On Wednesday, May 21, a Manhattan judge handed down lengthy prison sentences to Jayqwan Hamilton, Jacob Barroso and Robert DeMaio for their role in a multi-year criminal operation involving drug-facilitated robberies targeting gay bars in New York City, which resulted in the deaths of two men. The scheme ran from March 2021 to June 2022, involving drugging victims with fentanyl to unconsciousness before robbing them, including two murders in spring 2022 linked to the plot.
Over the course of their trial, the prosecution detailed how the three men collaborated to incapacitate and rob five victims, employing facial recognition technology on the unconscious victims’ phones to access banking apps and siphon off thousands of dollars for personal purchases. Hamilton and DeMaio received 40 years to life, Barroso 20 years to life, while Hamilton and Barroso maintained innocence and defense lawyers said no murder was intended at sentencing.
In response to criticism from survivors and their families, a 2023 initiative was launched in New York City to review previously unresolved cases of drug-related offenses, theft, and murders where the victims were members of the LGBTQ+ community.
