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45-year-old Angela Pollina was convicted of murdering an eight-year-old stepson named Thomas Valva back in January 2020. His father, Michael Valva, a former NYPD cop, was found guilty of the second-degree murder of his child on December 8, 2022. However, Valva’s defense team claimed that the primary culprit would be his former fiancée, Angela Pollina.
She reportedly had the idea of keeping the children in the garage. Pollina then pleaded not guilty, and her trial began in February 2023. A Long Island jury gave the guilty verdict and discarded Pollina’s plea on Friday, March 10. She was found guilty in the death of her ex-fiancé Michael Valva’s son, Thomas Valva, and was convicted of second-degree murder and child endangerment.
Angela Pollina tortured her ex-fiancé’s autistic son and made him sleep in the garage even in freezing temperatures
Eight-year-old autistic boy Thomas Valva was found dead after his father and his then-fiancée forced him to sleep in an unheated garage without any blankets. Along with Thomas, his older brother was also forced to sleep there.
During Michael Valva’s trial, prosecutors claimed that the night he died, the temperature fell to around 19 degrees. Moreover, the children did not have access to the bathroom. Michael Valva was ultimately found guilty and was charged with second-degree murder. Pollina’s two-week trial, which began this year, came to an end with a guilty verdict.
Angela Pollina admitted to having treated the kids badly, and her testimony shocked the jurors. She said:
“I treated them bad. I treated them evil. I put them in the garage. It was horrible. Yes, I did… I exiled them.”
Angela Pollina's testimony contradicted her lawyer’s claim who stated that Michael Valva was solely responsible for the death of the kid in 2020.
Pollina further stated that she was “comfortable” the day Thomas froze to death and also mentioned that the weather was “a little chilly.” According to the prosecutors, after his death, Thomas’ temperature was around 76 degrees. He had also sustained injuries to the head and had a chronic kidney infection from not being able to urinate. The kid also had alopecia, lacked body fat, and had sunken hips.
Raymond Tierney, the Suffolk County DA, spoke about the guilty verdict and said:
“The cruelty that Thomas and his brother had to endure because of this defendant’s callous and selfish conduct is abhorrent, and, thankfully, the jury clearly agreed. Her treatment of these children was nothing short of pure evil.”
Tierney further added:
“This defendant will now face the consequences of her actions and will experience her own imprisonment just as she forced these boys to live imprisoned in a freezing garage.”
While Angela Pollina’s lawyers tried to shift the blame completely on Michael Valva, she admitted to deleting incriminating footage from the family’s surveillance camera. Pollina further added that Michael made her do so.
Pollina’s defense team tried shifting the onus on Michael Valva and claimed that her actions did not lead to Thomas’ death
An important testimony came from Tina Licari, a former piano teacher of Pollina’s daughter. She confirmed that the “evil stepmom” had been prone to “vicious outbursts.” Licari further mentioned that both Michael and Angela Pollina mocked the eight-year-old for being autistic. She recalled the 45-year-old yelling at Thomas and saying:
“That’s right because you can’t talk.”
In closing arguments, Angela’s defense team dismissed the notion that Angela’s cruel behavior led to Thomas Valva’s horrific death. Defense lawyer Matthew Tuohy said:
“Yeah, she was a bad person before… but not on that day. She wanted the boys exiled to the garage. She got up and owned it, she said… it was wrong. We don’t convict people because they’re b*tches.”
Assistant DA Kerriann Kelly stated:
“[Angela Pollina] forced him out into the cold! Thomas was tortured and died for the sin of being autistic. [Thomas] was not allowed in the house, not allowed to use a bathroom. That was all because of this defendant.”
According to Dr. Michael Caplan, the Suffolk County Medical Examiner, the child had Stage 4 hypothermia, which ultimately resulted in multi-organ failure. One juror reacted to the entire incident, post the delivery of the verdict, and said:
“There was no question in my mind. Her words, her tone, the text messages, the videos, there was no other way to find her.”
Another juror stated:
“There was an 8-year-old boy that had died… when I heard what the charges are… I thought that fits her.”
After admitting that she ill-treated the boy, Pollina tried to win over the jury but did not kill him and that Michael Valva was the culprit. However, the Long Island jury arrived at the guilty verdict quite smoothly. Angela Pollina is currently facing a minimum of 25 years to life in jail. The sentencing will take place on April 11, 2023.
