ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The family of a man murdered 40 years ago is now suing the city, claiming a pair of infamous Albuquerque police officers were the killers. The family also claims that the Albuquerque Police Department covered up the crime.

The suit claims those dirty cops were actually behind a string of killings.

Bob Davis could be the dirtiest cop to ever pass through APD. He was sentenced to decades in prison for his crimes. Now, a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday is claiming Davis and his partner were more than just thieves.

“It took us by surprise,” said retired APD Deputy Chief Nick Alarid. “We said, ‘Geez, how could this happen?”

Alarid recalled the bombshell that rocked Albuquerque back in the mid-70s when four rogue city cops were arrested for dozens of violent robberies across three states. The four were on APD’s traveling softball team.

“They went to Farmington and was playing softball there, they pulled a robbery there and got caught. It was almost a big shootout,” said Dick Ness, former APD Lieutenant.

The most notorious of those cops, Bob Davis, would be sentenced to more than 60 years in prison.

According to this new federal lawsuit, Davis may have been snuffing people while out on the job. The suit claims in 1976, Davis and his partner Robert Hobson took a suspected thief, Jose Farfan, out to the East Mountains and executed him.

The lawsuit goes on to claim that in the late 70’s and early 80’s, APD knew Davis and Hobson may have been behind at least three murders while they were cops. The suit claims after they were fired APD even got confessions in the Farfan case, but swept it all under the rug and made the files disappear.

Lawyers for the Farfan family claim an APD cold case detective uncovered all this in the past decade and even revealed to the family that he was probably murdered by the two Albuquerque police officers.

A saga of dirty police officers that people associated with APD at the time hoped was over and done with.

The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of money from the city. The city says it’s reviewing the lawsuit and will be filing a response in the coming week.

Davis was paroled about five years ago after serving about 30 years. His sentence was cut in half for good time even though he escaped from prison twice in New Mexico. At last check, he was living in Albuquerque