According to John Umberger’s mother, she was informed by NYPD on Friday night that six gang bangers have been charged with a crime, some for criminal homicide.
In the robbery ring which murdered her child and other perpetrators of violence with a lethal cocktail of drugs last June, several days after he left a gay club. John was a political consultant who was found dead in the city.
Six gang members have been indicted for their roles in the murders of two men last year, who were poisoned with a lethal fentanyl mixture and robbed.
The First Act Of A Catastrophe That Left An Indelible Imprint
On Thursday, a Manhattan jury handed down murder charges against three of a gang members, prompting the issuance of arrest warrants. A source familiar with the situation has revealed that all six suspects have been charged with robbery, grand larceny, and conspiracy.
The six suspects were connected by detectives to the murders of Julio Ramirez & John Umberger, two gay men who were attacked as they left gay bars in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen last year.
Umberger’s mother, Linda Clary, told the Daily News, “That was a response to our prayers, and we are grateful.” Nonetheless, due to the fact that they are career criminals, public safety is still compromised.
At least seven people, including Ramirez and Umberger, died of overdoses after being given opiates that contained fentanyl and other dangerous drugs, according to authorities.
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The death of famous Lower East Side clothing designer Katharine Marie Mckenna, who passed away in July, from a drug overdose provided by criminals was confirmed on Friday. There was a delay in providing additional information on Gallagher’s case.
The connection between the murders of Ramirez and Umberger and that of Gallagher was unclear. Sources say another heist gang with a similar MO is likely to blame.
Ramirez, 25, and One even, 33, died of “acute intoxication” from a combination of fentanyl, cocaine, ethanol, and other narcotics, as found by the municipal Medical Examiner earlier this month. Both males were killed in “drug-facilitated thefts,” according to a spokesperson for the city’s medical examiner.
Political consultant Umberger, a native Washingtonian, was discovered dead in his Upper East Side flat on June 1. He had gone to the Hell’s Kitchen nightclub Q before his untimely demise.
Officials at first thought Umberger had died of an accidental drug overdose, but eventually altered their opinions, in part because of the disappearance of his financial assets.
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Emerging Evidence
Earlier on April 21, after visiting the Ritz Restaurant and Lounge off W. 46th St., Ramirez, a social worker from Brooklyn, was discovered unconscious in the backseat of a taxi just on Lower East Side.
A total of 16 persons, most of them men, were reportedly drugged and stolen in Manhattan between September 19, 2021 and August 14, 2022, according to the police. Around half of them died from an overdose brought on by the highly deadly substances.
The criminals approach their victims while they leave Manhattan nightclubs and offer them drugs or cigarettes laced with narcotics.
Thieves target drug overdose victims because they are easier to rob while they are unconscious. The criminals then drain the victims’ bank accounts using the victims’ own cash transfer apps.
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The Official Police Report
In November, NYPD Chief of Police James Essig issued a warning about the robbery hoax, saying, “This is predicated exclusively on financial gain.” He claimed that several distinct gangs were responsible for the robberies, but that they all employed remarkably similar techniques.
Gallagher, whose A-list consumers included Lady Gaga, prototype Chrissy Teigen, and actress Laverne Cox, died on July 24, but the city Forensic Pathologist just now determined that she died of “acute intoxication” from a combination of fentanyl, oxycontin, and ethanol, the same combination that killed Umberger as well as Ramirez.
According to her online obituary, the Pennsylvania native was “an internationally-recognized fashion designer” who was working on a collection for Fall 2022 when she passed away.
Katie Gallagher’s family stated in a statement released on Friday that they had been “working actively with the Police, NYC Office the Forensic Pathologist, and Nyc District Attorney to find answers surrounding Katie’s unexpected death” for the previous eight months.
While today’s developments were certainly disappointing, we know they represent an important step in the direction of our ultimate goal—the pursuit of justice for Katie. By disclosing this information, the family said, “we can right the record, enforce accountability, and mourn with greater freedom.”
“We are glad for any advances that allow us to move ahead, focus on Katie’s legacy and life, and draw more attention to fentanyl and related narcotics that are utilized as weapons on innocent people,” the family said in a statement.
Also read: Younger Artists Are Writing Odes To The City That Is Rapidly Disappearing Through Their Work.
Conclusion
There have been no arrests made in connection with the killings of Umberger, Ramirez, or Gallagher, although police say that four people have been apprehended in these robberies involving narcotics as of November.
