Michael Valva is a former member of the New York Police Department who was just found guilty in the murder of his eight year old autistic son. According to court documents as a form of discipline Michael Valva would force the eight year old boy to sleep on the concrete floor of a garage during a night when the temperature dropped down to below 6 degrees Celsius. Michael Valva would ignore the fact the child was suffering and when first responders would arrive on the scene would make up a story. The eight year old boy would die from hypothermia and other injuries.
Turns out this was a normal punishment in the Valva household. Michael Valva would be arrested and charged with murder and child endangerment which he would later be found guilty. Michael Valva former fiance was also charged with murder and child endangerment and is set to go to trial later this year
Michael Valva More News
A jury convicted a former New York City police officer on Friday (local time) of second-degree murder for 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 minus 6C.
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 sometimes 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. According to the newspaper, their teachers testified the boys came to school with bruises and often were so hungry they ate crumbs off the floor.
“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, defenceless boy with 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.
