Casefile True Crime - Case 331: Girl Meat Hunter
Episode Date: September 27, 2025In 2010, a user known as Girl Meat Hunter joined The Fetish Network, a website where people with extreme sexual fetishes could connect and interact. On their profile, Girl Meat Hunter described t...heir interests as the “easy A.B.C” – Abduction, Bondage, and Cannibalism.What was only meant to be an online safe space for creative roleplay soon took a dark turn, as Girl Meat Hunter’s deadly desires began to blur the line between fantasy and reality.---Narration – Anonymous HostResearch & writing – Milly RasoCreative direction – Milly RasoProduction & music – Mike MigasAudio editing – Anthony TelferSign up for Casefile Premium:Apple PremiumSpotify PremiumPatreonFor all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-331-girl-meat-hunter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Please note that the names of several individuals in this episode have been changed.
In 2009, with the help of two others,
Russian national Sergei Marenkoff co-founded a website called The Dark Fetish Network.
The trio had identified a niche market of people with sexual fetishes and fantasies outside the mainstream,
and they set out to create a social media platform where those individuals could connect and interact.
It was essentially a clone of Facebook, featuring personalised profiles, public chats,
private messages, groups, and the ability to publish photo albums.
Sergei took on the role of Webmaster, overseeing the administrative side of the website and
providing technical support. He also wrote all of the descriptive text on the site's homepage.
About a quarter of the way down under the heading Welcome to the Dark Fetish Network,
Sergey had written.
Welcome to the social network where you won't feel like an outcast because of your dark fetish.
Why?
Because this place is created by people like you, for people like you.
So feel free to look around, meet some crazy in a good way people, and become part of our growing
adults-only 18-plus community.
The welcome message ended with a disclaimer.
Please also remember that this place is about fantasies only, so play safe.
To use all of the site's features, viewers of the Dark Fetish Network had to sign up to become members.
All they needed was an email address and a username.
Unlike competing websites with a similar theme such as VetLife, which had nearly 2 million users
worldwide, the Dark Fetish Network amassed a much smaller community of about 38,000 members.
Once registered, members were able to create a personalized profile that could be viewed by
other users. Filling it out was optional, but doing so was considered essential if you wanted
to easily connect with like-minded people. A profile was divided into three main sections. The first section
uncovered basic personal information, including the members' first and last names, country of
origin, gender and age. The second section titled About Me allowed members to write
autobiographical summaries about themselves. The third and most important section was titled
About My Fetish, where members could describe their sexual preferences. The dark fetish network
encompassed all types of fetishes. The most popular was sexual asphyxiation, but other common ones
featured on the site included bondage, voyeurism, exhibitionism, humiliation and objectification.
There were body-focused fetishes centred on feet, stomachs and hair, and others involving supernatural
or mythical themes. At the extreme end of the spectrum were fetishes pertaining to excrement,
torture, vore, necrophilia, and cannibalism.
Users interacted through consensual roleplay scenarios,
following storylines they devised and assuming roles,
much like actors in a movie.
For site co-creator Sergei Marenkoff,
the fantasy aspect of the Dark Fetish Network was paramount.
He claimed to terminate the accounts of anyone
who violated the site's terms of service,
including those engaging in conversations that, in his words, could have led to something bad.
Sergei stressed that the fantasies discussed on his site should never spill over into real-world criminal activity.
In 2010, a new member joined the Dark Fetish Network under the username Girl Meat Hunter.
While he withheld any identifying details, his profile revealed that he was a man from the United States.
His profile picture depicted a woman with a large red apple stuffed in her mouth, accompanied by the quote,
Tonight, my dear, you are the main course.
In the About My Fetish section, Girl Meat Hunter listed what he called the Easy ABC,
Abduction, bondage, and cannibalism.
While others enjoyed fantasies of women willingly submitting to torture, death or being eaten,
Girl Meat Hunter dismissed consent, saying it ruined the whole thing.
I am a little different, he wrote. I am a little more sadistic. I would want her to suffer.
I would want to see her suffer.
Not long after signing up to the Dark Fetish Network,
Girl Meat Hunter followed a trend that had unfolded on the site
by uploading a photo album titled What Would You Do With Her?
The trend involved users compiling photos of women they claimed to know in real life,
typically lifted from their social media accounts.
Other members then commented on the photos, reflecting their own sexual fetishes.
For example, those interested in BDSM might write about hog-tying the women and forcing submission,
while those drawn to sleep play might describe drugging the women and engaging with their unconscious bodies.
One Friday, Girl Meat Hunter uploaded images of ten different women,
labelling them Girl Number One, Girl Number Two, and so on.
By the time Girl Meet Hunter logged back in on Sunday night,
his album had received approximately 50 comments.
Out of courtesy, most of the comments were tailored to indulge his passion for bondage and
cannibalism.
Damn, she looks tender, one user wrote.
Another left a comment urging rape and mutilation.
Delighted, Girlmate Hunter referred to the women as, quote, extremely rapable,
outlining how he wanted to tie them down and assault them
before escalating into the more macabre.
He said he would truss one up like a turkey
and place her into an oven while she was still alive.
Once dead, he would butcher her body, cook the meat and, quote,
The sounds of her screams will be the sweetest music to my ears.
By January 2011, Girl Meet Hunter was well known on the Dark Fetish Network for his group chat
contributions and for sharing large amounts of hardcore pornography, though his real-world identity
remained hidden. Whenever users praised his posts or shared an interest in his fetishes,
he reached out to them privately. Over time, he established a close-knit surface. Over time, he established a close-knit
circle of around 20 people with whom he kept a regular contact, some more frequently than
others. Their conversations were far from casual small talk. Hey, got some time to play around a bit,
they asked one another before beginning or continuing a roleplay scenario. Others enjoyed role
playing with Girl Meet Hunter because he was a decent writer. He also catered to their fetishes rather
than focusing solely on his own, crafting in-depth stories that spanned a wide range of kinks
even after his own needs were met. If Girlmate Hunter wasn't satisfied with how things were
progressing with a role play partner, he abandoned them. Meticulous and detailed-oriented,
he preferred partners who were equally graphic and explicit. Scenarios couldn't be rushed. They
He could last weeks, with roleplay sessions lasting for several hours at a time.
While he wasn't online every night, he typically appeared three or four times a week and
sometimes throughout the day. Girl Meet Hunter was often invited to roleplay as the captor of fictitious
women in peril, but those scenarios didn't excite him. What aroused him were fantasies
involving the ten women he allegedly knew in real life. He continued to share their photos online,
along with their names, ages, physical descriptions, occupations, and relationship statuses.
