New York
Final suspect in NYC gay bar druggings and robberies arrested
Jayqwan Hamilton, 35, taken into custody on Monday
At a press conference on Tuesday, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and NYPD Chief of Detectives James W. Essig, announced that NYPD detectives had arrested the remaining suspect in a series of drugging’s and bar robberies.
The string of drug-facilitated robberies of men who visited gay bars in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood had resulted in two deaths, and had the city’s LGBTQ community on edge for months.
Sewell thanked NYPD detectives and department personnel along with the Bragg’s office for their assistance in investigation that ran 11 months from Sept. 19, 2021, to Aug. 28, 2022. Essig recounted that his detectives worked on solving the string of 17 similar incidents noting that the victims were offered drugs or marijuana that had been laced, after which the suspects were able to gain access to the victim’s phones and then transfer money from them into accounts under the control of the perpetrators.
Essig then noted that there were two overdose cases resulting in the deaths of 33-year-old D.C. resident and political consultant, John Umberger, who died on May 26, 2022, and Julio Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker who died on April 21, 2022.
The New York City Medical Examiner ruled that both deaths were homicides on March 23, 2023 and caused by a “drug-facilitated theft.” Multiple drugs were found in both men’s systems, including fentanyl, lidocaine and cocaine.
Robert Demaio, 34, was indicted on murder and robbery charges last month, surrendered to police at the NYPD’s 5th Precinct in Chinatown two weeks ago. Another alleged robbery crew member, 30-year-old Jacob Barroso, turned himself in.
Today’s arrest announcement regarded Jayqwan Hamilton, 35, who was arrested on Monday and is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, grand larceny and identity theft.
The arrests of all three men, plus two more allegedly connected to the 17 cases, has given New York’s Hell’s Kitchen LGBTQ community some relief although bars and restaurant owners have told various media outlets in the city that their wait staffs and bar personnel remain vigilant.
(Photo courtesy of NYPD)
“This investigation took a long time, but I think the results speak for themselves, that everything was done to make sure we held those accountable who committed these crimes,” Sewell told reporters.
“The defendants had no regard for whether victims ever recovered from being drugged,” Bragg added. “Their motive, we allege, was simple — to make money. The defendants use these substances as weapons to incapacitate their victims, giving them an opportunity steal their phones and credit cards.”
Essig told reporters that once the victims were “incapacitated to the extent that their ability to perceive events became diminished,” according to an indictment, the five co-conspirators would then steal their victims’ cell phones and credit cards and use the physical cards and information stored on the victims’ phones to transfer money to themselves and make purchases.
Regarding the resulting trail of evidence against the suspects, Essig noted; “Among the results returned were two videos depicting Hamilton and DeMayo in the victim’s apartment. In another, the victim is seen on the bed, apparently unconscious, in the same pose as he was later found deceased.”
Hamilton, who was arraigned Tuesday, is due back in court on June 8.
Watch as Sewell, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Bragg provide a case update:
New York
Men convicted of murdering two men in NYC gay bar drugging scheme sentenced
One of the victims, John Umberger, was D.C. political consultant
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 from D.C., and Julio Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker, died. Prosecutors said Hamilton, Barroso, and DeMaio targeted three other men at gay bars.
The jury convicted Hamilton and DeMaio of murdering Umberger. State Supreme Court Judge Felicia Mennin sentenced Hamilton and DeMaio to 40 years to life in prison.
Barroso, who was convicted of killing Ramirez, received a 20 years to life sentence.
New York
Investigators say ‘no indication’ of hate crime in torture killing of Black trans man
GLAAD cautioned police from ruling out hate crime charges
Law enforcement officials investigating the torture and killing of Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old Black transgender man from Minnesota whose body was discovered last week in upstate New York, found “no indication” of a hate crime, they announced in a statement on Sunday.
“We are disclosing that Sam and his assailants were known to each other, identified as LGBTQ+, and at least one of the defendants lived with Sam in the time period leading up to the instant offense,” police said.
