NEW YORK (AP) — A defense lawyer says a New York City police officer’s talk of cannibalizing women was “no more real than an alien invasion.”
The lawyer made the argument Thursday at the close of the kidnapping conspiracy trial for Officer Gilberto Valle (VAL’-ee).
The FBI began investigating Valle after his estranged wife reported his online chats about abducting, killing and eating women, including her.
His lawyers say he’s being prosecuted for indulging in harmless fantasies. But a prosecutor says the evidence shows that Valle “left the world of fantasy and entered the world of reality.”
During the two-week trial, jurors have viewed disturbing images of women being tortured and strangled.
The 28-year-old Valle could face life in prison if convicted on a kidnapping charge.
