Michael Valva (left) was found guilty of murder after his son Thomas Valva’s death in January 2020 (Pictures: AP)
A former New York Police Department officer was convicted of second-degree murder after his 8-year-old son died in 2020.
Michael Valva was found guilty of murder and child endangerment on Friday after his son Thomas died of hypothermia in January 2020.
Prosecutors in Long Island accused Valva of forcing Thomas and his 10-year-old brother Anthony to sleep in an unheated garage for 16 hours in the wintertime without blankets. Thomas and Anthony were both on the autism spectrum.
When he woke up, Valva hosed his son down in the garage with a garden hose. The temperature dropped below 20 degrees the morning of Thomas’s death.
Michael Valva’s trial in Suffolk County, New York lasted six weeks. Jurors returned a verdict after 1 day of deliberations (Picture: ABC7)
It took Valva over an hour until he called 911. When first responders arrived, they found the ex-police officer calm and emotionless.
‘There was no crying,’ paramedic Eric Lambert testified in court. ‘Most parents panic and freak out in a situation like that.’
Valva allegedly told first responders his son had fallen on his face while waiting for the school bus.
Thomas was taken to Long Island Community Hospital. By the time he arrived, the boy’s body temperature was 76.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
Valva and Pollina both pleaded not guilty to the charges. His ex-fiancé is being tried separately.
Prosecutors also showed the court that Thomas and his brother Anthony suffered a history of abuse from Valva and his then-fiancé, Angela Pollina.
‘I will beat them until they bleed. It is the only thing that works,’ Valva once texted Pollina.
A plumber took the stand to testify that he saw Pollina push one of the boys down two flights of stairs while he was doing repairs in July 2019. He also said Valva saw the incident and said nothing.
School officials also testified that they saw the children come to classes wearing starving and wearing soiled clothing.
‘He was always hungry,’ Thomas’s second grade teacher Michelle Cagliano told the court.
Valva’s trial lasted for six weeks. Jurors returned a verdict on Friday, November 4 after just one day of deliberations.
‘This guilty verdict will not bring back 8-year-old Thomas, who suffered immense cruelty at the hands of his father, the same person who was entrusted to protect, provide and unconditionally love Thomas and his older brother Anthony,’ Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney stated.
‘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,’ Tierney said.
Valva faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 8.
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Michael Valva was found guilty of murder and child endangerment on Friday after his son Thomas died of hypothermia in January 2020.
