Web Desk
According to the national media, a former NYPD officer was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Thursday after he was found guilty last month of murder in the second degree related to the death of his 8-year-old son, Thomas.
Michael Valva, 45, was found guilty of second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child in November in connection with the January 2020 death of his son Thomas Valva.
Thomas and Anthony both of whom are autistic, were forced to sleep in the couple’s garage for months before Thomas’ death on January 17, 2020, prosecutors said in citing trial evidence.
A surveillance camera showed Michael Valva screaming at Thomas and sending him outside in the subfreezing temperatures, where he was hosed down with water, according to the district attorney’s office, and Thomas lost consciousness and fell face-first onto a concrete patio several times.
Valva delayed calling 911 for help until about an hour later and by the time Thomas arrived at the hospital, his temperature was 76 degrees, which is 20 degrees below normal, prosecutors said, citing testimony and evidence at trial.
Valva’s co-defendant and former fiancée, Angela Pollina, 45, is also charged with murder in the second degree and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She is scheduled for trial on February 21, 2023.
The Suffolk County Department of Social Services said it had investigated multiple complaints against the household, including a petition for child neglect in 2018.