He imagined them chloroformed and kidnapped, stripped naked, bound, and displayed on a platter
with an apple in their mouths. He fantasized about slit throats, decapitations, and making bacon strips
from belly flesh.
When a user asked if he would ever actually eat human flesh
if the chance presented itself in real life,
Girlmate Hunter bluntly replied, yes.
Over time, his fantasies grew to include almost 100 women,
each one described as someone he longed to kidnap and cook.
One of the downsides of the Dark Fetish Network
was that it could be slow to love,
Eventually, GirlMeet Hunter and his core group of role players shifted their conversations to Yahoo Messenger.
The free platform offered features the Dark Fetish Network didn't, including instant messaging,
file sharing, and the ability to see when others were online.
While GirlMeet Hunter remained active on the Dark Fetish Network, if he connected with a role
player he particularly enjoyed, he shared his Yahoo Messenger handle to convince.
continue the scenario there instead. While he used multiple usernames across different
websites, for the sake of clarity, CaseFile will refer to him exclusively as Girl Meat
Hunter. Around June 2012, about two years into Girlmate Hunter's online presence, he began
receiving messages from a member of the Dark Fetish Network named Meat Market Men. Based in
England, the only other thing Girlmate Hunter knew about him was that they shared a mutual
lust for cannibalism. Meat Market Man claimed he had killed and eaten two women in real life.
Their conversations soon moved to Yahoo Messenger, where Meat Market Man went by the name
Moody Blues. The two chatted almost non-stop and often late into the night. By July, their
conversations had taken on a more purposeful tone as they began plotting ways to make their
fantasies a reality. Moody Blues assumed a mentor-like role, helping brainstorm methods to torment
Girlmate Hunter's intended victims. In one exchange, Girl Meat Hunter described a softball player
he knew as, quote, the most desirable piece of meat I've ever met. Moody Blues suggested knocking
her out with a baseball bat, calling it poetic justice. In another conversation, Girl Meat Hunter
proposed that Moody Blues travel to the US so they could kidnap one of the ten women he was
infatuated with. Moody Blues agreed. How big is your oven? he inquired. Big enough to fit
one of these girls if I folded their legs, Girlmate Hunter replied.
They ultimately settled on a woman named Charlotte, who Girl Meat Hunter described as one of his
favorite victims.
He had fantasized about her for ten years, relishing the idea of slaughtering her and noting
she had, quote, good meat on her arms.
When Moody Blues suggested they eat Charlotte alive, Girlmate Hunter replied, I'm not really
into raw meat.
The men proceeded to discuss staging a cookout.
with Charlotte as the main course.
I have a place up in the mountains, Girlmate Hunter wrote.
No one around for three quarters of a mile.
Maybe we'll tie her to the rotissory and cook her outside.
Middy Blues questioned how they would get Charlotte over the fire,
noting that a spit would kill her quickly.
He suggested she'd be confined in some kind of cage instead.
Girl Meat Hunter considered securing her body-torn apparatus and cooking her slowly over a low flame,
deliberately keeping her alive for as long as possible.
He said he was in the process of building a pulley system in his basement to hang victims by their feet.
That's where she will be held captive and raped, he explained,
adding that once Charlotte was dead, she'd be taken down and properly butchered before being put in the
the oven. Moody Blues noted that if they didn't waste any of her, they would have nearly 75 pounds of
food. What do you want to do with the head? he asked. Girlmate Hunter replied that when they
sat down to wait, he wanted Charlotte's head displayed as a gruesome centrepiece, fixed in her
final expression of terror. Moody Blues expressed doubt about Girlmate Hunter's commitment, saying,
I've been let down before.
Girlmate Hunter confidently explained that he had the entire event planned in his mind,
though he was still working out the final details of the abduction, which needed to be flawless.
He intended to show up at Charlotte's home unannounced, so she would never see it coming.
He would then knock her out with chloroform and wait until dark before taking her away.
When Moody Blues suggested it might be better if they targeted a stranger to avoid suspicion,
Girlmate Hunter responded,
Her family is out of state, convinced that no one would connect him to the crime.
As the pair continued to devise their plan,
Moody Blues mentioned he had anaesthetic gases,
while Girl Mate Hunter would make the chloroform using a recipe he had found online.
They grew giddy at the thought of Charlotte's sleeping peacefully elsewhere,
completely unaware of what they were preparing for her.
Her days are numbered, Girlmate Hunter exclaimed.
He intended to do a dry run, showing up unannounced in Charlotte's neighbourhood
under the pretense of a casual hello.
Though one sure how the plan might eventually unfold,
he insisted that his intention of kidnapping Charlotte and getting away,
with it, was the absolute truth.
On Thursday, July 19, 2012,
Girl Meat Hunter informed Moody Blues that he had arranged to meet Charlotte in person for brunch
that coming weekend.
He then emailed through a document he had prepared titled,
Abducting and Cooking Charlotte, a blueprint.
The document contained personal detail,
about Charlotte, including her name, date of birth, height, weight, and brass eyes.
In a section titled Materials Needed, Girl Meat Hunter had listed the tools required to carry
out his fantasy, including his car, a plastic tarp to line the trunk, chloroform to render Charlotte
unconscious, the strongest kind of rope to bind her, duct tape for gagging, plastic bags
for her clothes and a pair of cheap sneakers to wear.
I'll be eyeing her from head to toe and licking my lips, he wrote,
adding that he longed for the day he could render her unconscious with chloroform.
Moody Blues joked that Girlmate Hunter would be more focused on eating Charlotte than his brunch.
After the weekend, Girlmate Hunter immediately messaged Moody Blues, commenting on how
mouth-watering and delicious Charlotte was.
By late August, his fixation had switched to two other women on his top ten list, an 18-year-old
high school senior named Lily and another woman named Georgia. He spoke of his desire
to capture and kill Georgia, saying he wanted her to absolutely suffer, and claimed it was
personal. If Georgia lived near me, he wrote, she would be gone by now. She would be gone by now.
Even if I get caught, she would be worth it.
While Girl Meat Hunter remained primarily dedicated to abduction, bondage and cannibalism,
he also developed a fascination with slavery scenarios
in which kidnapped women were sold to the highest bidder.
Combining this new interest with his existing fetishes,
he created a new photo album on the Dark Fetish Network titled
cook her or sell her.
Starting in late January 2012,
he confided in another slavery fetish enthusiast known online
as Mike Van Heys 81 about plans to also turn these fantasies into reality.
Girl Meat Hunter offered to abduct a woman off his list
to sell to Mike Vanheyes for $5,000.
Her name was Marissa and she was an elementary school teacher
whom Girlmate Hunter knew in real life.
