A student died after being drugged with fentanyl and raped in a New York university residence hall, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
The student, who prosecutors have not named, and another unnamed student were drugged in a Manhattan college dorm in March, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The other student survived the incident, prosecutors said.
Court documents show the women went to the Fashion Institute of Technology, which did not respond to NBC News’ requests for comment on the case.
Two men were arrested and charged in connection with the alleged crime, according to prosecutors.
Moises Freire, 19, of the Bronx, was charged with distribution of a controlled substance with intent to commit rape, distribution of narcotics resulting in death and conspiracy, according to an indictment. Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, of Queens, was charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious injury.
Both have pleaded not guilty. Lawyers for both men did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On March 18, Freire provided one of the women with what he told her was “pure cocaine” from Mexico and “falsely” assured her that the drug he supplied her did not contain fentanyl, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors say Freire knew the drug he acquired from Cabrera was fentanyl and had previously described it as “fake” and “poison.”
Freire encouraged both women to use the drugs upon their arrival at the residence, according to the indictment.
Both women “immediately” lost consciousness, according to the indictment. Prosecutors say Freire then raped one of the women while she overdosed on fentanyl while the other woman lay unconscious just feet away.
After raping the unconscious woman, he took nude photos of her and sent them to his friends, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors say Freire waited about 45 minutes before contacting campus security, telling them the women were unconscious because they had drunk too much.
Campus security found the women and provided emergency medical services before they were transported to a nearby hospital, according to the indictment.
Only one of the women regained consciousness. The raped woman died “from complications of acute fentanyl intoxication” a few days later, according to the indictment.
“College should be a place where young people can learn, grow and pursue their dreams, not a place where predators exploit their vulnerabilities,” said Christopher Roberts, special agent in charge of the New York Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force Division.
“Every student deserves to feel safe, whether they are walking across campus, sitting in a classroom or in their own dorm room,” Roberts said.
The announcement of the alleged crimes and arrests comes amid a national reckoning over sexual misconduct on college campuses.
Last month, a woman sued Cornell University, her former sorority, Tri Delta; a fraternity, Chi Phi; and seven former Chi Phi members after alleging she was gang raped. And this week, a 21-year-old woman reported to police that she had been sexually assaulted at a fraternity party near another elite academic institution, the University of Chicago.
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