NEW YORK — A former New York Police Department officer left jail on Tuesday after a judge stunned prosecutors and overturned his conviction in a sensational case accusing him of plotting on the Internet to kidnap, kill, and eat young women, including his wife.
Judge Paul Gardephe ruled late Monday that there was insufficient evidence to support a jury’s guilty verdict in the kidnapping conspiracy conviction of Gilberto Valle, 40. He agreed with defense arguments that the defendant’s bizarre exchanges in fetish chat rooms about cannibalizing women never put anyone in danger.
Valle’s ‘‘depraved, misogynistic sexual fantasies about his wife, former college classmates, and acquaintances undoubtedly reflected a mind diseased,’’ the judge wrote. But, he added, prosecutors failed to prove he had entered into genuine agreements to kidnap the women.
At a hearing Tuesday, Valle — dubbed the ‘‘Cannibal Cop’’ by the tabloids — smiled at his family and hugged his lawyers. ‘‘I want to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone I hurt, shocked, and offended with my infantile behavior,’’ he said.
Valle ‘‘is guilty of nothing more than very unconventional thoughts,’’ said one of his attorneys, Julia Gatto.
The judge set bail at $100,000 and ordered home detention in Queens for the defendant after prosecutors told him they intended to appeal his ruling.