He sent Mike Van Hires four photos of Marissa
taken from her Facebook page,
warning,
She is kind of feisty and no nonsense,
not sure how soon she would submit.
Certain he could break Marissa in more ways than one,
Mike Van Hires eagerly envisioned turning her into his slave,
quote,
Sex, Made, and otherwise.
If she tried to escape, he would beat her.
If she tried again, became pregnant or was unfaithful, he would kill her.
Girl Meat Hunter's tone grew grisly and mechanical as he outlined his plan to stalk Marissa.
He knew she had a week off work coming up and suggested abducting her then,
as this would give him more time before anyone realized she was missing.
He described rendering Marissa unconscious, placing her in a large suitcase, and wheeling it to his van
to deliver to Mike Vanheiser's home in New Jersey.
She would remain fully dressed so that Mike could have, quote, the pleasure of unwrapping his gift.
The pair even discussed raping Marissa together before going their separate ways.
Girl Meat Hunter demanded the full $5,000 payment upon delivery.
When Mike tried to haggle, Girlmate Hunter refused to accept any less,
insisting he needed the money and emphasising the very risky nature of the job
which could ruin his life if he were caught.
He wrote,
I am putting my neck on the line.
If something goes wrong somehow, I am in deep shit.
$5,000, and you need to make sure she is not found.
She will definitely make the news.
He added that he aspired to become a professional kidnapper,
framing the price strictly as business.
When Mike Van Hires expressed doubt that Girlmate Hunter was going to follow through,
Girlmate Hunter replied,
I am just afraid of getting caught,
if I were guaranteed to get away with it,
I would do it.
When asked, are you sure, he answered firmly, definitely.
Then, on the night of Saturday, September 9, 2012, something unexpected happened.
After two years of consistent activity on the Dark Fetish Network, Girlmate Hunter abruptly closed his account.
He immediately informed Moody Blues on Yahoo Messenger, who,
wanted to know why. Girlmate Hunter explained less of a chance of getting caught.
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We all want to hear about who killed that young couple.
The girl didn't die.
Now.
You're dead, right?
It's been going on for years.
You're the only one that survived.
In this town, the only stranger is you.
Why are you doing this?
Because you're here.
Open the door.
Let me out of here.
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The next?
A harvest ho-down with goats, alpacas, and a mechanical bowl.
And yeah, both feel right.
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In mid-2012,
elementary school teacher turned stay-at-home mother Jackie Valley
was growing increasingly concerned
about her husband's unusual behavior.
28-year-old Gilberto Valley,
known to friends and family as Gil,
had recently been spending much more time on their computer in the living room.
He had always been a night owl as he worked late and struggled to go straight to sleep.
He typically stayed up for a couple of hours playing video games, watching television or browsing the internet.
But after Jackie became pregnant, his behaviour worsened. He started staying up until 3, 4 or even 5am.
Sometimes he wouldn't come to bed at all.
Jackie had met Gilberto about three years earlier on a dating website.
He sent the first message and when she viewed his profile, his occupation immediately caught her eye.
He was an officer with the New York Police Department.
Jackie's father had been a police officer and she thought the job sounded so cool.
She replied to Gilberto and the two arranged.
to meet for dinner.
Their first date went exceptionally well.
They shared laughs, enjoyed dessert, and cuddled together at the movies.
The night ended with a passionate kiss and the shared sensation that something special had just begun.
Things moved quickly after that.
Within weeks, Jackie and Gilberto were officially a couple.
A year later, they moved into a New York apartment together and got to do that.
a puppy. Then in January 2011, Jackie discovered she was pregnant.
Gilberto's initial reaction was one of shock and uncertainty. He didn't feel they were ready.
But after long discussions, he seemingly embraced the idea of becoming a father. Their daughter
was born that September. Five months later, Gilberto proposed. The couple
celebrated with a small but lovely wedding soon after.
Life as new parents started off happily enough, but Jackie gradually felt that she and
Gilberto were drifting apart. As their intimacy faded, Gilberto immersed himself
deeper online. Whenever Jackie caught a glimpse of the computer screen, it appeared he was
browsing innocuous sites like ESPN, Major League Baseball, and a message board for
New York cops.
It wasn't until Gilberto started regularly deleting his internet search history that Jackie
began to suspect he was hiding something, possibly an affair.
When the computer stopped working in mid-2012, Gilberto began using Jackie's laptop.
He created his own account on the device, secured with the password.
One night in August, as Gilberto slept,
Jackie saw that he had forgotten to log out.
At the bottom of the home screen were two small image files.
She clicked on them, but the pictures wouldn't load.
However, she could view the file information which revealed their source,
a website called the Dark Fetish Network.
Jackie typed the website's URL into a browser
and discovered it was a pornographic forum for hardcore fetishists.
Its homepage displayed a naked woman hogtied and covered in blood.
To Jackie, she appeared to be dead.
The discovery left her stunned.
Gilberto was a kind, baby-faced man who some likened to a teddy bear.
Sensitive, patient and respectful, he was the perfect gentleman, opening doors for Jack.
and pulling out the chair for her at dinner.
He supported the family on his single income
while treating them to special joys
such as meals out or trips to the zoo.
Gilberto had never faced any misconduct complaints
as a police officer,
nor had he been involved in criminal activity
or substance abuse.
Though he and Jackie sometimes disagreed,
he had never shown aggression, anger,
or any inclination to harm.
women. A virgin when they met, his intimacy with the Jackie had never involved anything
resembling the content on the Dark Fetish Network. Gilberto was still asleep at 8 a.m. when
Jackie tapped him on the shoulder. Nervous, she tried to meet his gaze, but couldn't quite
manage it. She told him he had left his account open on her computer. She hadn't meant to
prior, but when she clicked on an image, it took her to a website showing a woman tied up.
Jackie's tone wasn't angry or accusatory, yet Gilberto looked frightened. He quickly apologised,
insisting he hadn't meant for her to see it, and explaining that it was nothing.
Sometimes, after late shifts, he said he came home wound up, and instead of waking Jackie,
he watched pornography instead.
Most of it was normal stuff, though occasionally he looked at bondage content.
Jackie relaxed slightly.
She told Gilberto she understood and even suggested they experiment together as a way to reconnect.
She proposed that he stopped by a sex shop the next day to pick up a few items for them to try.
Gilberto seemed both relieved and enthusiastic.
For Jackie, the exchange offered a flicker of hope, the first since before her pregnancy.
She later recalled,
I thought maybe we had a breakthrough that we were communicating,
that he was going to be honest and talk to me.
