February 10, 2025
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the all-count trial conviction of JAYQWAN HAMILTON, 37, ROBERT DEMAIO, 36, and JACOB BARROSO, 32, for a conspiracy to rob and drug people outside of LGBTQ+ nightclubs in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, which led to the deaths of John Umberger and Julio Ramirez. The defendants were found guilty on all 24 counts, which included Murder, Robbery, Burglary and Conspiracy.
“Jayqwan Hamilton, Robert Demaio and Jacob Barroso took advantage of people who were just trying to enjoy Manhattan’s vibrant nightlife. These defendants were motivated by greed, and their callous behavior left two young men dead. I know the families who lost their loved ones are still suffering from so much pain, and I hope this verdict can provide at least some measure of comfort,” said District Attorney Bragg. “I want to thank our team of prosecutors and analysts for their hard work to bring this complex case to trial and demonstrating to the jury the full breadth of this conspiracy. I also want to thank the NYPD for their outstanding partnership throughout the duration of this case. My Office will continue to take every measure possible to protect New Yorkers from this type of criminal conduct. That includes ensuring accountability for those who commit this harm, while also working with financial companies to enhance security measures on their phone apps.”
As proven at trial, the defendants lurked outside of nightclubs to exploit intoxicated individuals. They would give them drugs, laced with fentanyl, to incapacitate their victims so they could take the victims’ phones and drain their online financial accounts.
On March 18, 2022, defendants HAMILTON and DEMAIO and co-defendant Andre Butts, who previously pleaded guilty, targeted a victim outside of The Q NYC, a nightclub located in Hell’s Kitchen. They went back to his Union Square hotel, where they gave him fentanyl-laced drugs causing him to become unconscious. The defendants put his limp body onto a luggage cart and brought him to his hotel room, where they took his phone. When the victim awoke, he could see online that his phone was in Brooklyn and there were unauthorized charges and transfers on Cash App and Apple Cash.
On April 8, 2022, defendants HAMILTON and BARROSO and co-defendants Butts and Shane Hoskins, who previously pleaded guilty, targeted another victim outside The Q NYC and eventually went back to his Lower East Side apartment with one of his friends, where the defendants provided fentanyl-laced drugs. When he woke up, the victim discovered his cell phone and credit cards were missing. The defendants were able to spend his money at Prada and Bloomingdale’s.
On April 21, 2022, the defendants targeted 25-year-old Julio Ramirez outside of The Ritz Bar in Hell’s Kitchen. They provided him with fentanyl-laced drugs. The defendants left Mr. Ramirez unresponsive in the back of a cab at approximately 3:30 a.m. He was eventually transported to the hospital and pronounced dead. The defendants were able to purchase thousands of dollars in sneakers and clothing after transferring money from Mr. Ramirez’s Apple Cash and Cash App accounts.
On May 14, 2022, the defendants HAMILTON and DEMAIO targeted another victim outside of The Ritz Bar where they provided him with fentanyl-laced drugs, stealing his phone. The next day, the victim realized his phone and wallet were missing and saw there was a $2,000 Zelle transfer to DEMAIO and unauthorized charges on Apple Pay.
On May 28, 2022, defendants DEMAIO and HAMILTON targeted John Umberger outside of The Q NYC. The three men eventually went back to Mr. Umberger’s apartment building, where they gave him fentanyl-laced drugs and left him motionless and incapacitated on his bed. They spent over $2,000 from Mr. Umberger’s accounts on sneakers and clothing at multiple stores.
In 2024, D.A. Bragg called on financial companies to better protect consumers from fraud, including: adding a second and separate password for accessing the app on a smartphone as a default security option; imposing lower default limits on the monetary amount of total daily transfers; requiring wait times of up to a day and secondary verification for large monetary transactions; better monitoring of accounts for unusual transfer activities; and asking for confirmation when suspicious transactions occur.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant D.A.’s Meghan Hast, Emily Ching and Elizabeth Barry, under the supervision of Chris Prevost (Deputy Chief of the Trial Division) and Executive Assistant D.A. Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division). Analysts Patrick Sullivan, Jon Diver and Eva Melnikova also assisted with the case.
D.A. Bragg thanked Detective Joseph Cohen, Manhattan South Homicide and Randy Rose, retired detective, Manhattan North Homicide.
Defendant Information:
JAYQWAN HAMILTON
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn, New York
Convicted:
- Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, two counts
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, five counts
- Burglary in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
- Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, one count
ROBERT DEMAIO
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn, New York
Convicted:
- Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, two counts
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, four counts
- Burglary in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
- Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, one count
JACOB BARROSO
New York, New York
New York, New York
Convicted:
- Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, one count
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
- Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, one count
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