A Long Island stepmother who admitted to forcing her autistic stepson to sleep in a freezing garage was sentenced to 25 years to life April 11 for his death.
Angela Pollina, 45, was convicted of second-degree murder and child endangerment after a Long Island jury found the former medical biller guilty of making her two stepsons sleep in a freezing garage in January, resulting in the death of the youngest – 8-year-old Thomas Valva, according to the New York Post.
When Thomas was discovered the following day, his body temperature had dropped to almost 76 degrees. Prosecutors also claim the child had suffered a head injury, had no body fat, alopecia and a kidney infection, most likely caused by holding his urine, the outlet stated.
“You tortured those boys — you tortured them,” Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge Timothy Mazzei told Pollina, according to the New York Post.
Monster dad Michael Valva’s ex Angela Pollina sentenced to 25 to life for 8-year-old’s death https://t.co/hDPRsBgj4n pic.twitter.com/4X54duyTEU
— New York Post (@nypost) April 11, 2023
Pollina’s conviction follows that of her former fiancé and ex-NYPD cop Michael Valva, who was convicted in November for Thomas’ death, getting a similar sentence of 25 years to life. While Pollina’s lawyers attempted to frame Valva as the sole perpetrator of the abuse, testimony from teachers, neighbors and ultimately Pollina made those efforts fruitless, the outlet reported.
“I treated them bad,” Pollina told the court, according to the New York Post. “I treated them evil. I put them in the garage. It was horrible. Yes, I did … I exiled them.” (RELATED: Texas Woman Allegedly Claims She Sold Child, Police Dispute Claim As She Reportedly Flees Country)
In addition to the damning testimony, prosecutors also provided jurors with videos showing Thomas and his older brother Anthony shivering on the cement floor of the garage after Pollina demanded they be left with no conveniences or comforts.
As Judge Mazzei handed down Pollina’s prison sentence, he stated that his only regret was that the prison did not have a garage. “That’s where you deserve to be for the rest of your natural life,” he said, according to the New York Post.