SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. (WNBC) – An NYPD officer and his fiancé are under arrest, charged with second-degree murder in the death of the officer’s 8-year-old son.
Suffolk County police were on the scene of the home all day after arresting the couple Friday morning.
Michael Valva, an NYPD cop with 15 years on the force, initially reported his son had fallen on the driveway. A homicide probe led to this arrest.
The veteran cop and his fiancé, Angela Pollina, are both charged with killing Thomas Valva.
One neighbor said she once worked as the family’s nanny and cared for the boy with autism. “They always portrayed that they were this Brady Bunch family but that was never the case,” the neighbor explained.
She said verbal abuse was common in the Center Moriches home. But Suffolk police said the abuse also included food deprivation and more. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said, “Thomas Valva was subjected to freezing temps in the home’s unheated garage overnight when the outside temperature was 19 degrees.”
The police commissioner said the 8-year-old died after a night in the garage. When his body temperature was checked, police said it registered 76 degrees.
Justyna Valva, Thomas’ mom, was in tears today. She said, “I want justice for my son, he deserves it.”
She lost custody of her three sons in a bitter divorce but alleges their father had abused them for years. “It’s unspeakable why something like this happened and no response from the people who are supposed to protect my children,” Justyna said.
Those claims, Suffolk police said, are now being investigated.
Sources say the NYPD has stripped Michael Valva of his gun and badge.
The man who police said lied about how his son died also posted a GoFundMe page and received $14,000 in pledges for the boy’s funeral.
One neighbor said, “You kind of think, how could a father let this happen to his own children?”
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