A suspected drug dealer accused of supplying tainted cocaine to an NYC fashion student before allegedly raping her as she lay dying from an overdose appeared almost amused during his first court hearing.
Moises Freire, 19, projected an air of indifference Wednesday in Manhattan federal court as he pleaded not guilty to charges that he provided the drugs that killed Annabel Richter, 21, in a dormitory at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in March.
Freire was escorted into the courtroom in chains and dressed in a beige prison jumpsuit.
The Bronx resident appeared unfazed by the grave accusations as US Marshals led him into court, walking with what seemed to be an arrogant swagger.
Throughout the proceeding, he displayed striking confidence and at several points appeared to find the situation almost amusing.
That apparent composure came despite prosecutors’ warning that the alleged crimes could result in a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison upon conviction.
Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, outside the Manhattan courthouse on Monday. He is on trial in connection with the overdose death of fashion student Annabel Richter
Prosecutors say Richter, 19, died after taking cocaine she believed was genuine but that had been contaminated with fentanyl
Freire was taken back into custody after Wednesday’s hearing.
He denied charges of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance that caused death and serious bodily injury. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, presented a starkly different picture in court.
Cabrera, who also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death, appeared visibly terrified throughout the hearing.
The Queens teenager entered the courtroom in black trousers and a white shirt, carrying a book bag over one shoulder.
He stood beside Freire in the dock, though the two men did not speak or acknowledge each other.
According to prosecutors, Cabrera sold the fatal drugs to Freire, who then brought them to the all-female FIT dormitory in Chelsea, where Richter shared a room with an unnamed roommate.
Cabrera spoke only when asked to confirm his identity and enter his not guilty plea.
Cabrera covered his face with a mask as he left court Wednesday. Asked why he pleaded not guilty, he replied, “no comment”
Asked whether he had a message for Richter’s family, Cabrera offered his condolences
He was not present at the dormitory when Richter died, is not being held in custody and was allowed to leave the courthouse after the hearing.
Wearing a black hoodie and face mask, Cabrera kept his gaze lowered as he walked along the sidewalk outside the court.
Asked by journalists why he had entered a not guilty plea, he said, ‘No comment.’
Asked if there was anything he wanted to say to Richter’s relatives, Cabrera added: ‘May she rest in peace. And condolences to the family.’
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Neither Freire or Cabrera had family or friends to support them in court on Wednesday. Neither man was a student at FIT.
There was no one in court from Richter’s family either. The student was from Brazil, making it more difficult for her loved ones to attend hearings.
Assistant US Attorney Ariana Bloom made highly disturbing allegations disturbing against Moises Freire during a previous hearing in April.
She alleged that Freire wanted drugs that would ‘last the entire night’ and suggested to Cabrera that getting the women addicted would be a ‘win-win situation.’
Cabrera allegedly supplied the fentanyl despite knowing Freire intended to give the drugs to the two students, the indictment claims.
There was no one in court from Richter’s family. The student was from Brazil, making it more difficult for her loved ones to attend hearings
Richter was found dead in an all female dorm at the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in April
Freire then visited the women’s dorm room and assured them the substance was ‘pure cocaine,’ according to the indictment.
Bloom told the court that Freire had described the fentanyl as ‘straight poison’ and lied to Richter and her friend that the substance was cocaine.
Richter and her friend quickly fell unconscious after taking it, Bloom said.
Freire admitted in writing to having sex with a woman who was unconscious, claiming he only realized that she was passed out afterward, according to Bloom.
He then noticed her friend lying on the floor ‘with her eyes rolled back in her head’, according to the prosecution.
Prosecutors said Freire took photographs of the two unconscious women and sent them to others before waiting approximately 40 minutes to notify building security.
Bloom said Freire never called an ambulance, despite allegedly receiving a warning from a friend who told him the fentanyl he supplied to the women ‘doesn’t look like coke,’ Bloom told the federal court hearing.
‘The defendant’s friend told him to give that s*** to the “sluts”, meaning the girls, and don’t take it yourself,’ Bloom said.
‘Once things started going south, instead of calling 911 or alerting someone or prioritizing their lives, he took time to take pictures of them and to protect himself,’ she added.
Richter spent three days in a coma before being taken off life support.
Her stricken mother said the student was ‘full of life’ and had a ‘contagious laughter.’
FIT president Jason Schupbach also addressed the charges in a message to the campus community, saying they ‘reflect what a horrific tragedy this was’ while bringing ‘accountability and justice for those involved.’
Freire and Peralta are due back in court March 1.
A third defendant, Harry Rosales Pino, pleaded guilty to plotting to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury.
His sentencing has been scheduled for December 15.
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