Robert Demaio is the second suspect to be arrested and charged with murder in connection with the murders of two men who were robbed and fatally drugged last year in Manhattan after they visited gay nightclubs in New York City.
Investigators have identified three suspects charged in the murders. The other two suspects are Jayqwan Hamilton, 35, and Jacob Barroso, 30, from Harlem.
Who is Robert Demaio?
Robert Demaio was charged with murder, grand larceny, robbery, identity theft, and conspiracy in connection with the death of John Umberger and Julio Ramirez. Umberger was a 33-year-old political consultant. Ramirez is a 25-year-old social worker.
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Demaio was arrested after investigators found gruesome videos of one victim’s body on his mobile phone. Police said there was a pattern of more than a dozen similar robberies in the Big Apple. He is 34 years old.
Police executed a search warrant on Demaio’s mobile phone and found videos of him and another suspect in Umberger’s apartment.
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A video showed Umberger lying in bed face up and apparently unconscious. He was lying in the same position when he was found dead by first responders.
Last month, Damaio was indicted on murder and robbery charges. He surrendered to the police at the New York Police Department’s 5th Precinct stationhouse in Chinatown on Monday, two days after another alleged robbery crew member, Jacob Barroso, surrendered himself.
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He was arraigned on Monday in Manhattan Criminal Court on murder and robbery charges. Borroso pleaded not guilty and the judge set bail at $3 million.
Police are still looking for Jayqwan Hamilton.
The suspects allegedly stole thousands of dollars from their victims after befriending them at Big Apple party locations and knocking them out with lethal cocktails. Last month, the medical examiner called their deaths homicides caused by a drug-facilitated theft. Several drugs were found in their systems, including fentanyl, lidocaine, and cocaine.