Despite Jackie's optimism, the discovery changed both her and Gilbert.
irrevocably. Jackie couldn't stop thinking about what she'd seen, while Gilberto seemed
increasingly suspicious of everything Jackie did. Overcome with a growing sense of dread and feeling
she had no choice, on Sunday, September 10, 2012, Jackie installed spyware on her laptop. The program
recorded every keystroke, tracked every website visited, captured screenshots every five minutes,
and monitored all emails sent and received.
The spyware revealed that Gilberto was still secretly visiting fetish websites.
Jackie later reflected,
I know S&M is kind of popular, like 50 Shades of Grey, but this seemed different.
When she came across images of feet detached from bodies,
Jackie realized her husband's interests went far beyond just bondage content.
The following morning, Jackie once again tapped the shoulder of the sleeping Gilberto, waking him.
I logged into the computer just now, she immediately told him, and I saw everything.
Gilberto tried to feign ignorance, but Jackie laughed sarcastically.
Oh, so you're going to deny it?
When he tried to speak, Jackie cut him off.
Cook women. Grill them. That's what we are to you.
She said she intended to take their baby and get away for a while.
Desperate, Gilberto pleaded, Jackie, what you saw is not who I am.
He professed his love for Jackie, insisting she knew him, while apologising and begging her not to leave.
Tears streaming down her face, Jackie went to the bedroom and began packing.
Once she had calmed down slightly, she told the anguish to Gilberto.
I'm just a little freaked out. I need to get away.
She gathered their daughter and left for the airport, heading to her parents' home interstate.
In shock and grappling with a whirlwind of emotions, Jackie sent a text to Gilberto.
shortly after leaving, that said,
I do love you.
Later, she messaged him again, saying that she wasn't giving up,
and that they would work through this together.
Jackie suggested he schedule a couple's therapy appointment in a few weeks.
Sounds great, Gilberto replied.
I'm happy to hear that.
When you come back, we start over.
That's it.
I never want to see you.
like that again, and I won't let it happen again.
Jackie had taken her laptop with her.
Days later, she logged into the spyware program again
to further inspect the data it had collected.
Among the screenshots, she noticed an unfamiliar Yahoo email address.
Curious, she went to Yahoo's website and entered the sign-in details.
Although she didn't know the password, she tried one that she and Gilberto used for everything else.
It worked.
Jackie was confronted with thousands of disturbing messages and images Gilberto had sent under the alias of Girl Meat Hunter and others.
The lurid messages detailed his desires and plans to abduct, rape, kill and eat women.
Even more horrifying, his targets included ten women they both knew in real life,
whose photos he had taken from their Facebook pages and shared online.
Among them was an old friend from Jackie's workplace,
Gilberto supervisor at the precinct, his high school crush,
an 18-year-old graduate from his former high school, and several of his college friends.
Overcome with equal parts repulsion and terror, Jackie clicked on the inbox's search bar and typed in, Jackie.
There were countless hits.
In messages from early 2012, Gilberto had corresponded with someone using the name Ali Khan.
Ali said he had been banned from the Dark Fetish Network for trying to turn his fantasies of buying and killing women
into reality.
This piqued Gilberto's interest, given his growing fascination with the idea of selling women.
The two men quickly struck up an online friendship.
Gilberto suggested taking his wife on a trip to India, where they could meet with Ali Khan.
The two men would then take turns raping Jackie, before Gilberto planned to hang her by her feet and slit her throat, then cook.
and consume her remains.
He shared a photo of Jackie in a bikini,
noting that she had a lot of meat on various parts of her body.
Ali Khan said he would enjoy watching her blood gush,
adding that if she cried, they should show no mercy.
Gilberto replied,
It's okay, we will just gag her.
For Gilberto, the live cooking of Jackie was solely for his.
own entertainment and her suffering. He said he wanted Jackie to experience as much pain as
possible through her ordeal, insisting that the rape would be the easy part for her.
Upon uncovering this horrifying information, Jackie messaged to Gilberto, I need to know
who you really are. Right now I'm betrayed and terrified. I need the truth about everything.
She asked whether he had ever shared pictures of her or their daughter on the websites he frequented or in the emails he sent.
Gilberto replied,
Absolutely not, I promise.
Jackie knew Gilberto was lying.
While she hadn't found any pictures of their now one-year-old daughter in his correspondence,
he had shared plenty of images of her and much more.
In an email titled Fourth of July menu,
Gilberto listed the personal details, physical descriptions, and photos of several women he knew.
Woman number six was described as 26 years old, five feet seven inches tall,
weighing 150 to 160 pounds, married, and with a baby daughter.
The name given was Jackie, and the accompanying photo was of her.
Gilberto asked Jackie when she would be coming back, but she refused to answer.
Instead, she demanded that he be completely honest.
Gradually, he began to confess everything.
By Wednesday, October 24, 2012, Jackie had been gone for six weeks.
Gilberto had the day off from work and was
alone in their New York apartment watching a movie when around 2pm, a knock sounded at the
door. He didn't move. He wasn't expecting anyone and was not in the mood for visitors.
The knocking eventually stopped, but minutes later, his cell phone lit up with a call from
unknown. He ignored it, only for the phone to ring again five minutes later. This time he
answered. A male voice asked, hello, is this officer Valley? Yes, Gilberto replied,
who's this? The caller identified himself as a police officer from the 112th precinct.
He explained that Gilberto's parked car had just been hit and suffered pretty bad damage.
He asked Gilberto to come outside so they could file a report.
Gilberto got dressed, holstered his work-issued handgun and headed for the door.
Gilberto stepped into the hallway.
As he rounded the corner toward the stairwell, he was met by six police officers with their guns trained on him.
Put your hands up, one ordered.
Gilberto raised his hands, protesting that it was all a misunderstanding.
Within moments, his wrists were covered.
cuffed behind his back and his service weapon taken.
Among the officers stood an FBI agent named Anthony Foto.
Everything is going to be all right, Agent Foto told him.
Gilberto shook his head and said,
I don't think so.
Gilberto Valley was taken into custody and placed in an interview room with Agent Photo
who explained that this was Gilberto's one chance to get ahead in the game by sharing his
side of the story.
Gilberto declined the offer of a lawyer and began speaking.
He started, quite literally, from the very beginning, his childhood.
Gilberto grew up in a quiet, uneventful neighbourhood in New York.
He was well-liked in school, had plenty of friends, earned good grades and stood out as a talented baseball player.
The only shadow over his childhood was his parents troubled marriage.
They argued often and when they weren't fighting, they tended to ignore each other.
By the time Gilberto was five, his parents had separated.
Both remained devoted to him, with his father pushing him to work hard and aim high,
while his mother nurtured his kindness, generosity and love for animals.
In 2002, Gilberto left for college, where he shared an apartment with three roommates.
