NYC’s ‘roofie murders’ more widespread than police first thoughtBy Dana Kennedy
April 1, 2023
Two separate gangs were apparently preying on both straight and gay club-goers in Manhattan, from the Lower East Side to Hell’s Kitchen, for months — drugging and then robbing them via their phones — before it became clear it was a pattern, some of the victims’ parents told The Post.
Cops are investigating at least 43 incidents that took place all over the city between September 2021 and December 2022. Ten men with lengthy rap sheets have been identified as part of one gang and five in the other one, police sources told The Post. A number of them are reportedly from the Farragut Houses in Brooklyn.
Up-and-coming fashion designer Kathryn “Katie” Gallagher was among the victims of one of the two gangs, police said. The 35-year-old, who dressed Lady Gaga and other celebrities, was found dead of an overdose in her Eldridge Street apartment last year. On March 24, cops publicly declared her death a homicide.
Six members of one gang who preyed on gay men at Hell’s Kitchen nightclubs were indicted last week for the so-called “roofie” murders of John Umberger, 33, and Julio Ramirez, 25, last year.
Late Friday, police said they were seeking three members of one crew, Jayquan Hamilton, 35, Robert DeMaio, 34, both of Brooklyn, and Jacob Barroso, 30, of Harlem, in connection with the deaths of Umberger and Ramirez.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/04/01/inside-nyc-roofie-murders-including-death-of-gaga-designer/
