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Sentenced: NYPD Officer, Fiancée Charged With Murder In Death Of Cop’s 8YO Son

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Sugar Cookie

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An NYPD officer and his fiancée were arrested Friday morning on Long Island in the death of the transit cop’s 8-year-old son, who was initially said to have died after falling in a driveway, police and sources said.

Michael Valva, 40, a 15-year veteran, and his fiancée, Angela Pollina, 42, were charged with second-degree murder, Suffolk County police said. The cop has been suspended without pay, sources said.

Police responded about 9:40 a.m. Jan. 17 for a report of a child who fell in the driveway of the Suffolk County home.

Thomas Valva was rushed to Long Island Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Suffolk County medical examiner is performing an autopsy.

“Thank God the justice is being served,” the boy’s tearful mother, Justyna Zubko-Valva, 36, told Newsday on Friday, adding that police had not yet contacted her.

Zubko-Valva, a corrections officer on Rikers Island who lives in Valley Stream, said her son had a mild form of autism and was a second-grader at East Moriches Elementary School.

In an interview after her son’s death, Zubko-Valva described her son as a “loving, happy boy, always looking for adventure, loving playing outside.”

Tommy, she said, “had such an amazing good heart. Everybody who knew him, they instantly fell in love with him. He was just a joy of everybody’s life.”

The mother had lost custody and had not seen Thomas and his two brothers for two years, according to CBS 880.

“Unfortunately, I saw him now just looking at his body in a medical examiner’s office,” she told the outlet Tuesday. “And I do pray that one day we’re just going to meet again in heaven. I know he’s in heaven. I know he’s my angel and I’m going to miss him so much.”

The father previously released a statement through a lawyer, saying, “As with any tragedy, our office and Mr. Valva are shocked and saddened to learn of the horrible accident that took the life of young Thomas Valva,” according to WCBS.
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nypost.com

NYPD officer Michael Valva, fiancée charged with murder in death of cop’s 8-year-old son

An NYPD officer and his fiancée were arrested Friday morning on Long Island in the death of the transit cop’s 8-year-old son, who was initially said to have died after falling in a driveway, …
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Michael Valva Had Set Up a GoFundMe Page for His Son’s Funeral & Has Raised Nearly $15,000

A GoFundMe page had been set up to help to pay the funeral costs for Thomas Valva. The page was set up by “Michael Gerard.” Michael Valva’s middle name is Gerard. Gerard wrote on that page, “It is with great sadness that I must bury my 8 year old son. He passed recently due to a tragic accident. At this time I am not able to handle these unforeseen costs on my own and if there is any help anyone can provide we would greatly appreciate it. In lieu of floral arrangements we ask that a donation be made instead.”

In an update on that page on January 21, Michael Gerard wrote, “Thank you for your generosity and support. Myself and Angela will be handling the money together and all the funds are going to go towards funeral expenses.” At the time of writing, the page has raised $14,135. The original goal of the page was $10,000. There were 246 donors to the cause.
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A NYPD cop and his fiancée starved and tortured his autistic 8-year-old son, even mocking the child as he collapsed from the hypothermia that would claim his young life, officials said Friday as the Long Island couple was charged in the boy’s murder.

Michael Valva, 40, a 15-year officer assigned to the transit bureau, and fiancée Angela Pollina, 42, tried to make it look like they were as idyllic as the Brady Bunch, living with Valva’s three sons and Pollina’s three girls — each from previous relationships.

On Friday, Valva and Pollina were arrested and charged with second-degree murder for the Jan. 17 death of Valva’s son Thomas, who died of hypothermia after being exiled to a “freezing” unfinished garage at the couple’s home on Bittersweet Lane the night before — when temperatures outside plummeted to a bone-chilling 19 degrees, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart told reporters.

“We believe certainly that Thomas was kept in the garage overnight preceding his death,” the commissioner said.

Prosecutors revealed at Valva’s arraignment that he and Pollina even taunted Thomas for being cold on the morning he died — after keeping him in the freezing garage all night.

Thomas was “face-planting” on the floor because he was hypothermic, Assistant District Attorney Laura Newcombe said, citing audio recordings taken from an extensive home-security system in the house.

