3 Men Convicted of Luring Men From NYC Gay Bars, Robbing Them and Leaving Them for Dead

Three men accused of luring men from New York City gay bars, drugging them and robbing them have convicted of two murders.

Julio Ramirez, 25, and John Umberger, 33, both died after being drugged within months of each other in 2022, prosecutors said. Several other victims were drugged and robbed but survived their encounters.

Three suspects, Jayqwan Hamilton, 37, Robert DeMaio, 36, and Jacob Barroso, 32, were convicted on all counts following a trial in New York court. DeMaio and Hamilton were convicted of murdering both Ramirez and Umberger, while DeMaio was convicted of the former’s murder.

All three men were also convicted of various robbery charges.

“These defendants were motivated by greed, and their callous behavior left two young men dead,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “I know the families who lost their loved ones are still suffering from so much pain, and I hope this verdict can provide at least some measure of comfort.”

Prosecutors said Umberger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment in June 2022, while Ramirez was reportedly left for dead in a taxi in April.

Authorities said the men died from a combination of cocaine, fentanyl and other drugs, according to The New York Times.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office said Hamilton, DeMaio and Barroso targeted Ramirez, a social worker, outside The Ritz Bar in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. The men used fentanyl to drug the 25-year-old before transferring money from his accounts, which the defendants used to buy thousands of dollars in sneakers and clothes, prosecutors said.

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Umberger was targeted in June, outside The Q NYC, also in Hell’s Kitchen. He was drugged before being taken back to his apartment by the defendants, who then robbed him of over $2,000 and left him lying incapacitated on his bed, according to prosecutors.

The trio were also implicated in the cases of other men who were drugged and robbed, as were two other defendants, Shane Hoskins and Andre Butts, who previously pleaded guilty.

Hamilton, DeMaio and Barroso could face the rest of their lives in prison following their convictions.