On Friday, April 24th the NYPD issued arrest warrants for six known gang members. According to the New York Post, “Warrants were issued Friday afternoon for the arrest of three of the men for first-degree murder, while all six men have been hit with charges of grand larceny and first-degree robbery as well as conspiracy to drug and rob at least a dozen victims.“
The tragic deaths have hung over the queer bar scene in NYC like a storm cloud. Many gay bars in the area have signs on the window alerting patrons to “be aware of your surroundings and who you are with”. Signs also say, “if you see something say something.”
Instinct has been following this story from last May when,
“Julio Ramirez went to New York City hotspot The Ritz Bar & Lounge with a friend on April 20th, he was blithely unaware that it would be his final evening of celebration in Hell’s Kitchen, a neighborhood located in close proximity to Times Square with a well-known and bustling LGBTQ nightlife scene. His young life was cut short that night between the time he left Hell’s Kitchen haunt, entered a cab, and was discovered unresponsive by the cab driver a little more than forty-five minutes later. Now, the details arising from the evening are providing more questions than answers to this tragic incident.”
This is a weird story. Who are they? Is the word “gang” used to mean they were a gang of criminals, or are we to infer they are members of a known street gang?
— Matthew Rettenmund (@mattrett) March 25, 2023
Unverified sources say the NYPD is keeping its cards very close to the vest on this one. The queer community has demanded answers since the slayings began. As of the writing of this article, no arrests have been made but again, warrants have been issued for six people.
Last November, Instinct reported on the frustration the victim’s families felt with the lack of headway made in the investigation at the time. Linda Clary, the mother of John, 33, also found dead after a night of bar hopping in Hells Kitchen said at the time, “word needs to get out, especially in the gay community, that they are targeting gay men. … This same group of killers have drugged, robbed and murdered countless young gay men in New York.” John Umberger,
“was visiting NYC and spent Saturday night May 28th dancing at The Q leaving the club at 3:15 am and getting into a car with three unidentified men. (Same as Ramirez) He was found dead four days later in a townhouse on East 61st. Clary mentioned that she thinks texts thought sent by her son between 5:19 am and 5:37 am the night of the 28th are now believed to be answered by the people responsible for his death.”
Why aren’t the gang members names or even mugshots in the article or mentioned?
— Tim (@Timtritt) March 25, 2023
Clary issued a statement thanking the NYPD for their tireless effort in hunting down the monsters responsible for her son’s death, “Without the hard work and dedication of NYPD Detective Randy Rose and countless others we would be nowhere. Detective Rose has been the greatest blessing in this tragedy. He is professional, committed and excellent at his job. I wish there were more of him.”
This is a developing story. Instinct magazine will continue to report on this story as information becomes available.
Source: NY Post
I am glad that they have issued warrants and are charging at least three of them with murder (should be all six). I am interested in seeing who these guys are. I don’t think they are what we traditionally think of as a “gang”. I can’t see a street gang easily mingling in a NYC gay bar. Also, the fact that after they emptied their bank accounts they also maxed out the victim’s credit cards with Bloomingdale shopping sprees, spa days, and expensive brunches leads me to believe that these aren’t your traditional hoods. This is what happens when predatory drugging is normalized in the bars. The LGBTQ community owes a debt gratitude to Linda Clary and the Ramirez family for pursuing this after the NY medical examiner tried to tell them their sons died of accidental overdoses but unfortunately they will probably be reviled by a lot of gay men.
Glad they found out who killed these gay men. Let’s hope justice is served.