“We share the community’s shock at such a heinous act of violence and understand the fear circulating among members of the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community,” they said. “We remain focused on holding these individuals accountable and will continue to work tirelessly to complete the investigation into Sam’s murder.”
In a statement on Tuesday, GLAAD said that “While we are encouraged to see law enforcement act swiftly to investigate this horrific act, we caution investigators from ruling out hate crime charges based on this statement alone,” adding that “Anti-LGBTQ hate can be perpetuated by anyone, regardless of their relationship to the victim or their own gender identity or sexual orientation.”
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said: “Our hearts are broken over the loss of Sam Nordquist. Sam was more than just a statistic—he was a son, a brother, a friend, and a bright light in the lives of those who knew him.
“His life was stolen from him after enduring unspeakable cruelty. We stand in solidarity with Sam’s family, friends, and community as they demand justice. We refuse to let Sam’s story fade into silence.
“We demand accountability, we demand justice, and we demand a world where transgender people are safe, respected, and able to live freely.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Sunday that she instructed state agencies including the Hate and Bias Prevention Unit of the New York State Division of Human Rights to assist with the investigation into Nordquist’s murder.
Letitia James, attorney general of New York, said on X “This is beyond horrifying, and those responsible for this terrible act must be held accountable. My heart is with Sam’s family, loved ones, and the entire LGBTQ+ community.”
Police who found his remains in a field in Yates County determined that Nordquist was “subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse” between December and his death earlier this month.
New York
Two indicted for supplying fentanyl to transgender activist before her death
Cecilia Gentili died in February
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace on Monday announced that two men had been charged with distributing the heroin and fentanyl that caused the death of 52-year-old Argentina-born Cecilia Gentili, a beloved prominent New York transgender activist.
New York City residents Michael Kuilan and Antonio Vent were named in the court documents which laid out the events leading to the death of Gentili.
According to the indictment and court documents, on Feb. 6, 2024, following a 911 call by Gentili’s partner, New York Police Department officers reported to Gentili’s home in Brooklyn, N.Y., and found Gentili dead in her bedroom. Gentili died due to the combined effect of fentanyl, heroin, xylazine and cocaine. Text messages, cell site data and other evidence revealed that Venti sold the fentanyl and heroin mixture to Gentili on Feb. 5, 2024, and Kuilan supplied Venti with those lethal narcotics.
In addition, law enforcement searched an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, belonging to Kuilan and found hundreds of baggies of fentanyl, a handgun and ammunition.
“Cecilia Gentili, a prominent activist and leader of the New York transgender community was tragically poisoned in her Brooklyn home from fentanyl-laced heroin. Today, the alleged perpetrators who sold the deadly dose of drugs to Gentili have been arrested,” stated Peace. “Fentanyl is a public health crisis. Our office will spare no effort in the pursuit of justice for the many New Yorkers who have lost loved ones due to this lethal drug.”
“Today’s indictment delivers a strong message to anyone who profits from poisoning our communities with illicit drugs: There are dedicated investigators, across multiple agencies, working tirelessly to disrupt your shameful industry by pinpointing the source of these unlawful substances,” stated NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. “It is imperative that we continue to hold distributors accountable for their callous actions. I commend the NYPD’s partners at the DEA and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York for their ongoing commitment to this critical mission.”
An undocumented immigrant and then-asylum seeker from Argentina, Gentili came to the U.S. pursuing a safer life to live authentically as a trans woman. She lived undocumented for 10 years, hustling, doing sex work which came with drug use. After surviving arrests and an immigration detention, she accessed recovery services and won asylum.
Among Gentili’s accomplishments was her work as a co-founder of her namesake COIN Clinic (Cecilia’s Occupational Inclusion Network) at Callen-Lorde, a New York-based leader in LGBTQ healthcare. She later was the managing director of policy for the world-renowned GMHC (originally the Gay Men’s Health Crisis.)
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