Bio

Manuel Valle was born on May 21, 1950. He was born in Cuba and later immigrated to the United States. Little is known about his early life in Cuba or his family background. Valle's life changed significantly when he moved to Miami-Dade County, Florida.

While growing up, Valle faced many challenges. He had a difficult childhood and struggled with maintaining a good path. He had been in trouble with the law multiple times before the crime that made him infamous. In 1971, he was convicted of forgery and sentenced to five years in prison. Valle continued his life of crime and was convicted again in 1977 for grand theft auto. He served five years for that crime as well.

By the time he was in his late twenties, Valle was already known to law enforcement. His interactions with police often involved criminal activity, which shaped his troubled reputation in the community. Despite these troubles, he did manage to reach adulthood and was living in Florida in 1978 when he became involved in a violent encounter that would dramatically alter his life and the life of others.

Murder Story

On April 2, 1978, Manuel Valle shot and killed Coral Gables police officer Louis Pena during a traffic stop. Officer Pena had pulled over Valle for a traffic violation while he was driving a stolen car. As Officer Pena ran a check on the car's license plate, Valle walked back to his own vehicle, retrieved a gun, and returned to the patrol car. He fired one shot that struck Officer Pena in the neck, killing him. Valle then shot at a backup officer, Gary Spell, hitting him in the back; however, Spell was protected by his bulletproof vest.

After the shooting, Valle fled the scene. Two days later, he was arrested in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Initially, Valle faced numerous trials and legal proceedings; he was sentenced to death on multiple occasions, facing various appeals and hearings over the years.

Valle spent 33 years on death row, making his case one of the longest-serving in Florida's history. On September 28, 2011, he was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison. His execution came after a delay due to an appeal that was ultimately rejected. Throughout his time in prison, Valle's case garnered significant media attention and public discourse about the death penalty and its application in the United States.

He was executed at 7:14 PM, having chosen a last meal that included fried chicken breast, white rice, garlic toast, peach cobbler, and a Coca-Cola. Valle did not make a final statement before his execution.