In the recording, a child can be heard asking why Thomas cannot walk.

“Because he’s hypothermic,” Pollina replied, according to Newcombe. “When you wash with cold water and it’s freezing out you become hypothermic.”

Later, Pollina put the same question to Valva.

“Do you know why he’s falling?” Pollina asked Valva about Thomas, Newcombe said, citing recordings.

“Because he’s cold. Boo f–king hoo,” Valva callously responded, according to the prosecutor.

When Pollina apparently walked into the garage and asked Valva what he was doing, Valva said: “I’m f–king suffocating him that’s what I’m doing,” prompting Pollina to say, “Take your hands off his mouth. There are people everywhere,” according to Newcombe.

Authorities responded to the home at 9:40 a.m. that day, after Valva reported that his son fell in the driveway while waiting for the school bus an hour earlier.

Valva allegedly put the boy’s body in a warm bath in order to raise his body temperature before calling cops, a police source told The Post.

An investigation “revealed inconsistencies in timing and nature of the child’s injuries as reported by the father,” said Hart, who noted that police determined that the boy was never in the driveway that morning.

Thomas suffered head and facial injuries “that were not consistent with” Valva’s account, and the medical examiner ruled the boy’s death a homicide “with a major contributing factor of hypothermia,” Hart said.

Investigators believe Thomas, as well as his 10-year-old brother, Anthony, were subjected to punishment, including “food deprivation and exposure to extremely frigid temperatures,” Hart said, adding, “We are still investigating the extent of the abuse and if it extended to all of the children.”

Home surveillance footage captured Thomas and Anthony sleeping on the concrete floor of the garage and “shivering” two nights before Thomas died, prosecutors said.

“They are on cold concrete. There are no pillows, no blankets, no mattress,” Newcombe said.
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nypost.com

NYPD cop Michael Valva allegedly taunted son Thomas Valva for being cold before died

A heartless NYPD cop and his wicked fiancée starved and tortured his autistic 8-year-old son, even mocking the child as he collapsed from the hypothermia that would claim his young life, officials …
nypost.com nypost.com
 
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New York state’s Office of Children and Family Services recorded a complaint about a child being forced to sleep in the garage at NYPD officer Mike Valva’s house in 2019 — the same garage where the cop and his fiancee are accused of freezing-to-death another son — but Suffolk county child protective services ‘determined it to be “unfounded,” according to internal records reviewed by The Post.

The record, from a phone call logged on Feb. 27, 2019, states that Valva’s son Anthony was forced to sleep in the garage because he was urinating in his bed.

Valva and his fiancee Angela Pollina have been charged with murder for the hypothermia-induced death of his 8-year-old Thomas, who died on Jan. 17 after allegedly being forced to sleep in the same garage of the family’s Long Island home.

“For the past week, Anthony (9) has been coming to school with his clothes and backpack soaked in urine,” the OCFS record states.

“Anthony has been staying in the garage and is not allowed in his room due to him urinating in his bed … Step mother (Angela) and Father (Michael) are aware that the child is arriving at school soiled and fail to adequately address the concern,” the record says.

“The child’s feet and hands are bright red, but it unknown if this is as a result of the child being soaked in urine,” it adds.

The record shows the agency closed the claim after one day, calling it a “duplicate.” It’s not clear who reported it to the agency.

The memo is one of many narratives included in a record given to Anthony and Thomas’ mother, Justyna Zubko in May 2019. The state OCFS then wrote to Zubko-Valva telling her the allegations were “unfounded.”

“The investigating district/agency has determine the report to be unfounded and the subject (perpetrator) and other persons named in the report(s) have been notified,” the letter says.

The confidential report was then sealed.
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nypost.com

Exclusive | Children’s services knew NYPD cop Michael Valva made child sleep in garage, deemed complaint ‘unfounded’

New York state’s Office of Children and Family Services recorded a complaint about a child being forced to sleep in the garage at NYPD officer Mike Valva’s house in 2019 — the same gara…
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The boy’s mother says she reported her suspicions of abuse for years and was dismissed, even laughed at..

www.crimeonline.com

Long Island officials launch probe into murder of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, whose cop dad is accused of freezing him to death

Suffolk County, Long Island. officials said they are investigating whether institutional failures were a factor in the death of Thomas Valva, who died earlier this month after he was left overnight in a garage when temperatures outside were well below freezing. Citing county officials, News 12...
www.crimeonline.com www.crimeonline.com
 
The autistic Long Island boy left to freeze to death in his garage — allegedly as “punishment” by his father — was sent to the house of horrors by a judge who ripped him from his mother’s custody without even holding a hearing, court transcripts obtained by The Post show.