He threw himself into campus life, parties and social activities.
Midway through his senior year, he decided to pursue a career in law enforcement,
He passed the admission test with ease and completed the 1600 question-long multiple-choice psychological
evaluation, probing everything from racial attitudes to finances, relationships, and even bedwetting.
Gilberto claimed he answered truthfully and no red flags were raised.
He then completed a 30-minute face-to-face examination with a psychologist covering his upbringing relationships,
education and lifestyle. The only issue he admitted to was trying cannabis three times.
He was cleared to begin training and progressed smoothly through the academy. His first posting was
to one of New York's most violent precincts, but he handled the pressure well and found it less intimidating
than expected. Afterwood, he was reassigned to the quieter 26th precinct, where he still worked.
worked six years later.
Gilberto loved his job, but the long irregular hours made it difficult to maintain a social life.
When a colleague suggested online dating, Gilberto decided to give it a try.
He met Jackie, became a father, got married, and settled into family life.
Telling all this to FBI agent Anthony Foto, Gilberto said he had nothing more to add.
agent photo was incredulous he knew of some very serious allegations against gilberto that were deliberately
admitted from his otherwise flawless backstory determined to uncover the truth photo spent the next
two hours questioning gilberto about the dark fetish network girl meat hunter and the ten women at the
center of it all.
Gilberto admitted to everything, though he struggled to explain why he did it.
He claimed he didn't particularly enjoy the experience and acknowledged that it was
destroying his personal life.
The long nights in front of the computer left him exhausted, created distance and suspicion
in his marriage, and eroded any desire for intimacy with his wife.
Recognising his online life was beginning to.
to damage his real one, Gilberto said he'd started taking steps to change.
In what he insisted was pure coincidence, the night before Jackie uncovered everything,
he logged into the Dark Fetish Network for the last time and permanently deleted his account.
Gilberto was resolute that while his online conversations about harming women might have sounded
realistic, they were nothing more than make-believe sexual roleplay. He was adamant that he had never
hurt anyone, and that no one was ever in any real danger. Despite the thousands of gruesome messages
in which he discussed the abduction, rape and murder of several particular women, all of them
were found safe and completely unaware of Gilberto's online activities. Many hadn't spoken to
or thought about him in years.
Others maintained only casual contact,
exchanging birthday wishes or brief life updates.
The 18-year-old on Gilberto's list didn't even know him.
It seemed Gilberto was telling the truth
that everything he did was confined to cyberspace.
At least, that's what he said.
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During his interview with Gilberto Valley,
Agent Anthony Photo revealed that the FBI had made
major discovery in their investigation of Girl Meat Hunter.
One of the women on his list was a New York resident named Marissa.
She was an old friend and former colleague of Jackie Valley from when she worked as an
elementary school teacher.
Online, Gilberto had schemed to abduct and sell Marissa to a user he interacted with
known as Mike Van Heys 81.
On Thursday, March 1, 2012, the day after a round of these discussions,
the GPS in Gilberto's cell phone traced him to the block where Marissa lived.
The implication was chilling.
Gilberto hadn't merely fantasized about stalking women,
but had seemingly carried out the behavior in the real world.
He insisted it was a coincidence or misunderstanding,
but struggled to offer a fully credible explanation as to why he had been in the area.
This discovery led to Gilberto's first chargeable offense, conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
Yet, that wasn't the only piece of evidence authorities found that suggested Gilberto had taken
steps to turn his fantasies into reality. While on duty, Gilberto had access to a restricted
law enforcement database containing sensitive information such as individuals' addresses,
dates of birth, license plate numbers, and other personal details.
Officers were permitted to use it strictly for official police work.
Records showed Gilberto had conducted unauthorized searches on multiple women from his list
during his time as Girl Meat Hunter.
This discovery led to Gilberto's second and final charge.
unauthorized access to a law enforcement database.
On the conspiracy charge alone, he was facing a potential life sentence.
Gilberto was denied bail and remained in prison until his trial began nearly four months later in February 2013.
By then, the case had become a headline stable, with the horrific and grotesque nature of Gilberto's online messages
filling tabloid pages.
The idea that an apparently normal, functioning member of society spent his nights
talking about slitting women's throats and roasting them alive was made even more frightening
by the fact that he was an active police officer, sworn to protect the community.
Dubbed by the media as the cannibal cop, Gilberto was likened to the fictional cannibalistic
serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter from the hospital.
horror thriller novel The Silence of the Lambs.
Even more damning were comparisons to real-life serial killers, including the infamous Milwaukee
cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, who murdered 17 men and boys, and like Gilberto, harbored disturbing
fascinations with human flesh.
For that reason, Gilberto was widely perceived as a deviant monster and a danger to society.
That was, right up in the world.
until his trial began.
As Gilberto's trial date loomed,
the evidence supporting his charge of conspiracy
to commit kidnapping weakened.
The police had initially claimed
that GPS data placed Gilberto on the same block
as the home of one of his intended victims,
but this was then reduced to in the vicinity
and later to being within 500 yards.
Finally, the morning that Gilberto's trial was set to begin,
the prosecution conceded that they would not be using the GPS evidence at all.
While the charge remained, the evidence now relied solely on the content of Gilberto's online activity.
Make no mistake, the prosecution asserted.
Gilberto Valley was very serious about these plans.
They contended that Google searches he had carried.
carried out, demonstrated intent.
Gilberto had searched for such things as how to make homemade chloroform, the best rope to tie
someone up with, the world's largest baking dish, and even how to prepare human meat.
He had even searched how to kidnap someone.
The prosecution stated that while Gilberto might not have purchased or prepared anything
by the time of his arrest, the fact that he had researched these things.
indicated he was taking steps toward carrying out an abduction. In their view, it was fortunate
that law enforcement intervened before anything could be carried out. Yet, it was the absence of
any physical evidence that formed the crux of the defences case. They posited that Gilberto was being
accused of a crime he didn't commit. Searches of his apartment, car and work locker, uncovered nothing
of importance. According to his own so-called blueprints for abductions, he lacked the tools and
materials necessary to execute his plants. He had no rope, duct tape or tarps, no chloroform ingredients,
and no payments from wannabe slave owners. Contrary to Gilberto's claims, he didn't have a van to
transport victims, a remote house in the mountains to hold captives, or a large enough oven to fit a
person. The basement of his apartment complex contained a communal laundry room, not the pulley system
he said he was constructing to restrain women. The defence pointed out that Gilberto might have
thought about it, he might have talked about it, but he hadn't done anything offline that
demonstrated actionable intent to kidnap anybody. While acknowledging that Gilberto's online
writings were scary and the stuff of horror movies, the defence maintained that it was
pure fiction, pretend. They argued that if having disturbing thoughts or writing violent content
were a crime, then horror movie directors and author Stephen King would be in prison.
