A New York police officer accused of plotting to kidnap and eat women went on trial in Manhattan federal court Friday.
The proceedings started with jury selection, which was expected to be a complicated process, given the nature of the alleged crimes by 28-year-old Gilberto Valle and the potential difficulty of finding unbiased jurors.
Opening arguments, which in more straightforward cases sometimes start the same day as jury selection, were not scheduled for another two weeks.
Valle, a promising six-year officer of the New York Police Department, is accused of conspiracy to kidnap and illegally accessing the police criminal database to research potential victims.
According to prosecutors, Valle made elaborate plans to drug and carry off women, who would then be roasted on spits, or put in ovens, and eaten.
Valle has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers say the alleged plot was nothing more than a sick — but surprisingly common — sexual fantasy. No women were harmed by Valle, though prosecutors say his plans, discussed on specialist cannibal fetish websites, went far beyond fantasy.
Valle, who had been aiming for promotion to sergeant, is in custody in Manhattan at the Metropolitan Correctional Center’s Special Housing Unit for high-security prisoners.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on the kidnapping conspiracy charge.
Accused New York cannibal cop goes on trial
