Former New York police officer Gilberto Valle is accused of conspiracy to kidnap and using police databases to make a list of targets
The estranged wife of New York’s so-called Cannibal Cop took to the witness stand yesterday, on the first day of her estranged husband’s conspiracy to kidnap trial.
Kathleen Mangan-Valle described how former NYPD officer Gilberto Valle planned to tie her up by her feet, then slit her throat and “watch the blood rush” from her body.
She went on to say how she discovered her husband’s alleged plot to “slow cook” and eat over 100 women after finding graphic emails on his computer.
She also claims to have found images of naked, blood-soaked women on the computer, some of whom she believes were dead.
The 27-year-old described how life with the accused, who is charged with using police databases to make a list of targets as well as conspiracy to kidnap, used to be normal until “weird stuff started happening”.
She says Valle began asking for specific details of her jogging routes and expressed an interest in how well lit and busy they were.
She says it was around this time that she used spyware to access the 28-year-old’s computer, where she allegedly discovered plans to cook and eat women.
Ms Mangan-Valle told the court: “I was going to be tied up by my feet and my throat slit and they were going to watch the blood drain out of me.”
She claims Valle also planned to put her friend in a suitcase and take her somewhere to be murdered.
She alleges she found emails in which Mr Valle discussed how two women would be raped in front of each other to heighten each other’s fears, while another was roasted alive over a fire.
Ms Mangan-Valle said: “The suffering was for his enjoyment and he wanted to make it last as long as possible”.
Mr Valle’s alleged plans came to light after Ms Mangan-Valle left the marital home and reported him to the FBI.
The FBI conducted an investigation and, according to assistant US attorney Randall Jackson, found a “heinous plot to kidnap, rape murder and cannibalise a number of very real women.”
Mr Jackson went on to say that Valle had contacted a number of the women on his ‘victims’ database, including a primary school teacher.
It was also alleged in court that Valle had also used the internet to research the best rope for tying people up, which chemicals render people unconscious, white slavery and recipes for human flesh.
Defence lawyers claim Valle was merely enjoying a role-playing fantasy, and that he never intended to carry out the kidnappings.
In her opening statement, defence lawyer Julia Gatto said: “You can’t convict people for their thoughts, even if they’re sick.”
The trial continues.
Please follow Law & Order on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