In the lead-up to his trial, Gilberto Valley was interviewed by Dr. Park Dietz, a world-renowned
forensic psychologist and criminologist who had provided expert opinions in numerous high-profile
cases, including that of real-life cannibal, Jeffrey Dahmer.
Gilberto told Dr. Deetz that once he reached puberty, he immediately sensed he was different
from the other boys. He discovered that he was turned on by bondage and sadomasochism,
a sexual practice in which pleasure is derived from inflicting or receiving pain and humiliation.
There was nothing in particular that led to these feelings, with Gilberto explaining
it was just there.
He didn't worry about it as it was just something in his head that no one else knew about.
In every other respect, he considered himself a normal, successful and good person.
In the late 1990s, Gilberto went online for the first time, describing it as love at first time.
sight. Over time, he discovered instant messaging and realised he could chat with strangers
pretending to be anyone he wanted. He also came across pornography, including images of women in
bondage. While these images weren't particularly violent or graphic, his desires grew. He explored
more websites and increasingly diverse and taboo fetishes. He first encountered cannibal-related porn
in college. One site led to another until he found the Dark Fetish Network.
Gilberto explained that the, quote, weird stuff took over when he was at the computer,
but he never brought his sinister thoughts into his daily life, nor did he ever experiment with
his fetishes or speak about them to others. Although he enjoyed fantasizing about brutal
scenarios involving women, Gilberto insisted he had no desire to harm them in real life.
He didn't fear any real world consequences, saying, why would I? I wasn't doing anything illegal.
Gilberto claimed that his time as Girl Meet Hunter on the Dark Fetish Network was a safe and contained
way to explore his fetishes with like-minded people, not to plan crimes, adding,
They are called fantasies for a reason.
In his report on Gilberto Valley, Dr. Park Dietz stated that, in his opinion,
Girl Meat Hunter was a role only, an exercise in sexual imagination and collaborative creative writing,
and that there was no reliable evidence to suggest that his erotic conversations could reasonably be construed as conspiratorial plans,
rather than conversations that were an end in themselves.
Dr. Dietz ultimately concluded,
I found no evidence whatsoever that Mr. Valley ever harmed
or actually intended to harm any woman.
In Gilberto's words,
the whole thing was like this big fantasy group,
like a group of guys getting together to play Dungeons and Dragons,
or World of Warcraft.
Except in our case, we weren't talking about rogues and mages and the spells they could cast.
We were talking about kidnapping women, and sometimes killing them too.
Examination of Gilberto's extensive online correspondence showed that he frequently reminded
those he engaged with that his messages were fiction.
His profile on the Dark Fetish Network even included the disclosures.
I like to press the envelope, but no matter what I say, it is all fantasy.
When he shared photos of women he knew in real life, he told recipients they were for fantasy only.
When plotting the supposed abduction of Charlotte, Gilberto reminded Moody Blues.
If you're wondering, it's all fantasy.
Likewise, when Mike Van Hyes-81 asked if he would have to be.
actually kidnap Marissa, Gilberto admitted he didn't think so. I'm just talking fantasy,
he wrote. No matter what I say, it's make-believe. Gilberto had exchanged thousands of emails and
instant messages with around two dozen people in which he discussed kidnapping rape, murder and
cannibalism. The FBI divided the chat into two groups, one's
they felt were fake and ones that they thought were real. In 21 out of 24 of these cases,
the FBI had no choice but to conclude the exchanges were clearly fictional roleplay. For instance,
Gilberto told others that he had a woman from his top 10 list named Amanda bound and gagged
in his basement and that he planned to sell her for $3,000. This wasn't true at all.
In fact, the only real-world event mentioned in Gilberto's fictional chats was his brunch with Charlotte.
Everything else he discussed had no direct links to reality.
Still, the FBI concluded that Gilberto engaged in three real exchanges aimed at conducting criminal behavior
with Moody Blues, Mike Van Hyes 81 and Ali Khan, targeting Charlotte, Marissa and Jackie, respectively.
The defence emphasised that the chats Gilberto had with these men contained the same language as the fictitious conversations, sometimes word for word.
Additionally, the so-called real chats were filled with plenty of fictitious content as well, such as Gilberto's claims that he had a human-sized oven and a remote house up in the mountains.
During the year-long communication, none of the men involved ever took any serious steps
to meet up. They never tried to uncover each other's real identities either.
Gilberto routinely lied to the others about his age, marital status, job, work hours, and
where he lived. Their communication was sporadic, often with months passing between chats,
causing them to forget what had previously been discussed.
Although they sometimes set dates for kidnappings,
Gilberto never took any action on those days.
One time, he made separate plans with each of the men
to abduct three different women on the same day.
One was from Manhattan, one from Ohio,
and the third from Pakistan.
Not only did he not follow through on any of these plans,
the dates passed without comment, explanation or follow-up from the others.
Gilberto even fabricated details about the women on his list.
While he did give out their first names, every other detail such as their last names, addresses,
occupations and dates of birth were false.
Despite repeated requests, he never provided identifying information that would allow anyone to actually find the women.
The trial's first witness was Gilberto's wife, Jackie.
Her appearance on the stand marked the first time the two had seen each other since Jackie left
their apartment in tears after discovering Gilberto's secret life.
Jackie avoided making eye contact with Gilberto as she explained how she accidentally uncovered
a girl meat hunter.
She also described strange.
behaviors Gilberto exhibited in the months leading up to the discovery. She said he became angry
when she threw away an old suitcase of his, raising questions about whether it was the one he
intended to use to abduct Marissa for Mike Van Hise 81. Gilberto claimed he never got angry
or really cared about the discarded suitcase. He merely found it odd that Jackie got rid of it.
She said that Gilberto encouraged her to start jogging at night and began asking questions about
her route, including where exactly she went, whether it was well lit, and if there were people
around. Although there was nothing in his online communications to support it, it was
speculated that Gilberto had been gathering information about his wife's movements for a co-conspirator.
Gilberto said he was only ever curious to know about Jackie's jogging route
to see if she was challenging herself by running up steep inclines in their neighbourhood
or sticking to flat ground.
Jackie painted Gilberto as a disengaged father who rarely helped with their baby
and often appeared despondent, sighing in a way that made her feel as though she was wasting
his time.
Overall, she described their marriage poorly.
Gilberto felt the opposite.
To him, the year that they had a child and tied the knot was a good one, full of love and celebration.
He said he loved his daughter and described Jackie as his best friend.
Text messages Jackie sent Gilberto throughout 2012 showed affection and care.