Nassau County Judge Hope Schwartz Zimmerman’s fateful Sept. 6, 2017, decision to put 8-year-old Thomas Valva and his two brothers in the custody of their dad, Michael, was made on the fly, the shocking transcripts show, without any formal, court-filed accusation of wrongdoing against their mom, Justyna Zubko-Valva.

Michael Valva and his fiancee, Angela Pollina, now face murder charges in Thomas’ death.

Zimmerman even went so far as to bar Zubko-Valva from any contact with her children — a decision she made after listening to spoken, unsubstantiated complaints from the father’s lawyer and an attorney appointed to represent the boys, both of whom accused the mom of flouting court directives.

A month later, a lawyer who briefly represented Zubko-Valva tried to get the decision reversed, questioning whether Zimmerman had acted within her authority in switching custody from the mother to the father, according to court records.

“So my concerns are certainly the consequences of this order without a hearing; on what basis, I don’t know,” attorney Jason Barbara said.

Zimmerman stood steadfast.

“Mr. Barbara pointed out that he believes I overstepped my role: I don’t believe I did; I don’t believe I did,” she said, court records show.


The boy’s parents had been in Nassau County divorce court before Zimmerman for about a year when the jurist, who is legally barred from publicly discussing the case, made the abrupt custody change.


The September transcript repeatedly shows the judge admonishing the desperate mom.


As Zubko-Valva attempted to represent herself in the proceeding by raising her hand, Zimmerman repeatedly shut her down, at one point telling the desperate mom, “Stop talking.”


Meanwhile, a lawyer who represented the children, Donna McCabe, appeared to side with the father, Michael Valva, noting that the NYPD transit cop had been granted limited time with the boys and no overnight visits.


“I believe it might be time for this Court to make a change in custody at this point,” McCabe said, according to the transcript.

But Michael Valva had failed to pick up the kids 29 times, Zubko-Valva replied, according to the transcript.

The mom then went on to tell Zimmerman something shocking, the transcript revealed: A previous divorce judge in the case had barred the dad from overnight visits after reviewing hundreds of evidence files, compiled by Zubko-Valva, documenting disturbing behavior by Valva, including the dad “taking pictures of his private parts, penis, and sen[ding] it to other women while he was putting the kids to bed, kids were watching it,” according to the September transcript.

The mom’s documentation of the dad’s disturbing behavior included audio recordings of him and Pollina coaching the boys to speak badly of her, evidence attorney Barbara would complain in the October transcript was “one of the most horrific things that I have seen in a case.”

But the judge brushed aside the mom’s concerns, the September transcript shows, saying, “Until my orders are obeyed … I can’t listen to all this stuff, and I certainly, I certainly can’t read whatever it is that you wrote,” Zimmerman said.

The mom was outnumbered at the hearing by lawyers and the judge, who joined in scolding her for failing for more than a year to bring the boys to see McCabe and for dragging her feet for months on obtaining a forensic evaluation of the kids by a psychiatrist as Zimmerman requested.
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nypost.com

‘They’ll be safe’: Inside the court hearing that sealed Thomas Valva’s fate

The autistic Long Island boy left to freeze to death in his garage — allegedly as “punishment” by his father — was sent to the house of horrors by a judge who ripped him fro…
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https://nypost.com/2020/02/01/thoma...my-warnings-about-nypd-cop-dad-michael-valva/

So much information on just how badly everyone failed this boy. Its not even one court or one judge. She did everything she possibly could have and was shut down at every turn. One of the prosecutors, while saying he thought the bio mom was crazy, out right said he was dropping charges because he believed dad and CPS were cohorts on a witch hunt.

Almost all the claims she made 2 years ago are being substantiated now. This isnt even a fell into the cracks type case. This is on a such a wide spread scope, across so many different entities...just mind boggling.
 
