Authorities allege Nicholas Tartaglione murdered four men in December 2017
The NYPD officer, 49, is accused of inviting the men to a bar and executing them
With the help of former NYPD officer, Joseph Biggs, 57, he ‘buried the bodies’
The bodies of Martin Luna, Miguel Luna, Urbano Santiago and Hector Gutierrez were found buried on Nicholas Tartaglione’s property 30 minutes away
Prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty on Tuesday
Defence attorney Bruce Barket challenged prosecution push for capital punishment as ‘egregious’ decision – ‘Unfortunate, despicable, unnecessary, unjust, thoughtless, pointless,’ he said
Authorities allege Nicholas Tartaglione [photo], 49, invited the men to Likquid Lounge, in Orange County, under false pretenses and held them their against their will before shooting three in the back of their head

A muscle-bound former NYPD officer accused of murdering four men in a cocaine deal gone wrong is facing the death penalty after he allegedly lured his victims to a local bar and executed them.
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Authorities allege Nicholas Tartaglione, 49, invited the men to Likquid Lounge, in Orange County, under false pretenses and held them their against their will before shooting three in the back of their head.
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Prosecutors say the men lured Martin Luna to a bar ‘to track down a drug debt’. Luna brought along two relatives and a family friend – 32-year-old Urbano Santiago, 25-year-old Miguel Luna and 43-year-old Hector Gutierrez.

Tartaglione, prosecutors say lured Martin Luna [left]  to a bar ‘to track down a drug debt’. Luna brought along two relatives and a family friend, Hector Gutierrez [right]. 
Aided by former New York City officer Joseph Biggs, 57, he then drove their bodies to his farm about 30 minutes away and buried them in a wooded area, police say.


Prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty in the high-profile case against Tartaglione during a hearing in White Plains on Tuesday, LoHud reports.
Defence lawyer Bruce Barket raged at the prosecution’s decision to seek the harshest penalty.
‘Unfortunate, despicable, unnecessary, unjust, egregious, thoughtless, pointless; those are all words that came to my mind,’ Barket said, adding ‘outrageous’ to the list.
Tartaglione is accused in the deaths of Martin Luna, Urbano Santiago, Miguel Luna and Hector Gutierrez, who went missing April 11, 2016.
Their bodies were found by police using a digger after Tartaglione was arrested in December 2017 over conspiracy to distribute more than 11 pounds of cocaine.
Three had been shot in the back of the head, while Martin Luna, whose death was ruled as homicide, died in another, unexplained manner.
Martin Luna  Luna brought along a family friend two relatives – Miguel Luna [left] and Urbano Santiago [right], to a bar ‘to track down a drug debt’. The men were then executed
Despite the showing of force from the prosecution, the decision to seek the death penalty is still relatively rare in the state.
Manhattan Federal prosecutors announced in September they would pursue the death penalty against Sayfullo Saipov, accused of being an ISIS sympathizer and killing eight people in a 2017 truck attack on the Hudson River bike path.
Before Saipov, prosecutors last pursued the death penalty against drug kingpin Khalid ‘Big Homie’ Barnes, convicted in 2008 of running a violent drug ring as well as murdering two people. He was ultimately spared the death penalty.
Ex-cop Nicholas Tartaglione [L-R], is accused in the deaths of Martin Luna, Urbano Santiago, Miguel Luna and Hector Gutierrez, who went missing April 11, 2016. Their bodies were found on his property after Tartaglione was arrested in 2017 over conspiracy to distribute more than 11 pounds of cocaine
Former New York cop Joseph Biggs [photo], assisted in taking the four bodies to Tartaglione’s farm 30 minutes away where they were and buried. 


Tartaglione’s defence team had pursued a plea deal for more than a year in a bid to head off the death penalty. They met with officials at Department of Justice in Washington in December but failed to convince them.
Barket told reporters: ‘The first part of the trial that we will have, and we are preparing for, is the innocence phase and that’s what we’re preparing for as much as anything else.’