Man on Trial for Cannibalism Plot Might Not Deserve Criminal Charges of Conspiracy

A New York police officer is on trial in federal court for criminal charges claiming he conspired with a man in Pakistan to sexually assault, kill, and eat women.

If Valle is convicted, he faces life in prison.

Reportedly, officer Gilberto Valle spent hours on violent fetish websites. When his 27-year-old wife, Kathleen  Mangan-Valle, discovered his web browsing history, she fled from their home in Queens with their infant daughter, and turned a computer over to the FBI in Reno, Nevada.

Prosecutors read several graphic messages from Valle’s chat history to a man, allegedly in Pakistan, whose online name is “Alisherkhan.”

However, Valle’s defense has argued that the former police officer simply lived in a violent fantasy world. Despite the disturbing conversations which led to the criminal charges, there was no evidence that Valle was acting on his internet claims. Valle told Khan in one chat that he had rope, chloroform, and a large oven, but no evidence has been found that Valle owned or planned to purchase these items. He also claimed that he had stuffed a woman in a suitcase and put her in the back of his squad car, but the FBI failed to swab Valle’s vehicle for DNA, so the claim could not be used against him as part of the criminal charges. Finally, although Valle accessed a criminal database illegally to gather information about his potential targets, none of the names of his potential victims were listed with contact information or home addresses.

Investigators have been accused of making arbitrary decisions about which of the violent chats were potentially real plotting, and which were fantasy.

Disturbing Chat Messages Led to Criminal Charges Against Officer

“I have longed to butcher and cook female meat,” Valle told the man identified as Aly Khan early last year. Khan, allegedly a butcher, offered to find a place in Pakistan to help Valle kidnap, sexually assault, then kill and eat his wife and another female victim.

“I will make a good meal for you,” Khan promised.

“I just love the thought of stringing her upside down,” Valle wrote in an email displayed to the jury. He also said he would like “to see her suffer” and “slowly roast her until she dies.”

However, when Valle failed to immediately deliver victims, Khan taunted him in messages. “Are you really into it?” he asked, and, “Are you sure?” Valle affirmed both statements. “I’m dying to taste some girl meat,” he said in other chats.

Despite the graphic nature of the messages, which led to criminal charges of conspiracy to kidnap and murder, the defense shows that Valle never truly intended to carry out these fantasies.

In an email to a different person, Valle says, “No matter what I say, it’s make believe … I just have a world in my mind and in that world I am kidnapping women and selling them to people interested in buying.”

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Federal Criminal Charges

If you have been arrested on federal criminal charges, but that does not mean is that you are automatically guilty, or that you have no rights. For experienced criminal defense attorneys who will fight for your rights and work to have your charges reduced or even dismissed, contact the federal criminal defense attorneys at the Strom Law Firm today. We offer free, confidential consultations so you can discuss your case with impunity. 803.252.4800.