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

Mar. 15, 2025

John Umberger, left, and Julio Ramirez.Photo: John Umberger Instagram; Julio Ramirez Facebook

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.

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.

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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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.

source: people.com