Under intense questioning, FBI Special Agent Corey Walsh admitted there were no ropes, no chloroform, and no pulley system for kidnapping and torturing women attributed to NYPD Officer Gill Valle.
Of the grizzly conversations that made jurors cringe: "'There were no women in the chats that were tortured, killed or cooked?' a defense attorney asked. 'Thankfully, no," the agent said.'"
Federal prosecutors' claim Valle was involved what they call a "heinous plot to kidnap, murder and cannibalize real women."
Psychologists, Dr. Tiger Devore, say it's actually called vorarephilia.
"These are people who have a fetish of consuming the flesh of the desired other. In this instance it's about selecting and identifying other prey. Like usually its men and like usual they are preying on women," Dr. Devore said.
A line though is crossed, he says, when a person starts to identify potential victims.
In this case, federal prosecutors say several women known to Valle, including his wife Kathleen, were potential targets.
There are those grizzly online chats too about killing and cooking women.
"The risk of this occurring actually becomes much greater. They kind of egg each other on, instead of working up the excitement to keep it on the healthy side of fantasizing they almost become pressured by each other to go ahead and act out," Dr. Devore said.
Officer Valle fights charges of conspiracy to kidnap and unauthorized use of a law enforcement data base.
But his defense team claims this is all harmless fetish fantasies.
"He hasn't offended, which is what I think this whole case is going to hang on. He hasn't actually done anything to anyone, but if I were treating him I'd be reporting him," Dr. Devore said.
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