A jury convicted a former New York City police officer on Friday of second-degree murder in the death of his 8-year-old son, who was forced to sleep overnight on the concrete floor of a freezing garage.
Michael Valva was found guilty of four counts of child endangerment and faces a maximum potential sentence of 25 years to life. Thomas Valva died in January 2020, the day after sleeping in the garage in the family’s Long Island home in temperatures that dropped under 20 degrees (minus 6 Celsius).
Friday’s verdict came on the first day of deliberations after a month’s worth of testimony.
A medical examiner ruled the boy’s death a homicide and found that hypothermia was a major contributing factor. Prosecutors said Thomas and his 10-year-old brother were both on the autism spectrum and were at times forced to sleep in the garage.
According to prosecutors, the boys spent 16 consecutive hours in the freezing garage leading up to the 8-year-old’s death, Newsday reported. Prosecutors also alleged Michael Valva did nothing to help him as the boy died in front of him and then lied to police and first responders.
The child endangerment counts stemmed from the beating and starving of both boys. Their teachers testified the boys came to school with bruises and often were so hungry they ate crumbs off the floor, according to the newspaper.
“While there is nothing that we can do to bring Thomas back, we are satisfied with the jury’s decision,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said in a statement. “Michael Valva subjected his sons to horrific abuse, neglect and cruelty. He will now pay for cutting short the life of a young, innocent, defenseless boy who had a lifetime ahead of him.”
Valva’s then-fiancee, Angela Pollina, also faces child endangerment and second-degree murder counts and is awaiting trial. She has pleaded not guilty.
(AP)
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11 Responses
if the children were seen eating crumbs off the floor, how were they permitted to go back home????
These are the people responsible for our safety and it is in their hands to drain us financially by handing out traffic tickets – Go figure
While very sad and tragic, clearly the family didnt receive the support they needed in raising autistic children. (They also had other kids in the family but only the autistic kids were mistreated)
We are lucky that in the frum world we have organazations that provide support and a different mindset. It is very very difficult to raise one child with autism, never mind two children.
All police are sadistic:- This is how they feel important & in power.
Why wasn’t Michael Valva ימח שמו וזכרונו sentenced to have to sleep every night for the next 25 years to life out in sub zero temperature מידה כנגד מידה?
Where is ACS when they are needed? They were summoned many times by the school and this is the results????
Yes of course, @Chaya13. All police officers are guilty of murdering their son. And when you hear that a nurse murdered someone, then all nurses are murderers. And if a plumber murders their son, so it’s all plumbers. That’s what you’re saying. Brilliant.
Orchadash1, you excusing abuse and murder. No one, under any circumstances, has the right to do that. And in the frum world there’s no major support, frum kids go to school just like the boy in this story and his brother did ( where they ignored the obvious abuse they were undergoing at home) and then there are volunteers to take out these special children on Shabbos for approximately an hour. There’s no “support” you are talking about. Furthermore, in the secular world there are millions of families with such kids, people are not murdering these kids because they can’t handle them.
If this “father” couldn’t handle his kids he should’ve give them up for adoption. There’s no excuse for murder and abuse.
This must be that crazy officer I once encountered. I mean, I hope there’s only one crazy one.
Philosopher
As the parent of a child with autism, yes there is help out there. And if you dont have yet, then get help!
Understanding the desperation behind a parent murdering their child can help the community to reach out to other parents get the support they need so parents of children with special needs should never be desperate enough to be tested in that way.
Ohrchadash1, the father fought the mother for full custody and won, and she tried proving the abuse over the years to no avail. Now that he killed one of their three boys, she has been given full custody. Two years too late.
The fathers girlfriend despised the boys and is also being tried for abuse and other charges.
They put the boys in the garage as a punishment for wetting themselves while also depriving them of bathroom use, and food and drink, and beating them, and hosing them down in the freezing cold outside.
To sickofidiots
She meant that you expect morale behavior from a police officer, that is trained to help people