Robert De Niro was pictured for the first time since authorities announced the arrest of five people in his grandson Leandro Anthony De Niro-Rodriguez’s July 2023 death, Daily Mail reports.
Daily Mail reported that the two-time Academy Award winner, 82, was clad in a casual ensemble of a dark gray coat with a light gray shirt and light khaki sweats as he exited a Big Apple building on Friday.
The New York City native Robert De Niro rounded out his autumn ensemble with dark-rimmed sunglasses and a black knit cap as he stepped out with partner Tiffany Chen, 46, and their daughter Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, two.
It was the first public outing for the star of cinematic classics such as Goodfellas, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull since officials announced arrests of five men in connection with Leandro’s death.
Leandro Anthony De Niro-Rodriguez, whose mother was De Niro’s daughter Drena De Niro, 58, was tragically found dead at the age of 19 on July 2, 2023 in Manhattan.
Authorities on Thursday announced that five men had been charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in connection with the death of Leandro and two other teenagers, according to an indictment reviewed the Daily Mail.
They were identified as Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, Grant McIver, John Nicolas and Roy Nicolas, according to the outlet.
Prosecutors said the five men are accused of selling illegal drugs – described as counterfeit Xanax pills containing fentanyl.
The defendants focused their business toward teenagers and younger adults in New York City and Long Island, according to the indictment.
The defendants are accused in the indictment of using social media to advertise their wares.
The sales ultimately resulted in the deaths of three 19-year-olds – including Leandro – in a three-month span in mid-2023, prosecutors said.
Leandro had recently graduated from an Aspen, Colorado high school, according to prosecutors, and had relocated to New York in 2023 to do a Broadway internship.
Leandro had just moved into a new apartment at the Cipriani Club Residences on Wall Street, according to prosecutors, as he was found dead after two days there.
Medical examiners ruled Leandro’s death accidental, declaring it as result of toxicity of the substances fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine and cocaine.
In the wake of Leandro’s tragic passing, his mother Drena De Niro said that the people who distributed the drugs knew that they were tainted prior to selling them.
‘Someone sold him fentanyl laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him,’ Drena De Niro wrote. ‘So for all these people still f***ing around selling and buying this s***, my son is gone forever.’
The legendary actor released a statement at the time of his grandson’s death more than two years ago.
It read, ‘I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo. We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo.’