Valva Sentenced, Jury Speaks: 'He's Getting Exactly What He Deserves'

CENTER MORICHES, NY — Jurors in the murder trial of former NYPD Officer Michael Valva reflected Thursday on the outcome after Valva received the maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison for the death of his 8-year-old son, Thomas.

Valva, 45, was convicted last month of murder and endangering the welfare of a child. His attorney John LoTurco has said they plan to appeal the sentence.

Thomas died of hypothermia after being forced to sleep in his father's frigid garage in 19-degree weather — and then, stand outside naked the next morning to be doused with icy water after he defecated in the night. He and his brother were not allowed to use the bathroom inside the house, prosecutors said at the trial.

Valva, along with his then-fianceé Angela Pollina, who will have a separate trial, were arrested Jan. 24, 2020, and charged with second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She also faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. Both pleaded not guilty.

A crying, unshaven Valva told the judge he was "truly sorry."

"I am regretful, ashamed, heartbroken and grief-stricken, having contributed to the death of my son Thomas," he said.

After the sentencing, presiding juror Amanda Boylinson told Patch she felt "really good," happy that the judge gave the "correct sentence." Deliberations took just a day, an indication that they felt confident about the guilty verdict, she said. But the weeks-long trial, during which witnesses shared heart-wrenching details of disturbing child abuse, was difficult, she said.

"We are all human, this was a tough thing to listen to," she said.

Outside the courthouse, other jurors spoke. Thomas Molloy said the jury felt the sentence was "extremely justified."

"It was a very, very emotional trial. I was distraught every day, especially because you couldn't go home and talk about anything. You had to keep everything sealed up for six weeks," Molloy said.

Molloy said watching the videos of Thomas were "absolutely horrible. You have nightmares about it." The jurors came to the sentencing to see closure, he said.

Juror Scott Krusen said he didn't think the verdict was a surprise.

"He's getting exactly what he deserves," he said. "LoTurco said he loved his kids. His definition of love must be different than mine. I have three girls, and I couldn't imagine any father doing what he did to his kids. And it wasn't just the last day. It was an extended period of time that he was brutal."

Gino Cali, father of Pollina's youngest daughters, also spoke outside the courthouse and said he did not believe Valva's tears were sincere.

"A little boy is still dead," he said. "How is that justice?"

Thomas and his older brother, who both have autism, lived in a "house of horrors," according to Assistant District Attorney Kerriann Kelly. When he died, Thomas' body temperature was 76.1 degrees, 20 degrees lower than normal.

Witnesses, including teachers at Thomas' school, sobbed as they recounted seeing Thomas and his brother starving, cold, with bruises and scratches, and eating crumbs from the floor. The boys were sent to school in urine-cloaked clothing and pullups, they said.

After the sentencing, Krusen said, of Valva's emotional apology: "I think a lot of those tears were because he knows he's going to prison for the rest of his life. He's getting exactly what he deserves. I have no sympathy for either one of them."

Juror Christina Anselmo said it was a surprise to hear Valva speak at the sentencing.

"To see him actually show some kind of remorse or feeling was not something we ever saw during the trial or in any of the videos or audio recordings that we heard as evidence," she said. "I believe there's some remorse there. I don't think he intended on that happening — but he sure enough didn't do anything to stop it. That's what makes him guilty."

She added that the jury collectively feels a sense of closure at the verdict.

One juror said, of Valva's emotional response, "Boo f------ hoo for him."

Kelly said, during the trial, that a Nest video recording captured Valva saying, when asked why Thomas kept falling, "Because he's cold. Boo-f------ hoo."

Speaking with Patch, Boylinson said the trial changed the jurors forever.

"You look at things a little differently now. The little things that bothered you, don't bother you so much," she said. "Life is precious, and it can be taken in an instant. . . I look at my family a little differently because I love my family and I want them to know that they are loved."

"I'm a lot more thankful now for all the children I have in my life," said juror Molly Wegoarz, as she sobbed outside the courthouse. "Every time I see a child, I just want to grab them and hug them and love them and give them everything that Thomas and Anthony didn't have. It's made me more aware of the suffering that some people have to go through in their lives."

She added: "This is something that I'll never forget. I'll be always be watching out for all the children in my life — for the rest of my life."