2 weeks ago
In nan murky world of criminal misadventure, what happened astatine nan Likquid Lounge successful Chester, New York, connected a nighttime successful April 2016 whitethorn person immoderate base connected Jeffrey Epstein’s decease successful national custody 3 years later.
In galore ways what happened location has go a conspiracy mentation wrong a conspiracy theory. For while speculation astir nan actions of Epstein and his circle has agelong dispersed crossed nan US, nan Likquid Lounge is astatine nan halfway of a caller enigma of precisely really Epstein died.
It was there, according to prosecutors, that 49-year-old retired bull turned cocaine trader Nicholas Tartaglione lured 4 men, astatine slightest 1 – Martin Luna – pinch ties to nan Mexican mafia. Tartaglione suspected Luna had stolen $250,000 from him and planned to face him. Luna, 41, brought on 2 nephews and a family friend.
Tartaglione allegedly forced 1 of Luna’s nephews to observe arsenic he hit and strangled Luna to decease pinch a zip tie. Tartaglione and 2 others past took Luna’s body, on pinch Miguel Luna, Urbano Santiago and Hector Gutierrez, to his canine and equine animal sanctuary successful Otisville, New York.
The 3 surviving men were forced to kneel and were changeable successful nan head, execution-style, and each 4 buried successful a wide grave. Nine months later, aft investigators connected Tartaglione to Luna, nan bodies were unearthed. A neighbour said Tartaglione’s spot “smelled for illustration death”.
Tartaglione was arrested and charged pinch kidnapping and murder. But it wasn’t until 2023 that nan bodybuilder, who had a patchy profession arsenic a constabulary officer, was convicted and sentenced to 4 consecutive life sentences for nan killings. He’d pleaded not guilty, claiming that he’d been framed.
But successful that time, while held astatine nan now-abandoned metropolitan corrections halfway successful Manhattan, Tartaglione was placed successful nan aforesaid compartment arsenic Epstein, nan notorious activity trafficker whose ungraded arsenic roiled American politics. It was later reported they “gotten on beautiful well” arsenic cellmates.
But aft Epstein was recovered pinch injuries to his cervix successful July 2019 – an incident that Tartaglione alerted guards to – he initially said Tartaglione attacked him. He later retracted nan claim, and situation officials concluded that Epstein had tried to termination himself.
Crucially, Tartaglione reported uncovering a statement from Epstein hidden successful a schematic caller he was reference but had not discovered it until 4 days later, aft Epstein had been removed from their compartment and concisely placed connected termination watch. Tartaglione passed it to his lawyers. Two weeks later, successful what was ruled a suicide, Epstein was recovered dormant successful his cell.
That statement was yet released past week, aft nan New York Times petitioned nan national tribunal successful White Plains, New York, wherever Tartaglione was tried.
“They investigated maine for period – FOUND NOTHING!!!” nan statement begins, adding that nan consequence was charges going backmost 15 years.
“It is simply a dainty to beryllium capable to take one’s clip to opportunity goodbye,” nan statement continued.
“Watcha want maine to do – Bust retired cryin!!” nan statement reads.
“NO FUN,” it concludes, pinch those words underlined. “NOT WORTH IT!!”
But it has only turned up now because it became portion of a conflict betwixt Tartaglione’s lawyers successful nan execution lawsuit and court-appointed lawyers assigned to conflict nan decease punishment shape of nan lawsuit should he beryllium convicted, but prosecutors yet dropped their intent to activity that punishment earlier Tartaglione’s lawsuit came to trial.
He was facing nan decease punishment astatine nan clip and his behaviour successful jailhouse is simply a applicable facet successful beforehand of a assemblage whether aliases not they should they ballot for death, says Tartaglione’s proceedings lawyer Bruce Barket.
“There were immoderate unsubstantiated allegations that he had assaulted Epstein erstwhile Epstein tried to termination himself nan first time. We had nan note, and we knew that wasn’t true, but we thought we could usage it for those purposes,” he adds.
But initially, “nobody was rather judge what it was, who wrote it, aliases who it belonged to, until respective months later”. Plus, Barket says, “Nick had a assortment of different issues to woody with, main among them would beryllium defending himself against a quadruple homicide allegation. Once we sewage passed location was nary allegation that he’d harmed Epstein, it go irrelevant to us.”
But nan beingness of nan statement has hardly quieted theories that Epstein was killed successful jail. Mark Epstein, Epstein’s younger brother, who has agelong maintained Epstein was murdered successful his cell, has claimed nan statement is simply a forgery.
“It wouldn’t beryllium difficult to get immoderate pro forger to forge a note,” he told Business Insider. “That’s nan easiest f***ing point successful nan world to do.” He said nan building “bust retired cryin” statement is simply a reference to nan Little Rascals TV show nan brothers had watched arsenic children.
The statement appears successful Epstein’s emails, he acknowledged, “so they stole it from maine to make it sound for illustration it was him”.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” says Barket, who adds that nan utilizing nan statement to bolster an Epstein execution script is “laughable” since it would require personification to person entree to Epstein’s emails successful 2019, six years earlier they were released by legislature order.
“There is nary conspiracy,” he says. “The thought that [Epstein] was murdered is absurd. He killed himself. He’d tried astatine slightest 1 different clip and he succeeded.”
The thought that Epstein was murdered, he continues, “is a awesome ngo impossible. The thought that personification sewage to nan 10th level of a national detention halfway and someway snuck in, execution somebody, snuck out, and nary 1 ever saw that personification is kinda ridiculous.”
Theories that it could person been personification connected Epstein’s tier of cells is arsenic far-fetched, he says. “They’re each a bunch of knuckleheads, nary discourtesy to my client, and they’re each locked into their ain cells astatine night.”
But successful nan carnival funhouse of nan Epstein scandal, thing is ever accepted arsenic it appears. The intersecting Tartaglione communicative is nary objection and it has been taken up by blogger Jessica Reed Kraus. Tartaglione near her a sound message past week claiming that Epstein really wanted to beryllium placed backmost successful nan compartment pinch him.
“Epstein offered maine money to not return to wide organization and enactment successful nan container pinch him because he felt safe pinch me,” he reportedly said connected nan sound mail.
He besides pointed out, “If I wanted to wounded Jeffrey Epstein, I could person wounded Jeffrey Epstein. I didn’t wounded Jeffrey Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.”
Tartaglione is seeking to entreaty his condemnation connected nan grounds that it was obtained connected shaky grounds – nary execution weapon, supplier money aliases trafficking paraphernalia was ever found, and his DNA was not recovered connected nan zip necktie prosecutors said he had utilized to strangle Luna.
His appeals lawyer Inga Parsons provided a connection to Kraus. In it, she pointed to truth that Tartaglione was prosecuted by Maurene Comey, who besides led nan prosecutions against Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
“Nick is retired rule enforcement. He rescues animals. He is not a killer, nor is he a personnel of nan Mexican cartel arsenic nan main cooperator, and nan men who were killed by nan cartel were cartel members. Nick Tartaglione is guiltless and is unjustly serving life sentences for crimes he did not commit,” Parsons said.
According to Barket, his erstwhile client’s little brushwood pinch Epstein was neither adjuvant nor unhelpful to his case.
“It’s an unfortunate series of events. I don’t deliberation it wounded Nick astatine each but it didn’t thief him. But it led to a agelong proceeding involving maine and my patient astir our behaviour astir nan note. All things being equal, I would person taken a walk connected each this.”
