Linda Clary had just about enough. The mom was like done with it all, you know? She stormed out of a Manhattan courtroom during the closing arguments of her son’s three-week-long murder trial back in February. I mean, can you blame her? That’s a lot to handle.
In the restroom down the hall, she fell to her knees, praying for her son, the jurors, and the three dudes on trial for his murder and another young man’s. And then, out of the blue, another mother walked in — the mother of one of the defendants, Jacob Barroso. Talk about awkward, right?
“I got up and she was like ‘You okay?’ and I was like ‘Nah, not really,'” Clary spilled. The two moms hugged it out. “It was like two moms going through some serious agony and pain, coming together and kind of understanding each other’s pain,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “It was like a divine moment, you know? Words can’t even describe it.”
But, spoiler alert, prayers didn’t save either son. Tough break.
Linda Clary, bless her heart, clutched a family photo of herself and her son John Umberger at her spot in Highlands, N.C., in 2023. She’s a trooper, that one.
Anyhow, fast forward to Wednesday, Barroso, 32, Jayqwan Hamilton, 37, and Robert DeMaio, 36 got slapped with some serious prison time for offing Clary’s son, 33-year-old John Umberger, and another dude, 25-year-old Julio Ramirez, back in the spring of 2022. Turns out, these three worked together to drug and rob Umberger, Ramirez, and three other folks — who luckily survived. The prosecutors spilled the tea that the trio drugged the victims till they passed out, using some fentanyl mix, and then used their unconscious faces to unlock their phones with facial recognition. Sneaky, sneaky. Then they drained bank accounts and went on a shopping spree. Classy.
All three got nailed for Ramirez’s murder, while Hamilton and DeMaio got extra charges for Umberger’s. And get this, they all said they were innocent. Riiight.
Barroso’s mom and the other dudes’ families couldn’t be reached for a comment. Awkward silence, anyone?
Clary, bless her soul, kept it real. “I know Jacob Barroso’s mom loves him, his uncle loves him, his fam loves him. They were there for him during the trial, just like I was,” she said. “But something went wrong, and he lost his way.”
“They still get to see each other,” she sighed. “I don’t get to see John.” Sad, sad times.
Last time she saw her son was three years ago when she had to ID his body. Ouch.
She spent the next three years on her grind, pushing the New York City Police Department, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the mayor’s office, and anyone who would listen, making sure her son’s case stayed relevant. Talk about dedication.
Clary was always on the move from North Carolina to New York City, meeting with investigators, officials, attending hearings, trials, and finally, the big sentencing. She was on a mission.
“I really wanted to hate New York and blame it for taking John away from me, from us,” she spilled. “But it’s been part of the healing process, you know? It’s been kind of beautiful.”
Umberger, a former political consultant, had just moved to New York for work before his life got cut short. He was new to the city but already had a list of favorite spots he loved to hit up with his mom. Cute, right?
Clary marked the sentencing at one of John’s fave restaurants, La Goulue, surrounded by all his friends and fam. It was right across from where he lived and died. Bittersweet.
“John was pumped about taking on New York City. And, in a way, even though he’s gone, he did it. It just cost him everything,” she mused.
One of the hardest parts for Clary was watching footage of her son leaving a gay bar the night he died. It showed him leaving alone, then coming back for some unknown reason, and then leaving with the guys who did him dirty. Heartbreaking.
Umberger’s friends described him as a ray of sunshine, someone who could light up a room and make friends with anyone. At the hearing, one pal spilled the tea.
“You didn’t have to kill him, You didn’t even have to rob him. If you needed money, he would have given it to you. He would have hung out with you,” he said. “Instead you chose to go down the malicious path and now your lives are forever ruined.” Mic drop.
Clary headed back home to North Carolina, planning to visit New York every now and then and lend a hand to the LGBTQ community. But, for now, she’s focusing on her other kids, grandkids, and her 95-year-old dad. She’s earned a break.
“After everything, I know I’ll see John again,” Clary said. “God is taking a bad, evil thing and making something good out of it,” she added. Preach.
And that’s a wrap, folks. Life, huh? Crazy stuff.
