Mary Ann Collura

Not So Innocent

Though authorities are skeptical to say the least, the way Gallucio sees it, the very fact that Omar Marti was on the road that night was testament to his brother's efforts to lead him to salvation.

According to Gallucio, Omar and Victor Marti Jr., along with a cousin, Ivan, were heading out that night to visit a close family friend in Paterson, a young woman who, it seemed, shared Victor Marti Jr.'s new found faith. "He takes her kids to church with them a lot."

Maybe it was just a family outing on Holy Thursday to visit good church going folks. But if that was the case, authorities wonder, why was Omar Marti carrying at least one ounce-plus bag of dope with him, and why did he feel the need to tuck a .357 magnum in his waistband before he walked out the door?

And if it was an innocent outing, why did the three young men take two cars, authorities wonder? Could it have been, as some investigators have speculated, that Victor Jr. knew that Omar and Ivan were carrying dope in their car, a 1989 Nissan with fictitious plates on it, and that he trailed them so that he could act as a decoy in case a cop tried to pull them over? It is, says Mike Mordaga, chief of detectives for the Bergen County Prosecutors office, a time honored technique among drug traffickers.

"That's the reason for a tail car...they try to distract the pursuing police officer. I believe that happened here."

If that was the gambit, Mordaga said, it didn't work. "I believe that they screwed up and I believe that the police officer pulled over the right car," he said.

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1. Point Blank
2. Holy Thursday
3. As If He Never Was
4. Small Time
5. An Easy Shift
6. An Act of Courage
7. Last Call
8. The Prodigal Son Returns
9. Not So Innocent
10. A Routine Stop
11. The Chase Begins
12. On His Own
13. Show Down
14. In the Killer's Eyes
15. "Oh, God!"
16. Marti's Flight
17. Legacy
18. Bibliography