She wrote about how much she loved him, how he made her smile, excitedly planned family activities,
called him good to her, and referred to him as the best when he agreed to bring home ice cream
and cookies. While Gilberto acknowledged that his computer use and hidden sexual proclivities
had created some distance and a lull in intimacy, things were overall good at home with plenty of
great moments, and it wasn't until Jackie discovered Girl Meat Hunter that she began to view
their time together differently.
It was Jackie who turned Gilberto into the FBI.
She handed over her laptop and authorized agents to copy its hard drive.
She also gave them keys to the couple's apartment and consented to the seizure of another
computer Gilberto had used before it malfunctioned.
When the defense asked to meet Jackie before the trial, she snapped.
You're representing the man who wants to kill me.
me. No, I don't want to talk to you.
Jackie was the only woman on Gilberto's top ten list who had anything bad to say about him
at his trial. While all the other women who Gilberto fantasized about were disturbed to learn
about what he'd done, none of them reported ever feeling threatened or uneasy around him
in real life. During his time as Girl Meet Hunter, he'd stopped by one of the
woman's workplaces to say hello, had seen others in passing at social events, and visited another
in the hospital after she had a baby. At those times, he was typically accompanied by his wife
for a colleague, and nothing sinister had ever occurred. The prosecution placed significant emphasis
on the brunch meeting Gilberto had with Charlotte in July. Charlotte was a former college
classmate of Gilberto's who lived in Maryland. The two had kept in touch over the years,
and it was Charlotte who had asked to meet up. According to Charlotte, the brunch had been pleasant
and entirely normal. Gilberto had even brought his wife and daughter. In her opinion, he was
a doting father who appeared to have a good relationship with the Jackie. She didn't get any sense that he
was plotting anything nefarious.
When Gilberto returned home, he immediately rushed to his computer to message his friend
Moody Blues that Charlotte looked mouth-watering.
Gilberto explained this.
As much as a fantasy like this may not be normal and might be shocking to many, it is no
different than if I were to see a woman I knew for lunch and told a buddy of mine, man, she
looked hot.
He didn't speak with Moody Blues for a month after this exchange, at which point the pair
never mentioned Charlotte again.
The defense claimed that Gilberto used his wife and their friends as the objects of his
fantasies because sexual fantasies often include those we know or find attractive, not because
he actually intended to harm these specific women.
As Gilberto's trial neared its conclusion, public perception of him had shifted.
The prosecution's lack of concrete evidence led many to label the case a sham.
Newspaper reports criticised the FBI for cherry-picking statements to construct a narrative
that ultimately amounted to nothing.
In the eyes of many, the defence had successfully underscored the absurdity.
of the charges. For example, why would an experienced police officer need to Google how to
kidnap someone if he were truly intent on doing so? At times, the courtroom even broke into
laughter at the sheer implausibility of the evidence being presented. The second charge, unauthorized
access to a law enforcement database, had also lost traction. Gilberto admitted to making unauthorized
searches, calling them stupid, reckless and wrong. He said he had run many names over the years,
including members of his own family. He explained that he sometimes entered a random name
into the database when turning on the mobile data computer in his patrol car just to test if
the device was working. He had developed this habit after an NYPD officer was shot when
approaching a suspect vehicle. The officer hadn't been able to run the
license plate beforehand because his mobile data computer wasn't working.
Aside from Jackie, the only other person from Gilberto's list that he had actually looked up
on the database was his high school crush, Chloe. It was found that he had only searched
her name once during his time as Girlmate Hunter, but he didn't do it to gather intelligence.
Chloe testified that she had reached out to Gilberto after getting into a car accident because she needed the report number.
Although Gilberto wasn't technically supposed to do this, it wasn't uncommon for officers to misuse the system, and he had run Chloe's name through the database to get the number for her.
The defence moved to have the case dismissed, arguing that the government had fallen far short of meeting its burden of prison.
However, the judge allowed the trial to proceed in full while underscoring one critical point
to the jury.
There is almost no evidence of action by Gilberto Valley beyond computer-based activities.
In their closing arguments, the prosecution contended that Gilberto's fantasies were unacceptable
and that the pornography he indulged in was, quote,
not normal pornography for any human being.
They argued that the defense was attempting to convince the jury of ideas that defied common sense,
including that it was acceptable for an armed police officer to go about his day,
making detailed plans about killing real women.
In their closing statements, the defense compared the case
to the 1938 CBS radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds,
which was presented as a series of realistic news bulletins
about a Martian invasion of Earth.
Many listeners who turned in late missed the opening disclaimer
that it was a dramatization, resulting in widespread panic.
They also drew parallels to George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984,
specifically the Thought Police,
whose role was not just to punish crimes, but to detect and eliminate thought crime,
any thinking that contradicted the state's ideology.
The defence argued, you can't convict people for their thoughts, even if they're sick.
The jury deliberated for more than two full days before returning a verdict.
They found Gilberto Valley guilty of conspirators.
to commit kidnapping, as well as guilty of the unauthorized use of a federal database.
The decision sent shockwaves through the courtroom and beyond.
Despite personal opinions of Gilberto's disturbing fantasies, the prevailing belief among the press,
the public and trial observers was that the defense would win.
Instead, Gilberto received the maximum penalty.
life in prison on the kidnapping conspiracy charge, along with a concurrent 12-month sentence
for database misuse. Speaking to the press after the verdict, lead defense attorney
Julia Gatto remarked, obviously the case involved thoughts that were unusual and bizarre and, frankly,
very ugly. We think that the jury just couldn't get past that. Defense attorney Robert Bell
Alme added,
We were always worried that that thought would prevail
over an objective, rational, non-emotional view of the evidence.
People can be prosecuted for their thoughts and convicted,
which is even sadder to think about.
One juror later spoke anonymously for the HBO documentary Thought Crimes,
the case of the cannibal cop.
They said the entire jury had immediately agreed,
that Gilberto was guilty of the unauthorized database usage.
It was the kidnapping conspiracy that required longer deliberation.
While all the jurors acknowledged that Gilberto had problems,
some felt more strongly than others that he was guilty of that charge.
For the juror being interviewed, the fact that Gilberto had shared photos of real women he knew
was what made his actions more than just fantasy.
However, it was Gilberto's discussions with Moody Blues about Charlotte that truly shifted
the jury's perception.
According to the juror, his trip to Maryland to visit Charlotte, along with the document titled
Abducting and Cooking Charlotte a Blueprint, made it very real to the jury that any one of the
women could have wound up a murder victim.
Gilberto Valley appealed his conviction with the case heard in July 2014.
