An unexpected letter sent from convicted cop killer Manuel Valle to Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski arrived just days after his execution.
"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and thoughtfulness throughout this difficult ordeal," Valle wrote Wenski, in the letter dated Sept. 23.
Valle, 61, was administered a lethal injection and pronounced dead at the Florida State Prison at 7:14 p.m. on Sept 28. The letter arrived in Wenski's office on Oct. 3.
Click Here to Read Valle's Letter (PDF)
"Although your thoughtfulness and attempts to save my life may end up falling short of their intended purpose, they should encourage many others to take notice, and hopefully become more involved in the future," Valle wrote. "If that occurs, I will feel that my death will not be in vain."
Valle fatally shot Coral Gables officer Louis Pena on April 2, 1978, after Pena stopped Valle for a traffic violation while driving a stolen car, according to court records. He also shot fellow officer Gary Spell, who survived and testified against Valle in court.
Neither Pena or Spell were mentioned in the two-page letter, which thanked Wenski and two other Florida bishops for their efforts to try to save Valle's life.
Wenski was out of the office Friday and unavailable for comment.
"Inner peace resides within my heart and soul. I am more than prepared for the afterlife," Valle wrote.
The only remorse expressed in the letter was for his own family, for what they went through before his execution.
"The last couple of months may have been precious and enjoyable for all of us, but I know that it had to be rather stressful for them and for that I am truly sorry," he wrote.
