Suspect in drug over two men’s deaths arrested after police found video of victims’ bodies

A 34-year-old suspect was arrested Monday in the drug-induced deaths of two men who were partying at another location. new york city The nightclub closed last year after police found a gruesome video of one of the victims’ bodies on their cell phones.

Police recently carried out a search warrant for Robert DeMaio’s cell phone and found him and another suspect in the apartment of political consultant John Amberger before he was found dead last May. I found a video of someone

One of the videos showed Umberger lying on his back in bed, apparently unconscious, an unnamed source told the New York Post.

Umberger, 33, was lying in the same position when he was found dead by first responders.

The coroner ruled his death a homicide, along with that of 25-year-old Julio Ramirez. Both victims said they died of “drug-assisted theft”.

Umberger, 33, a political consultant in Washington, D.C., became a murder victim after leaving Hell’s Kitchen gay bar in May 2022. Mr. Umberger was in New York on business.

Julio Ramirez, 25, a New York social worker, was another victim murdered in April 2022 after spending the night in Hell’s Kitchen. was discovered

Both Umberger and Ramirez died of suspected drug overdoses with fraudulent charges on their cards after they were last seen walking out with strangers at the Hell’s Kitchen gay bar. Discovered.

They are believed to have been targeted by thieves who drugged their victims to empty their bank accounts before letting them die.

Authorities now say DeMaio and his accomplices Jacob Barroso, 30, and Jakewan Hamilton, 35, were murdered when Amberger and Ramirez were partying at a gay club in Hell’s Kitchen. He claims to have given him a sex drug cocktail.

The crew allegedly stole thousands of dollars from victims in at least 17 drug-induced robberies last year. On that occasion, they unknowingly befriended their victims at a major Manhattan club and knocked them out with cocktails of drugs they passed. just like cocaine.

They then take the victim’s cell phone and electronically transfer money from their bank account.

Prosecutor Emily Chan said of Mr. DeMaio, “The defendants approached a drunk person who came out of a bar or a nightclub.”

“Targeted victims were provided with a substance advertised as cocaine, and addiction to these drugs resulted in the victims being incapacitated,” she continued. has died.”

Jacob Barosso, 30, has been charged with murder in connection with Ramirez’s death.He was ordered to be detained without bail on Monday

A third gang member, Andre Butts, was ordered to post $100,000 bail or $150,000 bail.

Amberger’s body was found on June 1 at the Midtown Manhattan townhouse where he was staying (pictured).

Washington DC political consultant Umberger was found on the fifth floor of an Upper East Side townhouse on May 28, 2022, days after he disappeared from The Q NYC gay club.

Police later tracked subsequent purchases on his credit card and linked his death to a series of robberies at nightclubs last year.

Meanwhile, Ramirez was found dead in the back seat of a Lower East Side cab after being spotted partying at the Ritz Bar and Lounge on April 21, 2022.

Both men died of “acute intoxication” with the same deadly cocktail: fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, cocaine, lidocaine, ethanol. Ramirez also had “heroin” in his system, the coroner revealed.

“Our entire city continues to mourn the tragic passing of Mr. Ramirez and Mr. Amberger,” Manhattan’s DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

“In addition to the unimaginable pain endured by family and loved ones, I know many other New Yorkers fear for their own safety as they experience New York City’s vibrant nightlife. I know.”

Authorities are now investigating another gang for the murder of fashion designer Katie Gallagher (pictured in 2014).

DeMaio was charged with murder and robbery last month and turned himself in to police at the station’s 5th Precinct on Monday, two days after Barroso turned himself in.

DeMaio and Barroso, as well as a third gang suspect, Andre Butts, were arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday.

Police are still searching for another suspect in the gang, Jakewan Hamilton, 34.

Demaio and Barroso were ordered to be held without bail by Judge Angela Badamo, while Butts, who was also charged with robbery in June, will be held on $100,000 cash bail or $150,000 bond. I was ordered to

Police continue to search for another suspect in the gang, Jakewan Hamilton, 34. Barroso was also charged in Ramirez’s death, but not in Amberger’s.

Another member of their crew, Shane Haskins, was arrested Thursday and is being held on Rikers Island on $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond.

The investigation led to a second pattern of at least 26 drug robbery attacks by different suspects, which may include an additional five overdose deaths.

In these cases, the suspect befriends the victim in a bar, offers them drugs or fills them with drinks, and then steals money, phones, or jewelry by force.

Gangs have accused fashion designer Kate Gallagher of overdosing on drugs, and she was found dead in her Lower East Side apartment in July after being given a lethal concoction. it was done.

Police have already identified Kenwood Allen, a 33-year-old career criminal, as someone involved in the designer’s death.

Allen, who has 17 previous arrests, has already been charged in the March 18, 2022 death of Nurbo Shera at a club on Seventh Street and the July 30, 2022 death of Ardijan Berisha.