Pills containing fentanyl are displayed at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Northeast Regional Laboratory for testing in New York, on May 7, 2026. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - Two New York City men have been charged in connection with the fatal drugging and rape of a college student in a Manhattan dorm room earlier this year.
Dorm room drugging
What we know:
The incident happened back in March, according to a superseding indictment announced Friday.
According to prosecutors, Moises Freire and Brian Peralta Cabrera conspired to give two students fentanyl, with Freire allegedly wanting to get them addicted. Peralta Cabrera is accused of supplying Freire with the drug.
Then, on March 18, officials said Freire brought the fentanyl to an undergraduate dorm and gave it to the two women, claiming that it was only cocaine. After both women passed out from the drug, Freire allegedly raped one of them.
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Freire eventually contacted campus security, court documents claim, but not before he allegedly spent 45 minutes taking pictures of the unconscious women and sending them to others. When Freire did call for help, officials said he claimed the women had passed out because they were drunk.
First responders took both women to the hospital. Days later, on March 21, the woman Freire is accused of raping died. The Medical Examiner determined she died from acute fentanyl intoxication.
The second woman eventually regained consciousness and was later discharged.
‘Beyond disturbing’ charges
What they're saying:
In announcing the charges this week, one DEA official called the allegations against the two men "beyond disturbing," saying that they "include a cruel deception and unimaginable assault."
"College should be a place where young people can learn, grow and pursue their dreams, not a place where predators exploit their vulnerability," said Christopher Roberts, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Task Force Division.
NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch called the crimes "as sick and twisted as they come."
NYC men charged with supplying fentanyl, rape
Dig deeper:
Both Freire and Peralta have been charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury. Freire has additionally been charged with distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury and distribution with the intent to rape.
Each charge carries a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.
According to The Associated Press, Freire and Peralta Cabrera were arrested in March and pleaded not guilty to charges not including the rape. They have not yet been arraigned on the new indictment.
A third defendant, Harry Rosales Pino, pleaded guilty to a distribution charge related to the case, according to The AP, and is scheduled to be sentenced in December.
What we don't know:
Neither victim has been identified.
While the school has not been identified in court records, according to the AP, a defense lawyer mentioned in a hearing that the alleged attack happened in a Fashion Institute of Technology dorm.
Freire was not a student at FIT, according to The AP.
The Source: Information in this story is from a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, announcing the charges against Freire and Peralta Cabrera, a copy of the superseding indictment against both men, and details from The Associated Press on the connection to the Fashion Institute of Technology and the third defendant.