Suffolk County prosecutor Kerriann Kelly accused Valva and Pollina of treating Thomas and his 10-year-old autistic brother Anthony 'in a manner that was nothing short of cruel, callous, wanton and evil.'

'The boys were undernourished,' she said.

They were literally begging for food at school, eating the crumbs off the table, eating out of the garbage cans.'

Kelly shocked those in the courtroom when she described Valva's reaction to the news that his son had died in a hospital.

'When asked if he needed anything at the hospital after his son was ultimately pronounced (dead), the defendant replied, 'I've been through more stressful things than this',' Kelly said.

Kelly also said that after Valva summoned EMTs to his home to help his already-dead son, Pollina went into the bathroom of their home to fix her hair.

'It took her about 45 minutes before she arrived at the hospital,' Kelly said of Pollina.

The children's mother, Justyna Zubko-Valva, was in court sobbing during the arraignments of her estranged husband and his fiancee.

After the hearing, she gave a statement to reporters blasting authorities for not doing enough to protect her dead son.

'What happened to my son is a clear instance of enormous corruption within the system,' a tearful Zubko-Valva said.
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www.dailymail.co.uk

NYPD cop charged over son's death called him 'piece of s**t' in text'

Gasps were heard in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead on Thursday as prosecutors read text messages that Michael Valva (left) sent to his fiancee two days before his son, Thomas, died.
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In the final two days of his life, 8-year-old Thomas Valva was allegedly dragged down a staircase by his father’s fiancée in their Center Moriches home, after soiling his pants, and then pushed into the bitterly cold garage—as the fiancee’ sent video links to Thomas’ father, who was out of the house and working as an NYPD police officer.

When the fiancee’ later texted that Thomas was not looking good, with the camera showing him shaking on the garage floor and needing to go to the bathroom, Officer Michael Valva allegedly responded, “F—k the piece of s—t, Thomas. He is not going anywhere.”

These were just some of the new details that came out about the days and weeks leading up to Thomas’ Jan. 17 death, as the NYPD father and his fiancée, Angela Pollina, were formally arraigned on murder charges in Suffolk County Supreme Court.

Both pleaded not guilty.

Footage downloaded from a RING app in the Valva/Pollina household led to their arrests.

Prosecutor Kerriann Kelly also revealed that Thomas and his older brother went to school in the fall of 2019 with bruises on their bodies, and Thomas had “hair pulled from his head at the roots.”

“I can’t understand how this could happen, how another human being could do this to their own child,” DA Sini said.

Other information that emerged Thursday morning was brutal, as well.

Prosecutors revealed that ring cameras posted in every room of the large house captured the child abuse atrocities inside.

Kerriann Kelly talked about Pollina allegedly becoming enraged on January 15, when Thomas soiled his pants in his bedroom while his father was at work.

She described Thomas being dragged down a staircase and forced into a cold garage, when the temperature was 19 degrees.

“She took a clip of the freezing children and sent it to Valva at 10:42 pm,” Kelly told Judge William Condon.

Kelly described “Thomas shivering, shaking, holding himself because he needed to go to the bathroom, looking into a camera with pleading eyes for someone to help him.”

Prosecutors said Pollina’s actions were miserably cruel, callous, wanton and evil.

She allegedly showed no compassion when the 8 year old was shivering on the concrete garage floor, they said.
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www.pix11.com

‘House of horror’: Cameras capture Thomas Valva dragged down stairs, forced into cold garage before death: prosecutors

RIVERHEAD, N.Y.— In the final two days of his life, 8-year-old Thomas Valva was allegedly dragged down a staircase by his father’s fiancée in their Center Moriches home, after soiling his pants, an…
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These poor little boys, they were tortured by people that should have been loving them and holding them. They, should have been being comforted, and cleaned up, and encouraged. Not tortured! This story just makes me weep for these little boys. I pray that the death of Thomas will allow his brother to survive, and know love.
 
I just watched a segment of Dr Oz.

These poor kids.

The reason the judge abruptly changed custody.

