The man suspected of being the leader of a group that carried out a series of druggings and robberies at New York City gay bars has been arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy.
Jayqwan Hamilton turned himself in to police on Tuesday in connection with 17 robberies between March 2021 and July 2022 in which two victims died from overdoses with fentanyl, cocaine, ethanol and other drugs in their systems.
Hamilton, 35, was charged with two counts of murder, as well as multiple counts of grand larceny, robbery, identity theft and conspiracy.
The man allegedly led four others to a series of robberies that terrorized New York’s LGBTQ+ nightlife. John Umberger, 33, and Julio Ramirez, 25, both died, reportedly from ring surgery due to “acute intoxication.”
“Their motive, we argue, was simple: to make money,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Tuesday. “They approach people who leave bars and nightclubs late at night, talk to them and offer them illegal and dangerous substances.”
Jayqwan Hamilton turned himself in to police on Tuesday in connection with 17 robberies between March 2021 and July 2022, in which two victims died from overdoses with fentanyl, cocaine, ethanol and other drugs in their systems
The man allegedly led four others to a series of robberies that terrorized New York’s LGBTQ+ nightlife. John Umberger, 33, and Julio Ramirez, 25, both died, reportedly from ring surgery due to ‘acute intoxication’
Hamilton’s four alleged accomplices, Andrew Butt, 27; Shane Hoskin, 30; Robert Demaio, 34, and Jacob Barroso, 30, have been in police custody since March.
According to investigators, the group would meet the victims in gay nightclubs in the Big Apple and then drug them without their knowledge.
On Tuesday, Bragg was joined by Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell at the press conference to announce Hamilton’s arrest.
Mayor Eric Adams said at the conference that the crimes were “clearly rooted in greed and with utter disregard for the victims.”
Some of the robbery victims, police said, were also roommates of deceased victims.
The story first broke after Ramirez, a Brooklyn social worker, went missing in April 2022.
He was last seen alive on surveillance footage leaving the Ritz Bar and Lounge on West 46th Street in a cab with three men.
Police later found him dead of an overdose and without his wallet or phone.
“His cell phone was used to make numerous bank account transfers and to buy sneakers,” NYPD Detective Chief James Essig said.
As the investigation progressed, police discovered that $20,000 had been taken from Ramirez’s bank accounts.
Hamilton after being arrested by New York City police on Tuesday
Hamilton was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder, as well as multiple counts of grand larceny, larceny, identity theft and conspiracy
Ramirez was last seen alive on surveillance footage in April 2022, leaving the Ritz Bar and Lounge on West 46th Street in a cab with three men
Two of the other men arrested in the New York City robbery and drugging series
A month after Ramirez was discovered, Umberger went missing after leaving Q NYC.
The DC political consultant was found four days after his disappearance on the fifth floor of an East 61st Street townhouse.
His accounts were drained of approximately $25,000.
The cases were later linked, Essig said, through “similar fact patterns.”
Further investigation would have shown Hamilton on camera with both victims’ credit cards.
The alleged leader made “illegal purchases” that were not specified.
In one video, the crew was also seen entering the mansion where Umberger’s body was located and seen driving off in a red Dodge Durango.
According to Essig, the vehicle in question was leased to Demaio.
Umberger, a DC political consultant, was found four days after his disappearance on the fifth floor of a townhouse on East 61st Street
After his death, police discovered that Umberger’s accounts had been drained to the tune of approximately $25,000
After Demaio’s arrest, police said they found two more videos of him.
In one video, Hamilton is seen holding an “apparently unconscious” Umberger in the same position that police would later find him in.
“In addition to the pain their deaths have caused their families and loved ones, I know many other New Yorkers have feared for their own safety as they went out to meet up with friends,” Bragg said Tuesday.
The investigation into the case is ongoing and police are currently looking for any other victims who may have been targeted.
“If other members of the public believe they have been victims of similar incidents, I encourage them to call our helpline at 212-335-9040,” police said.