Police have arrested a woman in connection with the recent deaths of three men, one of whom was the head chef of a well known New York City Restaurant.
According to legal documents, 41-year-old Angelina Barini is facing charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one or more substances containing fentanyl, reported ABC7NY.
Barini has links to the recent deaths of three men in Queens.
The first death occurred on July 4 at the Airway Inn in LaGuardia, the second on July 11 at the Crown Motor Inn in Woodside.
The third and most recent death occurred on Aug. 21 at the Kamway Lodge in Elmhurst. The victim was 33-year-old Andrea Zamperoni, head chef at Cipriani Dolci in Grand Central Terminal.
According to PIX11, Zamperoni was last seen at his apartment in Elmhurst, where neighbors say he had moved into recently.
— karen pottala (@KarenPottala) August 26, 2019
A naked woman directed authorities arriving at the crime scene to Zamperoni’s body which police found wrapped in a blanket.
His body was in a room at a hotel in Queens, well known for drugs and prostitution.
Neighboring guests at the hotel claim to have heard what sounded like a fight and struggle taking place in the room.
One hotel guest, Avery Mullin, a tourist from Scotland, told reporters, “There are a lot of prostitutes that come here and the entire third-floor smells of weed.
“When I entered last night, we had to be escorted back into our rooms by the cops cause all my stuff was in there, and once we were in we couldn’t leave, so I had to stay the night,” he also mentioned.
“There was a scuffle involving multiple people on the first floor,” he added.
Another said, “People here are like family. Good people. Friendly people. Amazing people.”
Police say 25 calls to 911 have been placed from the Motel this year already. It is located some blocks from Zamperoni’s apartment on 74th street, reported CBS LOCAL.
PIX 11 also reported that surveillance video shows Barini and a man who appeared to be Zamperoni entering the same hotel at 4:58 on Saturday, Aug. 18.
The footage also shows Barini entering and exiting the room several times, but Zamperoni is never seen leaving the room.
According to ABC7NY, two of Zamperoni’s brothers confirmed his identity. The naked woman in the crime scene hotel room when police arrived, was later identified as being Angelina Barini.
Authorities say Barini—who works as a prostitute—told them that Zamperoni had paid for her services. According to legal documents, Zamperoni was given liquid ecstasy and didn’t wake up afterward.
Zamperoni, who moved to New York from Italy, had been employed by Cipriani since 2008. The restaurant released the following statement:
“We have sadly learned that Andrea Zamperoni, a well-respected and beloved member of the Cipriani team for many years, who went missing last Sunday has been found deceased.
“We will keep Andrea’s family in our thoughts and prayers and respect their privacy during this difficult time.
“Andrea was a responsible, good-hearted, kind, and very hard-working individual who will be deeply missed by all of us. We trust the NYPD is exerting all efforts to investigate and bring clarity to this tragic situation.”
Barini is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
