Alleged ringleader arrested in connection to NYC gay nightclub drug deaths

Publish date: 2024-05-06

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The final suspect wanted in a string of druggings and robberies targeting patrons at gay nightclubs in the Big Apple — which caused the overdose deaths of two men — has been caught, police said Tuesday.

Jayqwan Hamilton, 35, was indicted on two counts of murder as well as multiple counts of grand larceny, robbery, identity theft and conspiracy in connection to 17 robberies in the Big Apple between March 2021 and July 2022, Manhattan prosecutors said.

Hamilton — nabbed in Manhattan at around noon on Monday — was part of a ruthless five-man crew that terrorized Manhattan’s LGBTQ nightlife over the 15-month stretch, using drugs to incapacitate men they met in and around bars, authorities said.

“Their motive, we allege, was simple: to make money,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a press conference. “They approach people leaving bars and nightclubs late at night, engage them in conversation and offer them illicit and dangerous substances.”

The alleged nefarious scheme — which The Post first shed light on in November 2022 — caused the deaths of two Hells Kitchen clubgoers, John Umberger, 33, and Julio Ramirez, 25, last year.

According to the city’s Medical Examiner, both died from “acute intoxication” from a mix of fentanyl, cocaine, ethanol and other drugs.

Jayqwan Hamilton is the alleged ringleader of the crew. FOX 5 NY

Mayor Eric Adams decried the crimes as “clearly rooted in greed and with total disregard for the victims.”

Bragg — one day removed from getting ripped by the House Judiciary Committee over his progressive policies — announced the final bust at a press conference Tuesday afternoon in One Police Plaza, joined by Adams and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell.

Police have already caught up to Hamilton’s four alleged cronies, Andrew Butt, 27; Shane Hoskins, 30; Robert Demaio, 34, and Jacob Barroso, 30, all of whom were indicted in early March.

Police said some of the victims were roommates of those the crew targeted at clubs. 

Ramirez, a social worker from Brooklyn, was last seen alive on surveillance footage leaving the Ritz Bar and Lounge, a gay club on West 46th Street, in a taxi with three men on April 21, 2022.

He was later found dead in the back of a taxi from a drug overdose, robbed of his phone and wallet.

Robert Demaio while being arraigned for his alleged role in the crimes. Steven Hirsch
Jacob Barroso during his arraignment. Steven Hirsch

“His cell phone was used to make numerous transfers from bank accounts and purchase sneakers,” NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig told reporters.   

Nearly $20,000 was drained from his account using cash apps, such as Venmo and Paypal.

Four weeks later, Umberger, a DC political consultant, went missing after leaving The Q NYC, a gay nightclub at 795 Eighth Ave. He was found four days later on the fifth floor of an East 61st Street townhouse.

Like Ramirez, Umberger was robbed and about $25,000 was missing from his accounts.

Cops would later connect the two deaths through “similar fact patterns,” Essig said.

Ramirez was found dead in the back of a taxi.

Hamilton was caught on camera allegedly using both of the victims’ credit cards to make illegal purchases, the chief said. 

The crew was also seen entering and leaving the townhouse where Umberger was found and driving off in a red Dodge Durango, which was rented to Demaio, according to Essig.

When cops arrested Demaio, they found two videos showing him, Hamiltonand an “apparently unconscious” Umberger lying in the same position as when cops would later find him dead, Essig said. 

“In addition to the pain their deaths have caused for their family and loved ones, I know that many other New Yorkers have feared for their own safety when going out to meet up with friends,” Bragg said. 

Umberger died of a drug overdose after being robbed.

“If other members of the public believe they have been the victims of similar incidents, I encourage them to call our help line at 212-335-9040.”

Sewell said joint work of cops and prosecutors on the case “crystallizes the NYPD’s commitment to bringing callous criminals to justice, particularly those who would turn illegal drugs into weapons to prey on the innocent.”

Hamilton appeared Tuesday afternoon in Manhattan Supreme Court where he pleaded not guilty to the indictment. A judge ordered him jailed without bail until his next court appearance June 8.

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Rosner

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