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A New York woman found guilty of murdering her ex-fiancé’s 8-year-old son, who she forced to sleep in an unheated garage in below freezing temperatures, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on Tuesday.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced that Angela Pollina, 45, was sentenced after a jury found her guilty last month of second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Angela Pollina was found guilty by a jury in the second-degree murder of her 8-year-old autistic stepson, who was forced to sleep in an unheated garage in freezing temps. (Suffolk County District Attorneys Office)
The charges stem from her role in the death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, the son of ex-fiancé and former NYPD officer Michael Valva, 45, who died of hypothermia in 2020.
"This case and the trials that ensued were not only heartbreaking, but they were also infuriating," Tierney said. "As I’ve said before, while the story of these two defendants ends here, the pursuit of justice for Thomas and Anthony is not over."
During the trial, Tierney said, the prosecution presented evidence showing Pollina "consciously disregarded the well-being" of Valva’s sons, Thomas and Anthony, which ultimately led to Thomas’ death on Jan. 17, 2020.
Michael Valva and Angela Pollina sit together inside Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge William Condon's courtroom for their murder trials in Riverhead, New York on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. (Getty Images)
The evidence included text messages between Pollina and her fiancé, to whom at the time she was engaged. In those messages, Pollina insisted Thomas and Anthony sleep in the garage of their Center Moriches home and not be allowed to use the bathrooms inside.
NYPD OFFICER CHARGED WITH MURDER IN DEATH OF AUTISTIC SON, 8, ON LONG ISLAND
For months, the boys slept in the garage without blankets, according to the DA, and the night before Thomas died, he and his brother had been in the garage for 16 hours after returning home from school.
The DA said that night, there was no heat in the garage, the boys had no access to bathrooms, no blankets and no mattress, and the temperature outside was 19 degrees.
Michael Valva, a former NYPD officer, was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for the death of his 8-year-old son. (Getty Images)
The next morning, Thomas soiled his pants as he was freezing to death, the release read.
FORMER NYPD COP SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS FOR MURDER OF 8-YEAR-OLD SON
Two hours before Thomas died, Pollina was captured on surveillance footage hosing him down in the backyard with water – he died of hypothermia.
The two boys lived with another brother, their father, Pollina and her three daughters beginning in 2017.
Employees at the East Moriches School District testified in court that Thomas and Anthony appeared thin, ate food off the floor, took food from other students and pulled partially eaten food from the garbage cans.
When the boys arrived at school, employees reportedly smelled the urine and feces on them.
Pollina took the stand during the trial and said she deleted surveillance footage and did not realize making the two boys live in the garage in freezing temperatures was wrong until Thomas died.
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She also acknowledged her discipline method was "evil," and blamed her fiancé for Thomas’ death.
Michael Valva was also found guilty of second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He, too, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
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