Former NYPD cop sentenced for freezing his autistic son to death
disgraced ex-NYPD office staff Michael Valva was found guilty of killing his autistic son by freezing to death, and sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday.
Valva was given the maximum sentence by a Suffolk County judge after being found guilty of second-degree murder last month.
Former NYPD cop sentenced to 25 years for life after his autistic son died of freezing cold
The 43-year-old was finally found guilty of causing the heartbreaking 2020 death of his 8-year-old son Thomas after he allegedly locked the boy in an unheated garage overnight at his home. their Long Island home. New York Post Office report.
Thomas is believed to have died of hypothermia after being left in freezing temperatures for up to 16 hours without a blanket. At the time of his death, Thomas’ body temperature was 76.1 degrees, 20 degrees lower than it should have been, prosecutors noted.
The boy’s older brother Anthony, who was 10 years old at the time and also described as autistic, eventually survived the same treatment.
An EMS officer at the scene testified at Valva’s trial that the father had “no emotion, no sense of concern” for the boy – telling emergency personnel he found His son passed out after he died on the doorframe.
The NYPD officer who killed his 8-year-old son has been found guilty 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 describe him as abused and undernourished. pic.twitter.com/KYNQE5oZSk
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) November 6, 2022
The boy’s teacher testified, describing the boy as abused, undernourished, and often cold and hungry
The teachers allegedly testified and described the boy being abused, malnourished, and frequently cold and hungry, according to reports. 12 . news.
A special education teacher said that Anthony, Thomas’ brother, would look for “any piece of food” whenever possible.
“He was eating on the floor under the stands. He was looking for any scraps of food,” the teacher testified while crying in the stands, according to Patch.com.
Valva, along with then-fiancée Angela Pollina, who will have a separate trial, were arrested again in January 2020 and charged with second-degree murder and four counts of endangering rights children’s interests.
1) Exactly 6 months ago, our little angel Tommy lost his precious life to the hands of sadistic abusers Michael Valva and Angela Pollina. Tommy and his two brothers experienced unimaginable pain, suffering, brutal torture, and horrific physical, mental, and sexual abuse… pic.twitter.com/AtulVuDX2y
– Fight against child abuse (@JustZub) July 18, 2020
Valve’s defense says Ex-Cop is under extreme financial stress, both boys showing signs of abuse
One teacher, who kept a “health diary” of his special education students, noted “small wounds” on the boy’s face along with a limp.
Meanwhile, Valve’s defense asserts that the former police officer is under extreme stress due to his financial situation, and the anger Pollina expressed after both boys urinated and defecated. indoors, according to Patch.com.
Thomas’s brother, Edward, said he was allowed to use the bathroom at school, but due to urinary incontinence problems both Thomas and his brother were forced to wear diapers at school and even got their pants wet. shirt and shoes. in the urine, prosecutors said.
Previous eyewitnesses said both boys had lost weight, with Anthony losing 20 pounds in a year.