A serial robber busted in a deadly Manhattan drugging-and-robbery spree last year was hit Thursday with three new murder charges — including the overdose killing of a renowned Lower East Side fashion designer.
Defendant Kenwood Allen, 33, already facing a pair of homicide counts, was accused of the additional killings in a new indictment that includes the July 2022 death of Kathryn Marie Gallagher, whose A-list clients included Lady Gaga and model Chrissy Teigen.
An autopsy showed the victim was killed by a mix of drugs including fentanyl.
“These alleged pernicious drugging and robbery schemes have left far too many families mourning,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to aggressively uncover and investigate these incidents.”
Four of the killings occurred in a 15-day stretch last summer, said Bragg, adding the defendant face multiple charges including murder, assault, robbery, grand larceny and conspiracy.
Allen was arrested three days before Christmas 2022 at his Bronx home, charged in a pair of killings nine months earlier. He was held without bail after appearing for a court hearing in handcuffs and diamond stud earrings.
The other two new victims were identified as Sadath Ahmed and Alexander Rudnitsky, with WPIX-TV reporting the latter victim was targeted outside a rooftop bar in downtown Manhattan, drugged and then robbed.
The thieves then loaded the 20-something Yonkers man into a car and dumped his body on a sidewalk near the Jerome Park Reservoir, according to WPIX. A autopsy found the cause of death was complications from the effects of fentanyl, morphine and other drugs.
Authorities said Allen drugged his victims with fentanyl and other opioids before swiping their credit cards, phones and identification information, leaving many unconscious on the the street.
The defendant then withdrew cash from ATMs and used the stolen cards to buy things or transfer money, said Bragg.
Allen, sometimes working alone and other times teaming with co-conspirators, committed the crimes between March 18 and December 18 of last year, officials said.
The defendant had 17 prior arrests, most for grand larceny and burglary. Police said the victims were typically poisoned with drugs purchased on the dark web, including fentanyl and the anesthetic lidocaine.