A New York woman was sentenced to 25 years to life Tuesday for murdering her ex-8-year-old fiancé’s son by forcing him to sleep in a cold, unheated garage.
District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney of Suffolk County announced that 45-year-old Angela Pollina was sentenced after a jury found her guilty last month of second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
New York Trial’s proven evidence
The charges stem from her role in the 2020 hypothermia death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, son of her 45-year-old ex-boyfriend and former New York police officer Michael Valva.
“This case and the trials that followed were both tragic and frustrating,” While Thomas and Anthony’s story comes to a close here, Tierney emphasized that the search for justice would continue.
Tierney stated that during the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Pollina deliberately disregarded the well-being of Valva’s sons, Thomas and Anthony, resulting in Thomas’ death on January 17, 2020.
Evidence included Pollina’s and her ex-text boyfriend’s messages. Pollina was a newlywed at the time. Pollina insisted in these messages that Thomas and Anthony sleep in the garage of her Center Moriches home and have no access to the indoor plumbing.
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Thomas’ cause of death
According to the district attorney, the boys slept in the garage without blankets for months, and the night before Thomas died, he and his brother spent 16 hours in the garage after returning from school.
The District Attorney stated that there was no heat in the garage that night, the boys had no access to bathrooms, no blankets, and no mattress, and it was 19 degrees outside.
Thomas died of hypothermia two hours before Pollina was captured on surveillance footage hosing him down in the backyard.
In 2017, Pollina moved her three daughters in with her father, another brother, and the two boys.
Employees of the East Moriches School District testified in court that Thomas and Anthony appeared to be malnourished, ate food off the floor, stole food from other students, and retrieved partially consumed food from garbage cans.
When the boys arrived at school, employees allegedly detected the odor of urine and feces on their bodies.
Pollina testified during the trial that she deleted surveillance footage and did not realize it was wrong to make the two boys live in the freezing garage until Thomas died.
Additionally, Michael Valva was found guilty of second-degree murder and four counts of child endangerment. He was also sentenced to between 25 years and life in prison.
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