The victims in each case said they were reluctant to call the police or did so and were treated with suspicion by police, who along with many in the LGBTQ community initially considered Mr. Ramirez and Mr. Umberger is self-induced overdose.
Progress has been slow, to the chagrin of the Ramirez and Umberger families and others in the community, and investigators have been tight-lipped as they seek to gather a relevant case. to complex but ubiquitous drugs and technology. cannot track.
Mr Umberger’s mother Clary said in an interview on Friday that the murder verdict was “a huge blow” but was also “a huge relief, because we fought.” fighting for this for too long.”
“Originally, the NYPD told us that John was robbed while at a club and was so depressed that he went home and used a bunch of drugs,” she said. “But I said, ‘No, that’s not what happened. John won’t do that.’ And now we know.”
In December, Alvin L. Bragg Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, announced the indictment of a man, Kenwood Allen, of murder, robbery and other charges in a series of ghost attacks. similar drugs on the Lower East Side, in which five were robbed. and two people were killed.
Several other men were charged with lesser charges in the case, but none have been charged with drugging the victim.
In January, a Police Department spokesman said in an emailed statement that a man, Andre Butts, was arrested on June 7, 2022 for using Mr. Ramirez’s credit card. to buy two pairs of Nike sneakers for $544.38 at a high-end store in SoHo. .
The sale was made at 1:06 p.m., just hours after Ramirez’s body was left in the back of a taxi not far away.
