New, shocking details have come out about the summer death of fashion designer Katie Gallagher (full name Kathryn Marie Gallagher). New York City detectives now believe her case is linked to a pattern of drug-facilitated robberies which have also led to the deaths of five others. And on Friday the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide from the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl and ethanol. It wasn’t clear how the drugs got into her system or whether anything was stolen from her apartment.
How does her death relate to the others? And why were drugs used?
Gallagher was the victim of a grand larceny, and the aforementioned pattern extends beyond the five overdose deaths to 26 drugging/robbery incidents between March and December 2022 that are being investigated. A common theme among the pattern is that the LGBTQ community was targeted.
A potential person involved emerges in 33-year-old Kenwood Allen. He was arrested in December, has previously been charged with murder, and is a suspect in two other overdose deaths. He has not been charged with Gallagher’s death but is allegedly a member of a gang that has engaged in robberies via drugs.
“They target their victims leaving bars, offering drugs in some cases, then either through force or when the victim passes out, they remove jewelry, money, high-end watches and phones from their victims,” NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said at the time of Allen’s arrest.
There isn’t enough information as of yet to connect Allen to Gallagher or all 26 incidents. But the drugs of choice–mainly fentanyl–have been at the epicenter of a crisis epidemic here in the US. The CDC’s website provides the following grim statistics about fentanyl:
“…107,375 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in the 12-month period ending in January 2022. A staggering 67 percent of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Some of these deaths were attributed to fentanyl mixed with other illicit drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, with many users unaware they were actually taking fentanyl. Only two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose; it’s particularly dangerous for someone who does not have a tolerance to opioids.”
Gallagher was the victim of a criminal using the most dangerous drug in America. A celebration of life is scheduled for this May. Gallagher is survived by her parents, grandmother, and three sisters.
“Fiercely independent and sure of her vision, Gallagher followed her own path in life and in fashion,” a Vogue tribute to her said. Her final collection is going to be released posthumously this Fall.
