Update on Nick Tartaglione: Suppressed Confession

The last time we heard from Nick Tartaglione he was clinging to life. Beaten and stabbed nearly to death by fellow inmates, he was abruptly relocated to a California prison (on lockdown) after the release of his first audio recording aired here.

For weeks his family endured agonizing silence, left with no information about his fate. The only update — a terse notification: Nick had been transferred to a lockdown facility where his voice was silenced and all communication cut off.

Recently he was granted one phone call per month. Today his mother waits by the phone, her only hope to reassure her son that his story is being told.

Nick’s story is devastating and complex. But to understand the present we must start at the beginning.

Nick Tartaglione was raised with an unshakable compassion instilled by his mother who spent over 50 years rescuing and rehabilitating animals. As a boy, he accompanied her on countless missions, learning to nurse and rehabilitate the wounded and offer second chances at life.

These formative experiences inspired him to build a sanctuary for animals—especially those injured, abandoned, or overlooked—where they could live out their days in peace and dignity. It took years of sacrifice and determination for Nick to make this dream a reality.

On a sprawling 168-acre property funded by donations and his tireless work selling cars, Nick built a sanctuary for nearly 100 animals—dogs, cats, alpacas, pigs, goats, and horses rescued from slaughter auctions.

Running the sanctuary was grueling work. Nick couldn’t do it alone, so he hired Marcos Cruz and another worker to assist with the upkeep. To help Marcos support his family and commute reliably, Nick allowed him to use a car while paying it off—a small act of kindness that would unravel into unthinkable tragedy.

Marcos Cruz, it turns out, wasn’t the man he seemed. Beneath the image of a hardworking family man, he led a dangerous double life. Evidence later revealed ties to Mexican and Colombian drug cartels and his role in trafficking drugs and people across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Even more chilling — according to Nick —Marcos eventually confessed to multiple murders, including the brutal killings of Martin Luna, Miguel Luna, Santiago Urbano, and Hector Gutierrez.

When Nick stood trial, critical evidence that could have exonerated him was suppressed. The jury never heard about Marcos’s dark past or his damning confessions. Among the evidence withheld was a transcript of Marcos’s interrogation where he repeatedly admitted to being the true perpetrator.

“The fact that I’m here with you—I’m already dead,” Marcos told Investigator William Young during questioning.

When Young dismissed his fears saying, “Nick is in handcuffs. He can’t hurt you,” Marcos clarified, “I’m not worried about Nick. I’m worried about Martin’s family.”

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“These Are All Cartel People”

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Marcos revealed that Martin Luna’s family were powerful cartel members who had harmed people in both Mexico and the U.S. Despite his fear Marcos pleaded with Young to arrest him instead, insisting, “I am the one who is guilty.”

Rather than investigate Marcos’s claims, Young resorted to threats. He warned Marcos that his wife could be deported and his children placed in foster care unless he changed his story. Under relentless pressure, Marcos recanted his confession and implicated Nick in the murders.

In exchange for his coerced testimony Marcos received a deal: citizenship for himself and his family. Today he lives freely shielded by the very system that destroyed Nick’s life.

In coming weeks, we’ll be hearing directly from Nick. His case, a staggering indictment of a broken justice system—a system he insists ignored cartel connections, coerced a false confession, and sacrificed an innocent man to close its case.

The irony is gut-wrenching: A man who dedicated his life to saving others now sits behind bars betrayed by a system that chose convenience over truth.

Now that the campaign trail has ended I’ve committed my efforts to uncovering the truth and bringing to light the evidence suppressed in Nick’s case.

In upcoming chapters overlooked evidence will be revealed. We will dismantle the lies, unravel the cover-ups, and piece together the full story to determine how Nick ended up convicted of four murders he says he did not commit.