NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Manhattan grand jury indicted six people for a series of robberies in which men were drugged at gay bars that resulted in the death of two people last year, police told NBC New York on Wednesday.
It is not yet clear how many suspects were charged with murder and how many were only involved in non-fatal robberies. Police estimated 17 people were victimized by the robbers in total.
Julio Ramirez, 25, was found dead in the back of a taxi after leaving the Ritz Bar and Lounge with three men on April 20.
The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found he died from "acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin, cocaine, lidocaine and ethanol."
John Umberger, 33, was found dead after leaving The Q with two men a month after Ramirez’s death. Umberger overdosed on the same drug cocktail that killed Ramirez.
The OCME identified both deaths as “drug-facilitated theft,” as well as homicides.
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is participating in the investigation, though, as of now, police believe the robbers were motivated by money, not homophobia.
The OCME is reportedly investigating several deaths with similar circumstances, but officials have not yet linked further deaths with the robbery pattern.
Related
Related
Related
