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 conviction of second-degree murder last month.
Former NYPD Cop Sentenced To 25 Years To Life In Death After Autistic Son Dies From Freezing To Death
The 43-year-old was ultimately found guilty of 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.
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Thomas reportedly died from hypothermia after being left in the freezing temperatures for upwards of 16 hours, without any blankets. When he died, 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 at the time and also described as autistic, ultimately survived the same treatment.
An EMS 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 that he discovers his son unconscious after the boy his his dead 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 underfed. pic.twitter.com/KYNQE5oZSk
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) November 6, 2022
Boy’s Teachers Testify, Describe Him As Abused, Underfed, And Regularly Cold And Hungry
Teachers allegedly testified and described the boy as abused, underfed, and regularly cold and hungry, according to News 12.
One special education teacher said that Anthony, Thomas’ brother, would search for “any crumb of food” whenever possible.
“He was eating from the floor under the bleachers. He was looking for any crumb of food,” the teacher testified while crying on the stand, per Patch.com.
Valva, along with his then-fiancee Angela Pollina, who will have a separate trial, were arrested back in January 2020, and charged with second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
1) Exactly 6 months ago our little angel Tommy lost his precious life from the hands of his sadistic abusers Michael Valva and Angela Pollina. Tommy and his two brothers experienced unimaginable pain, suffering, brutal tortures, and horrific physical, mental and sexual abuse… pic.twitter.com/AtulVuDX2y
— StandAgainstChildAbuse (@JustZub) July 18, 2020
Valve’s Defense Says Ex-Cop Was Under Extreme Stress Due To Finances, Both Boys Showed Signs Of Abuse
One teacher, who kept a “well-being log” of her special education students, noted “small injuries” on his face along with a limp walk.
Meanwhile, Valve’s defense maintained that the former cop was under extreme stress due to his financial situation, and over anger Pollina had shown after both boys urinated and defecated inside the home, 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, both Thomas and his brother were forced to wear diapers in school, and even had clothes and shoes soaked in urine, prosecutors said.
Prior witnesses said that both of the younger boys were losing weight, with Anthony losing 20 pounds in a year.
