, according toCBS News.
Anyone with information on the cases is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
source: people.com
