Mourners Flock To Funeral For Boy, 8, Cops Say Froze In Garage

CENTER MORICHES, NY — Mourners shivered in the cold Thursday morning outside Elizabeth of Hungary RC Church in Melville, where the temperature was 25 degrees — 6 degrees higher than the 19 degrees it was on the night that Thomas Valva, 8, police said, was left to die in a frigid, unheated garage at his father's home in Center Moriches.

Bundled up in heavy coats and hand warmers distributed earlier in the day by Mangano Family Funeral Homes in Deer Park, family, friends and even strangers — including one woman who told Patch that she'd walked from North Babylon, a distance of about five miles, in the cold to pay her final respects — gathered to say good-bye.

The funeral home was bedecked with blue ribbons — blue is the color used to symbolize the fight against child abuse.

On Friday, Suffolk County homicide detectives arrested Michael Valva and his fiancee Angela Pollina, of Bittersweet Lane in Center Moriches, and charged them with second-degree murder, police said.

Although his father initially reported that Thomas died after a fall in the driveway, new details emerged Friday at a press conference by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart.

Thomas Valva officially died of hypothermia, according to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner, Hart said. "We believe that he was kept in the garage overnight preceding his death," Hart said.

When the boy was found, she said, his body temperature was 76 degrees and he had head and facial injuries inconsistent with Valva's account of what had happened.

Inside the funeral home, Thomas, his hands draped with rosary beads, lay in a white coffin, dressed in a new white suit and spotless, shiny white shoes.

One woman read a prayer at the service; others kissed Thomas' forehead gently as they knelt before his casket.

The community came together to pay for the child's funeral, including Mangano Funeral Homes' owner Sal Mangano, his sister Elle Mangano, who paid for the flowers, and Sue Cortina and Jen Simmons — both of whom were at the services Thursday — who bought his burial plot and new suits for Thomas and his two brothers.

Thomas' mother, Justyna Zubko-Valva, wanted her little boy to wear white when he was laid to rest, they said.

Dressed in black, Zubko-Valva, her boys Anthony and Andrew beside her, stood to greet each mourner with a hug, and to thank them for coming. The boys, as well as many others, wore blue and yellow ribbons: blue to stand against child abuse and yellow because it was Thomas' favorite color, Cortina said.

Flowers displayed around his coffin included a giant teddy bear with the name "Thomas" sent by the Correction Officers Benevolent Association. Baskets filled with toys, including two shiny red fire trucks, food and other donations, filled tables, an outpouring of love after an ongoing drive to collect supplies for Zubko-Valva and her sons.

At Thomas's funeral, his mother and brother Anthony gave readings as many in the congregation shared tissues to wipe away tears.

Bishop Andrzej Zglejzewski, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, said, "This death, this passing away, cannot be forgotten."

Zglejzewski added that recently, all celebrated Christmas, when Jesus was born, a child who changed the world. But when Jesus was born, "There was no room for him. They did not want him. They rejected him and years later, they killed him. Let's face it: The system failed him."

Jesus, however, "transformed the world," Zglejzewski said.

Speaking of Thomas, he said: "Why does it have to take another tragedy, the death of an innocent child, to shake us up? Other children, he said,"have shared the same fate as this little baby Thomas."

Children, Zgejzewski said, are the future of the world, "not to be punished. there is no reason for that. They are meant to be cherished."

"He just wanted to be loved, to be hugged, to be cherished," Zglejzewski said of Thomas."He wanted to be wanted. . .He just wanted to grow up and develop his potential. Yet, just like in the life of Jesus — there was no room for him in the house, in this world. . . What happened? What can be done? Our system failed him. We failed him — but God did not."

Thomas, the bishop said, leaves a legacy that will help other children even though his life is over. "He was, he is, a gift. He is not gone. He is still in the hearts of his mother, his family, his brothers. . . He was little but boy, oh, boy, what a giant. He was able with his brief life to shake up our hearts and minds. He was able to point out loud and clearly, our faults and to change our system."

To Thomas, he added: "I'm sorry there was no room for you in the house."

During communion, the hymn "Here I Am, Lord" was sung; as mourners walked down the aisle, one woman, pregnant, wrapped her arms protectively around her unborn baby.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone attended the funeral service. "It's awful," Bellone said of Thomas' death. "It's inconceivable." On Monday, Bellone announced the members of a new internal review committee he said will be "performing a top to bottom review of the Thomas Valva case in the Department of Social Services."

Valva and his Pollina were indicted on second-degree murder charges Wednesday. Huntington-based attorney Matthew Tuohy, who represents Pollina, confirmed the indictments and said the pair will be arraigned next week in Riverhead.

Since Thomas' death, hundreds have taken to social media to call for the removal of the judge who ruled in the Valva case. On Wednesday, a "Rally to Remove Judges — Justice for Thomas," took place at State Supreme Court in Mineola.

The community also turned out Sunday for a vigil Sunday in Center Moriches.

"I just want to express gratitude to all of you for showing up tonight to honor my little angel Thomas, for being here to support a cause too precious to my heart — to honor his life," Zubko-Valva said. "I'm so grateful for all the support. Words can't describe how it touched my heart. I know I'm not alone."

Holding a photo of her son at the vigil, Zubko-Valva added tearfully: "Tonight is all about Tommy. My little baby, who just loved everybody. … His legacy is not going to stop. I am pledging to continue fighting for all those victims of this abusive system. … There are more victims out there. My heart goes out to you, to your families, to the little, innocent babies that cannot speak for themselves."