Matthew McNulty
Disgraced ex-NYPD officer Michael Valva was found guilty of murdering his autistic son by freezing him to death, and sentenced on Thursday to 25 years to life.
Valva was given the maximum sentence by a Suffolk County judge following his second-degree murder conviction last month.
Former NYPD cop sentenced to 25 years to life after autistic son freezes to death
The 43-year-old was finally convicted in the heartbreaking 2020 death of his 8-year-old son Thomas after he allegedly locked the boy in an unheated garage overnight at their Long Island home, the New York Post reports.
Thomas is said to have died of hypothermia after being left in freezing temperatures for more than 16 hours, without any blankets. When he died, Thomas’ body temperature was 76.1 degrees, or 20 degrees lower than it should have been, prosecutors noted.
The boy’s older brother, Anthony, who was 10 at the time and also described as autistic, eventually survived the same treatment.
An emergency medical services worker who responded to the scene testified at Valva’s trial that the father had ‘no emotion, no sense of concern’ for the boy – telling emergency personnel he discovers his unconscious son after the boy dies on a door frame.
The NYPD cop who killed his 8-year-old son has been convicted of second-degree murder. Michael Valva forced his autistic son Thomas to live in the family’s unheated garage for months, without any blankets. Thomas died of hypothermia. Teachers described him as abused and malnourished. pic.twitter.com/KYNQE5oZSk
– Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) November 6, 2022
Boy’s teachers testify, describe him as abused, malnourished and regularly cold and hungry
Teachers reportedly testified and described the boy as abused, malnourished and regularly cold and hungry, according to News 12.
A special education teacher said Anthony, Thomas’s brother, seeks “any crumb of food” whenever possible.
“He was eating on the floor under the bleachers. He was looking for any crumb of food, ”testified the teacher crying on the stand, by Patch.com.
Valva, along with his then-fiancée Angela Pollina, who will have a separate trial, were arrested in January 2020 and charged with second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the well-being of a kid.
1) Exactly 6 months ago, our little angel Tommy lost his precious life at the hands of his sadistic abusers Michael Valva and Angela Pollina. Tommy and his two brothers have experienced unimaginable pain, suffering, brutal torture and horrific physical, mental and sexual abuse… pic.twitter.com/AtulVuDX2y
— StandAgainstChildAbuse (@JustZub) July 18, 2020
Valve defense says ex-cop was under extreme stress over finances, both boys showed signs of abuse
A teacher, who kept a “wellness diary” of her special education students, noted “small injuries” to the face as well as a lame walk.
Meanwhile, Valve’s defense argued the former cop was under extreme stress due to his financial situation and the anger Pollina displayed after the two boys urinated and defecated inside the room. house, according to Patch.com.
Thomas’ older brother, Edward, had said he was allowed to use the bathroom at school, but due to the fact that there were incontinence issues, Thomas and his brother were forced to wear diapers to school, and even had soaked clothes and shoes. in the urine, prosecutors said.
Earlier witnesses said the two young boys were losing weight, with Anthony losing 20 pounds in a year.