(Paraphrasing)
They had an on going custody battle for over a year. In an attempt to gather more information the judge ordered psyche evaluations on all the adults. The mother refused because it was going to be video taped. When she refused the court ordered evaluation, the judge awarded custody to the father.
 
I may have said this before.

I had a bio-mother that could not control herself in the courtroom. She would interrupt the judge not answer the questions that were put forth to her and was reluctant to do the psyche evaluation.

In the waiting area she was fine and the bio father was a maniac. In the court room the bio-father was composed and compliant.

I advocated for her and made sure she followed through on the service plan. Her daughters wanted to return home and short of her being a little "nutty" she loved her daughters and they were safer with her than the bio-dad.

All that to say how you conduct yourself in the courtroom will effect the outcome whether it was good or bad.

I may have missed it but were the children appointed an advocate and was there no one to counsel the mom on the importance of complying with the court's orders.
 
Sugar Cookie said:
All that to say how you conduct yourself in the courtroom will effect the outcome whether it was good or bad.
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yeah, I don't blame her for their deaths because that's absurd.. but I do blame her for not comprehending the gravity of being under the Court's jurisdiction. It seems especially reckless for her not to comply if the order was to simply get a psych eval.

If I'm fighting for custody and the judge ordered me to don a chicken outfit and parade up and down the street.. my first stop after court would be the costume store
 
Michael Valva, who’s charged with murdering his 8-year-old son, whined in family court Thursday that he’s broke and can’t afford an attorney.

“I don’t have an attorney,” Valva told Judge Frank Tatone. “I can’t afford one.”

“All I know is I don’t have any access to funds or anything,” the accused murderer murmured.

Besides apparently being hard up for cash, Valva also seemed clueless as to his current employment status.
Since his Jan. 24 arrest, Valva has been suspended from the NYPD without pay.

But on Thursday, when Judge Tatone asked him if the police union would get him a lawyer, he said in a quivering voice: “I think I was terminated from my job.”

The judge told Valva that if he qualifies, the court would provide him with counsel.

At Thursday’s hearing, Zubko-Valva agreed have Child Protective Services evaluate her two sons, despite her initial reservations.

“I don’t feel comfortable with Suffolk County CPS being involved,” she told the judge before agreeing.

“I can certainly understand why you feel the way you do … I’m hoping to establish trust,” Judge Tatone told Zubko-Valva. “I need you to trust me. I need to have the children examined.”

The same agency investigated a complaint in 2019 about a child being forced to sleep inside the garage of Valva’s Center Moriches home — where Thomas was exiled before he died — but determined it to be “unfounded.”

After court, Zubko-Valva continued to voice opposition to CPS’s involvement, claiming they covered up years of abuse suffered by her children at the hands of their father.
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nypost.com

Cop accused of killing son whines he can’t afford attorney

Valva, 40, made the declaration during a hearing at Suffolk County Family Court, where he and his fiancée, Angela Pollina, 42, are charged with severely abusing their six shared children.
nypost.com nypost.com
 
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The NYPD officer accused of beating his autistic 8-year-old son and letting him freeze to death in an unheated Long Island garage in the middle of winter has quit the police force.

Michael Valva, 41, resigned Wednesday after 15 years with the NYPD, a police spokeswoman confirmed.

Valva’s lawyer, John LoTurco, told the Daily News he voluntarily left the NYPD to protect what he’s already put into his pension.

“The NYPD offered him a resignation without a disciplinary hearing, and that allowed him not to admit any culpability and just resign, allowed him to keep his pension. But in exchange, there’s no salary going forward,” LoTurco said. “And they didn’t have to pursue any disciplinary hearing.”

Valva had a status conference in Suffolk County Supreme Court on Wednesday. LoTurco said he plans to ask the court to hold separate trials for Valva and Pollina, since their defense strategies will put them at odds with each other. He’s also hoping to suppress some of Valva’s statements to investigators, he said.
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www.nydailynews.com

NYPD Officer Michael Valva, charged with murder after his autistic son froze to death in garage, quits police force

The NYPD officer accused of beating his autistic 8-year-old son and letting him freeze to death in an unheated Long Island garage in the middle of winter has quit the police force. Michael Valva, 41, resigned Wednesday after 15 years with…
www.nydailynews.com www.nydailynews.com
 
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