In delivering his findings, the presiding judge described Gilberto's online communications
as deviant, depraved and misogynistic, but noted that they contained
a veritable avalanche of false, fictitious and fantastical information concerning himself
and the steps he had allegedly taken to facilitate a kidnapping.
The judge ruled that, based on the evidence, it was more likely than not
that all of Gilberto's online communications about kidnapping were just fantasy roleplay.
His chats and emails about these topics by themselves were not enough to prove.
the legal elements of a conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
The conspiracy charge was overturned, while the charge for unauthorised use of a federal database was upheld.
By that point, Gilberto had already spent 21 months in solitary confinement due to his protective
status as a former police officer. He was sentenced to time served and promptly released
under the conditions of one year of probation, ongoing mental health treatment and various
restrictions, including no contact with the women involved in the case and no internet use.
He remained in home confinement at his mother's house while the prosecution pursued their own
appeal. The matter was fully resolved in the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in December
2015. In a two-to-one ruling, the court rejected the prosecutor's arguments and upheld Gilberto's
appeal. While the decision acknowledged that fantasies of violence against women contribute to a culture
of exploitation and are a massive social harm that demeans women, the court emphasized that
not every harm is meant to be addressed with the federal criminal law. The Second Circuit
also reversed
to Gilberto's
unauthorized
database usage conviction.
Outside the courtroom,
Gilberto Valley
offered a formal apology
to everyone who had been hurt,
shocked or offended
by what he described
as his infantile actions.
Speaking to the women involved,
he said,
I just hope they know
they were never in danger.
I would never do the things
I talked about on the internet.
never. He reiterated that he was incapable of violence while acknowledging that his words
alone wouldn't mean anything unless he rebuilt his life. Taking full responsibility, he added,
It was my fault for doing all this. That's not who I really am. People who know me never
believed the allegations. Gilberto's co-conspirator Moody
Blues was later identified as 57-year-old Dale Bollinger, a nurse from Canterbury, England.
He also faced conspiracy charges related to the Girl Meat Hunter case, as well as additional charges
for separate offences, including grooming an underage girl and possession of child abuse images.
Bollinger was convicted on 11 charges and sentenced to nine years in prison, though he was
released after roughly three years for good behavior. He relocated to the American state of
Nebraska, but when local residents raised concerns about him living near a playground, he was taken
into custody and transferred to a treatment facility for sex offenders. Gilberto's second co-conspirator
Mike Van Heise 81 had used his real name as his online username. Van Heise was a 23
year old mechanic from New Jersey. He was also charged and found guilty of conspiracy to commit
kidnapping and sentenced to seven years in prison. His reduced sentence reflected his cooperation
with authorities, a troubled childhood, and the court's determination that he was less culpable than
Gilberto. The third co-accused, Ali Khan, was identified as a man from Pakistan, though his full
identity remains unknown.
Gilberto Valley has spoken publicly about his experience through various media interviews and
engagements. He was featured in the HBO documentary on his case and authored a memoir titled
Raw Deal, the untold story of the NYPD's cannibal cop. He appeared in person at CrimeCon in 2019 and his case
inspired an episode of Law and Order Special Victims Unit titled Thought Criminal.
Reactions to Gilberto's outcome remained mixed. While some people accept his claims of fantasy,
others believe he genuinely intended to harm women and that he remains a danger to society.
He has received letters from supporters, including individuals with unconventional and morbid fetishes of
their own. He has also received messages from people expressing their desire to put a bullet in his
head. Guilberto claims he is unbothered by such remarks, explaining. They can't overlook the fact that
they can say that and have nothing happened to them, in part, because of how my case played out.
You can dislike me as much as you want. You can say he's a scumbag, he's a piece of garbage,
But if you look at the case merely from a legal perspective, there's one conclusion you can
reach. This is the country of second chances. I'm holding out hope that people who make mistakes
don't have to be forever defined by those mistakes. To this day, the case continues to spark
dialogue on several contentious issues, including the distinction between thought and action,
the role of online platforms, media and public sensationalism, and free speech and legal precedent.
It is often cited as an example of thought policing, where someone is punished for their ideas rather than their actions.
Speaking about the case, the policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union, Lee Rowland, said,
There is always reasonable doubt about whether or not someone is going to take a particular action.
Police officers don't have some magical psychic wand that allows them to know either.
We don't want to give the government the ability to decide what fantasies meet the thought police's bar for acceptability.
That bar is rightly high.
If the First Amendment protects someone fantasizing about violently raping,
and killing and eating a woman, it's going to protect pretty much anything you're thinking about,
and that's what principles mean. They make us uncomfortable, and we apply them regardless.
This call is from a correctional facility and is subject to monitoring it and recording.
Nearly three years ago, I started speaking with men and women incarcerated across the United States.
From drugs to arson, assaults and murders, even wrongful convictions.
I thought I'd heard it all.
That was until I met a man who was on the brink of becoming one of the richest prisoners in the world.
This is in the matter of Derek Lee Cardello Smith versus Sean Combs, Sean Puff Daddy Combs, also known as Sean P. Diddy.
This man was in the midst of a legal battle to sue Sean P. Diddy Combs for a hundred million dollars.
For what he claimed was a sexual assault committed against him by Combs in the early 90s.
There's a guy named Derek Lee Cardello Smith, a Michigan man.
man who's incarcerated, he has now been awarded a $100 million judgment against Sean Diddy
Cohn's for sexual assault.
The claims being made by Derek Lee Cardello Smith were nothing short of mind-blind.
Tales of corruption, murder.
They try to hire me to kill Detroit police officer's wife, her name was Rosecott.
A sexual assault, and ultimately what he says was his own.
own wrongful imprisonment.
This is literally the woman who has destroyed my life after her life was destroyed.
It would be a story like nothing I had documented before.
And whenever I started to doubt what I was hearing, Derek would point to legal documents,
paperwork, and news articles that seemed to support what he was telling me.
Do you even believe this guy and what he's saying?
Dude, I don't know what to believe anymore.
Like, honestly, one minute he's telling me this thing that cannot be true, and then I
I Google it, and there it is, in black and white, he's telling the truth.
Holy shit. What is going on?
This is not simply just another prison story.
It's one that made headlines around the world,
and one that would leave me questioning everything I was doing.
Hi, Jack.
I feel like I'm part of some sort of twilight zone right now, I'll be honest.
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Come on, Sheriff.
We all want to hear about who killed that young couple.
The girl didn't die.
Now.
You're stabbed, right?
It's been going on for years.
We're the only one.
that survived.
No.
In this town,
the only stranger is you.
Why are you doing this?
Because you're here.
Open the door.
Let me out of here.
Let me out!
The Strangers, Chapter 2,
now playing only in theaters.