Nicholas Tartaglione: Ex-Jeffrey Epstein cellmate faces quadruple murder trial after 4 bodies were found at his home
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK: Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer who shared a cell with the infamous Jeffrey Epstein, is currently on trial for allegedly plotting a quadruple murder. The trial is being held at the US District Court in White Plains, New York, and is expected to last a month.
According to prosecutors, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported, Tartaglione lured one of the victims, Martin Luna, to a bar under the pretense that he believed Luna had stolen money intended for the purchase of cocaine. An AP report said the three other victims Martin Luna, Urbano Santiago, Miguel Luna, and Hector Gutierrez — a friend and two of Luna’s nephews who had nothing to do with the drug operation — accompanied Luna to the bar.
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One of the victims was strangled to death 'with a zip tie'
Luna was reportedly strangled to death with a zip tie and then taken to Tartaglione's ranch in Otisville, New York, where the other victims were also brought. The three men were reportedly shot execution-style in the back of the head, and all four were found buried on Tartaglione's property in December 2016, about eight months after they were killed.
The prosecution claims that Tartaglione was involved in the murders and that he shot at least one of the victims himself. However, Tartaglione's defense team argues that he had nothing to do with the killings and that he is being used as a "convenient fall guy" by the government. Three of Tartaglione’s associates are expected to testify against him during the trial. The defense argues that these witnesses are only cooperating with the government to gain favor in their own cases. A fourth associate, who was also a former police officer, reportedly killed himself.
Tartaglione's connection to Epstein
Tartaglione's connection to Epstein has added to the intrigue surrounding the trial. Epstein was a billionaire financier who was accused of sex trafficking before his death by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019. Tartaglione as per reports shared a cell with Epstein for a time before the latter's death.
The quadruple murder trial has drawn attention due to the shocking nature of the killings and Tartaglione's former position as a police officer. The trial is ongoing, and the outcome remains to be seen.