“Nothing Short of Monstrous”: Three Men Sentenced for Deaths of Julio Ramirez and John Umberger

Justice was served in a Manhattan courtroom today (Wednesday) as Jayqwan Hamilton, 37, and Robert Demaio, 36, were sentenced to 40-years-to-life in prison and Jacob Barroso, 32, was sentenced to 20-years-to-life in prison for their roles in the deadly drugging and robbery scheme that targeted patrons of LGBTQ+ bars in Hell’s Kitchen — ultimately leading to the murders of Julio Ramirez and John Umberger.

“Nothing short of monstrous,” Ramirez’s brother, Carlos, told the three men directly during a victim impact statement before sentencing, adding “My only hope is that the weight of this crime haunts you. That you spend the rest of your life sitting in silence knowing you brought nothing but suffering into the lives of people who never harmed you.”

The sentencing concludes a harrowing legal process that spanned nearly three years and exposed a calculated conspiracy that preyed on the community’s nightlife. The three men were found guilty in February of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, burglary and conspiracy after a jury deliberated for just over a day.

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