Heartbreaking new details of autistic boy who froze to death after cop dad & fiancée ‘starved him & kept him in garage’
A FORMER NYPD officer charged with murdering his son allegedly starved the boy and kept him in a freezing garage as cruel punishment, prosecutors claim.
Ex-cop Michael Valva, 43, left his child in the unheated garage as temperatures plummeted in Center Moriches, New York in January 2020, according to authorities.
School officials have spoken up about the sad state of the brothers before Thomas's tragic death, claiming in court that they flooded a Child Protective Services hotline with complaints to get them help.
East Moriches Elementary School principal Edward Schneyer said they tried to express concern to Valva and his fiancée Angela Pollina, but had to go over their heads when they made no progress.
"We felt as a team we were not getting the results we wanted to see," Schneyer told jurors on Monday, according to Newsday.
"We decided as a team we were going to just flood the CPS hotline with calls."
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The principal said the two boys, who were both mentally disabled, appeared to be fine when they arrived at the school in 2017, but later would show up to class feeling cold and hungry.
The two started to look "extremely emaciated," motivating faculty to put in calls to CPS.
After teachers flooded the hotline, Schneyer said the boys' condition would improve, but this was sadly only a temporary fix.
Thomas, 8, and his 10-year-old brother Anthony were abused by their father and his former fiancée, Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Laura Newcombe alleged.
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The couple is now being tried separately on second-degree murder charges. The both pleaded not guilty.
Police began investigating the boys' case on January 17, 2020, when Valva called 911 and claimed that his son fell and hit his head.
However, prosecutors allege that the boy was forced to spend the night locked in a garage with no heat.
The cop reportedly told the 911 operator that his son Thomas had “stopped breathing," the New York Post reported.
Valva said: “I don’t know if he’s breathing or not. His heart stopped.
"He banged his head pretty good.”
It was heard on the call that Valva questioned the 911 operator as he asked whether it was normal for his son’s stomach to be “filling up with air” as CPR was being given.
The dispatcher asked: “Are you sure he’s not breathing?”
Valva reportedly responded: “I don’t know to be honest," and laughed nervously.
CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED
Doctors said that Thomas died from extreme hypothermia after he spent 16 hours inside the garage with his older brother.
The couple was charged with second-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child.
The child’s mother Justyna Zubo-Valva filed a $200million wrongful death lawsuit last June against Suffolk County officials and school representatives, claiming that her son’s abuse was apparent before his death.
According to prosecutors, the boys started being abused right after the couple moved into the home at 11 Bittersweet Lane in Central Moriches in 2017.
Pollina's three daughters also lived in the home.
HOUSEKEEPER SPEAKS
Housekeeper Tyrene Rodriguez, who testified at the pre-trial hearing, recalled the moment she got cleaning items from the room where Valva's dog “Bella” slept.
Rodriguez confirmed to prosecutors that the room was heated, WPIX11 reported.
The housekeeper reportedly heard the eight-year-old crying and watched the couple take the youngster to the basement.
Moments later, Pollina reportedly said that Thomas wasn't breathing and that the housekeeper held his head back as they tried to open his airways.
Tyrene said: "He was very blue. His lips were blue."
'MORE BITTER BY THE DAY'
One of Valva's lawyers blamed Pollina for Thomas' death, arguing that the father looked the other way in order to maintain his relationship with her.
"He tried his best to salvage the relationship," said attorney Anthony La Pinta.
"Eleven Bittersweet Lane was becoming more bitter by the day."
La Pinta added that Pollina allegedly complained about Valva "making it too comfortable" for his kids.
The father would give his boys mattresses, blankets, books, and a television set, but La Pinta claimed that Pollina wouldn't allow the children to keep the items after they soiled themselves.
"This was not a senseless act of evil," said La Pinta.
"You need to think with your heads and not with your hearts."
If convicted, Valva could spend the rest of his life in prison.
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Up to 36 witnesses are reportedly expected to testify in his trial.
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Valva could also take the stand as the trial is expected to last approximately three weeks.