NYPD Officer Michael Valva, charged with murder after his autistic son froze to death in garage, quits police force
The NYPD officer accused of beating his autistic 8-year-old son and letting him freeze to death in an unheated Long Island garage in the middle of winter has quit the police force.
Michael Valva, 41, resigned Wednesday after 15 years with the NYPD, a police spokeswoman confirmed.
Valva and his fiancee, Angela Pollina are charged with murder. His son, Thomas, froze to death Jan. 17 after his father allegedly forced him to sleep in the garage of the family’s Center Moriches home. The boy’s body temperature had dropped to 76 degrees.
Valva’s lawyer, John LoTurco, told the Daily News he voluntarily left the NYPD to protect what he’s already put into his pension.
“The NYPD offered him a resignation without a disciplinary hearing, and that allowed him not to admit any culpability and just resign, allowed him to keep his pension. But in exchange, there’s no salary going forward,” LoTurco said. “And they didn’t have to pursue any disciplinary hearing.”
Valva had a status conference in Suffolk County Supreme Court on Wednesday. LoTurco said he plans to ask the court to hold separate trials for Valva and Pollina, since their defense strategies will put them at odds with each other. He’s also hoping to suppress some of Valva’s statements to investigators, he said.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office opened a special grand jury probe of little Thomas’ death after child welfare workers, judges and lawyers ignored two years of warnings that his father was allegedly abusing him.
A recording recovered by investigators captured Valva and Pollina discussing Thomas after another child asked why the boy couldn’t walk.
“He keeps face-planting on the concrete,” Valva said in the recording. When Pollina said, “You know why he’s falling,” the cop responded, “Because he’s cold. Boo f---ing hoo.”
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