Murder Trial Opens for Three Men Charged in NYC Gay Bar Drugging Scheme
Prosecutors Accuse Defendants of Drugging and Robbing Five Victims, Two of Whom Died
The trial of three men accused of orchestrating a drugging and robbery scheme targeting patrons of New York City’s gay bars began Wednesday in a Manhattan courtroom. The defendants—Jayqwan Hamilton, 36, Robert Demaio, 35, and Jacob Barroso, 30—are facing multiple charges, including murder, conspiracy, and grand larceny.
Prosecutors allege that between March 2021 and June 2022, Hamilton, Demaio, and Barroso worked together to drug and rob five men after meeting them outside Manhattan’s gay bars and nightclubs. The scheme resulted in the deaths of two victims: social worker Julio Ramirez, 25, and political consultant John Umberger, 33, in the spring of 2022. The public became aware of the crimes in May 2022, when NBC News reported on Ramirez’s mysterious death.
The three defendants have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Attorneys for Hamilton and Demaio declined to comment, while an attorney for Barroso did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In her opening statement, Assistant District Attorney Emily Ching outlined the details of the scheme. She explained that the defendants, along with three other individuals who have already pleaded guilty to lesser charges, would wait outside gay bars, befriending intoxicated men. Once the victims were convinced to continue the night with them, the defendants allegedly drugged them with a concoction containing fentanyl, rendering them incapacitated.
Ching further described how the defendants exploited the victims’ unconscious states to access their bank accounts and payment apps using facial recognition technology. They would then steal thousands of dollars, spending the victims' money on items like food, alcohol, shoes, and other goods.
The prosecution linked these methods to the deaths of Ramirez and Umberger. Ching said, "The evidence will make it very clear that it does not matter who handed the drugs to the victims. The evidence will establish that each defendant intended to commit the robberies, succeeded together in committing the robberies, and, as a result, the victims died."
In response, the defense attorneys acknowledged the tragic deaths but urged jurors to focus on the evidence and keep an open mind until all facts were presented. Dean J. Vigliano, Demaio’s attorney, argued, “We ask you to put that aside and decide this case on the evidence.”
Vigliano also contended that it was impossible to definitively identify which drugs caused the deaths of Ramirez and Umberger. Ching acknowledged that both men had occasionally used illicit drugs, but she emphasized that the toxicology reports identified fentanyl, lidocaine, and cocaine in their systems, which contributed to the ruling of homicide due to drug-facilitated theft.
One surviving victim testified Wednesday, admitting to occasional recreational drug use but stating he never consumed drugs to the point of incapacitation. Ching presented video footage showing the victim losing mobility shortly after meeting two of the defendants outside his hotel. The footage allegedly depicts the defendants wheeling the victim’s unconscious body into his hotel room, where they proceeded to rob him.
Additional surviving victims, as well as the mother of John Umberger, Linda Clary, are expected to testify during the trial.