New charges in a student’s death are putting campus safety back in the spotlight at the Fashion Institute of Technology months after two women were allegedly poisoned inside a dorm room.
“Obviously, for sure, I’m concerned for my safety, but we do have security 24/7,” freshman Estefania Bale said.
Students are now learning more about what prosecutors say happened back in March of this year. They allege 19-year-old Moises Freire gave two women fentanyl, telling them it was cocaine. The new indictment charges Freire with distributing drugs with intent to commit rape.
At the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York office, Special Agent in Charge Christopher Roberts explained what investigators found.
“It wasn’t coke laced with fentanyl. It was straight up fentanyl,” Roberts said.
Prosecutors say Freire encouraged both women to take the drug but took none himself. Both lost consciousness almost immediately.
Prosecutors allege Freire then raped one of them.
“He actually said in text to the supplier that it was poison,” Roberts said.
Investigators say Freire waited about 45 minutes before seeking help, sending photos of the unconscious woman to others.
“He reported to the security at the college that they drank too much and passed out, which wasn’t true,” Roberts said.
Campus security administered Narcan. One woman survived, meanwhile, the other never regained consciousness and later died.
Freire and alleged supplier Brian Peralta Cabrera face drug conspiracy charges.
“I don’t think it reflects the school. I think it can happen anywhere, like it’s been happening [in] so many places. I think it’s more of a reflection of our generation,” freshman Marina Friscia said.
In an email, FIT told students it strengthened safety protocols and training after the death. It’s adding security as public attention grows.
“The school’s doing a pretty decent job. I think the students want more information because it happened in a building that, where a lot of freshmen live,” sophomore Kayla Barbier said.