The former Briarcliff Manor officer was convicted in federal court of killing four men in Orange County.
The four men were murdered more than 8 years ago - one of them beaten and strangled to death and the three others shot execution style in a case that went cold for months before the former cop was finally arrested in a federal investigation.
Family members three of the victims were extremely emotional calling Nicholas Tartaglione a monster. The judge agreed with them looking at him and saying 'yes, you are a monster' as he sentenced him to four consecutive life sentences.
"It's just a very emotional day for both sides of the situation," Stephanie Nuss, Nicholas Tartaglione's cousin, said.
Cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom, but the intense emotion from family members of the three victims was present. They didn't speak to reporters outside the courthouse, but inside, they urged the judge not to let Tartaglione ever see the light of day again.
The former Briarcliff Manor police officer was found guilty last year of killing Martin Luna Miguel Luna and Urbano Santiago who were all family members and their friend Hector Gutierrez in April of 2016 after torturing them and burying them in shallow graves on his Orange County property, believing that at least one of the men owed him hundreds of thousands of dollars in a cocaine deal.
Tartaglione also spoke at sentencing, denying it all, defiantly telling the judge he was an animal rescuing former law enforcement officer who never could have done any of this and was framed.
But the judge slammed his denials calling him delusional, and saying the evidence against him at trial was overwhelming, that his brutal crimes back in 2016 involved torture, planning, greed and cover-ups, and scolding him for his lack of acceptance or remorse.
His only family member in court today also believes he's innocent.
"He is not a monster. He is not a murderer. He is not any of those things," Nuss said. "I understand their side of it, calling him a monster, because they feel that this is what has been given to them, that Nicholas is the person that killed their family so I do understand that. I thought it was crazy with the judge today."
The only person to speak in court on Tartaglione's behalf was one of his attorneys who talked about his long history of rescuing animals.
The judge said it was clear Tartaglione had more sympathy for animals than he did of these four men, thinking less of them because of racism. His attorney has vowed to appeal.
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