Allen Allegedly Fatally Drugged Five Individuals in Five-Month Span Between March and August 2022
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the indictment of KENWOOD ALLEN, 33, for a drugging, robbery and larceny spree that totaled 21 victims and caused the deaths of five people, between March and December 2022. ALLEN was initially indicted in December 2022 for two of the murders, and today’s superseding indictment charges him with three additional murders he allegedly committed on July 22, 2022; July 23, 2022; and August 6, 2022.
ALLEN is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with ten counts of Murder in the Second Degree; thirteen counts of Robbery in the First Degree; two counts of Robbery in the Second Degree; eleven counts of Assault in the Second Degree; two counts of Attempted Robbery in the First Degree; three counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree; three counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree; and one count of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. [1]
“These alleged pernicious drugging and robbery schemes have left far too many families mourning the loss of their loved ones,” said District Attorney Bragg. “The careful and meticulous work of our prosecutors and the NYPD has led us to charge this individual with a spree of criminal conduct that now includes five murders – four of which took place over a mere 15 days last summer. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to aggressively uncover and investigate these incidents.”
According to court documents and statements made on the record, between March 18, 2022, and December 18, 2022, ALLEN committed a series of robberies and other crimes throughout lower Manhattan, sometimes alone and sometimes with other individuals.
In most of the incidents, ALLEN drugged his victims with fentanyl and other opioids in order to steal their credit cards, watches, phones, and other personal identifying information. Many of the victims were later found unconscious on the street. He would then withdraw cash from ATMs and use the stolen credit cards to make purchases and transfer money.
The Office has a distinct ongoing investigation into a pattern of robberies and druggings in Hell’s Kitchen, which led to a separate murder and conspiracy indictment in April.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant D.A.s Brian Rodkey, Patrick Nelligan, Taylor Holland, and Nicole Hoehle, under the supervision of David Drucker (Special Assistant District Attorney), Harrison Schweiloch (Deputy Chief of Trial Bureau 60), Charles Whitt (Chief of Trial Bureau 60), and Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division). Special Projects Coordinator Alice Hur also assisted with the investigation.
D.A. Bragg thanked Detective Scott Williams, of the Manhattan South Homicide Squad.
Defendant Information:
KENWOOD ALLEN
New York, New York
Charged:
- Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, ten counts
- Robbery in the First Degree, a class B felony, 13 counts
- Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, a class C felony, two counts
- Criminal Possession of a Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony, three counts
- Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 11 counts
- Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, three counts
- Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, one count
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[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.