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Three men sentenced to decades in prison for murder in NYC gay bar drugging scheme
- On Wednesday, a Manhattan judge handed down lengthy prison sentences to Jayqwan Hamilton, Jacob Barroso, and Robert DeMaio for their role in a multi-year criminal operation involving drug-facilitated robberies targeting gay bars in New York City, which resulted in the deaths of two men.
- The scheme ran from March 2021 to June 2022, involving drugging victims with fentanyl to unconsciousness before robbing them, including two murders in spring 2022 linked to the plot.
- Over the course of their trial, the prosecution detailed how the three men collaborated to incapacitate and rob five victims, employing facial recognition technology on the unconscious victims’ phones to access banking apps and siphon off thousands of dollars for personal purchases.
- Hamilton and DeMaio received 40 years to life, Barroso 20 years to life, while Hamilton and Barroso maintained innocence and defense lawyers said no murder was intended at sentencing.
- In response to criticism from survivors and their families, a 2023 initiative was launched in New York City to review previously unresolved cases of drug-related offenses, theft, and murders where the victims were members of the LGBTQ community.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Three sentenced to life for the New York City drugging, robbing, and killing of two gay men
Three men who were part of a gang that drugged and robbed inebriated people, including gay men were sentenced to up to life in prison for the overdose murders of two of them. The case drew attention to District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who was accused of ignoring the group's actions. Ayqwan Hamilton, 37, Robert DeMaio, 36, and Jacob Barroso, 32, were sentenced to up to life in prison for killing two gay men they picked up at Manhattan nightclubs i…
Men convicted of murdering two men in NYC gay bar drugging scheme sentenced
A New York judge on Wednesday sentenced three men convicted of killing a D.C. political consultant and another man who they targeted at gay bars in Manhattan. NBC New York notes a jury in February convicted Jayqwan Hamilton, Jacob Barroso, and Robert DeMaio of murder, robbery, and conspiracy in relation to druggings and robberies that targeted gay bars in Manhattan from March 2021 to June 2022. John Umberger, a 33-year-old political consultant f…
Three Sentenced for Luring Gay-Bar Robbery Victims to Their Deaths
One night in April 2022, Julio Ramirez left a Manhattan gay bar, escorted by a group of men into a taxi. It was just after 3 a.m. About an hour later, the taxi driver reported to the police that Mr. Ramirez was alone and abandoned in the back of his cab. Mr. Ramirez’s bank account had been drained, and his wallet, phone and ID stolen. The men had given him a fatal cocktail of drugs before leaving him for dead. A month later, John Umberger died i…
Three sickos who drugged, robbed gay men in NYC sentenced to decades in prison for murder
Jayqwan Hamilton, 37, Jacob Barroso, 32, and Robert DeMaio, 36, were handed the sentence by a Manhattan judge for facilitating the years-long fentanyl-wielding robbery plot.
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