In 2012, the world was shocked when it was revealed that an NYPD cop had been arrested over his fantasies of wanting to abduct, murder, and eat his wife. Dubbed the “Cannibal Cop”, Gilberto Valle has gained notoriety after his deeply disturbing fetishes were publicly displayed for the entire world to see. Valle was eventually acquitted after a judged ruled he never meant to act on his desires and was only engaging in a fantasy. Unfortunately for him, his ex-wife doesn’t think so, and has blocked him from having any parental rights for their daughter, six-year-old Josephine.
Custody. Gilberto Valle has just lost custody of his daughter Josephine who he hasn’t seen since she was just 11 months old. Valle served 21 months behind bars after his arrest over chats that his wife found on his computer where he expressed his desire to kidnap and eat her.
Released. Valle maintains that his desires were simply a fantasy he never intended on acting out on, and a judge agreed. Because of this, he was eventually acquitted and released from jail. His wife however, is still convinced that Valle is a threat and fears he may be able to harm his daughter one day.
Not normal. "She has no idea who I am. I don't know what she looks like. I've been completely cleared but that doesn't mean my life is back to normal. This is going to stick with me for the rest of my life,” Valle told the New York Daily News.
Discovery. Valle’s ex-wife, Kathleen Mangan, moved to Reno, Nevada to get as far away from New York, where she lived with Valle before making the shocking discovery. Mangan grew suspicious of her husband after he would continuously spend hours on the computer, and decided to install Spyware onto his laptop.
Chats. That’s when she discovered the shocking chats and forums that Valle would often visit, where he discussed his cannibal fantasies with other fellow cannibals. He and another user described in detail how they would kidnap Mangan and dozens of other women before then cooking her alive.
Arrest. Horrified, Mangan turned over what she’d found to police, who subsequently arrested him. He was charged with conspiring to kidnap and consume women and was locked up for 21 months. During that time, his wife divorced him, reports the New York Daily News.
Released. Despite facing life in prison, Valle’s condition was over turned because he never actually did any of the things he fantasized about doing. Since being released from prison, Valle has written a memoir about his experience and participated in an HBO documentary where he shared his story.
Relationship. He’s also been in the midst of a custody battle for his daughter, who he wanted to maintain a relationship with. "I argued it's in the child's best interest to have a father. Kathleen argued, 'He might murder my daughter.' I don't think she really thinks that,” Valle told the New York Daily News.
Attorney fees. Valle was forced to drop the case because he could no longer afford to pay for it. A judge ordered that he pay all of his ex-wife’s attorney fees, which totaled $50,000. Unfortunately for him, all he can do now is hope his daughter will grow up one day and reach out to him herself.
Protection. However, he wishes he could have gotten a chance to protect her from all the stories about him. "It would be a lot better if she had a relationship with me for five or six years before she starts looking stuff up,” he said.
Not innocent. Mangan’s legal team maintains that although he’s been released from prison, it doesn’t mean he’s innocent or doesn’t pose a threat to his family. They still believe that he may one day harm his daughter and doesn’t deserve to be a parent.
Fantasies. "Josephine is a young girl, who will someday become a woman. Gilberto's 'fantasies' and involvement in these chat rooms puts Josephine at risk and given his affinity to fantasize about women close to him, there is a risk that Josephine may someday become a victim,” said Mangan in court documents, reports the New York Daily News.
Evidence. After being released from prison, Valle also reportedly engaged in a BDSM relationship with another adult, which was also used as further evidence to why he shouldn’t get his parenting privileges back. It’s unclear how that information became available.
Actions."Gilberto does not believe that his actions were wrong and it is believed he continues to frequent similar chat rooms...Gilberto continues to use the media and desires to remain in the limelight, flaunting his bizarre fantasies very publicly,” wrote Lauren Berkich, Mangan’s attorney, reports the New York Daily News.
Haunting past. For now, there isn’t much Valle can do about the decision. He is currently working as a construction worker as he says his past has kept potential employers from taking him seriously.