"Cannibal Cop" Case Closes
Jury left to decide whether he actually intended to kidnap, cook woman or if it was just a fantasy
New York City's accused "cannibal cop" crossed the line from fantasy to reality in plotting to kidnap, cook and eat women, a federal prosecutor told a jury in closing arguments on Thursday.
Defense attorney Julia Gatto countered in summations that her client was playing a fantasy role online, and told jurors "we don't convict human beings because of ugly thoughts … even if they are police officers."
Police Officer Gilberto Valle, 28, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiring to kidnap, saying he had merely engaged in online fetish role play.