LONG ISLAND, NY — The Center Moriches home — described by Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Kerriann Kelly as the “house of horrors” where Thomas Valva froze to death in his father’s garage — is listed for auction. The auction is scheduled for the same day that Angela Pollina, who was found guilty in his death, is set for sentencing.
The jury reached a unanimous verdict Friday, finding Pollina guilty of second-degree murder in Thomas’s death. She was also found guilty of four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
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Pollina’s sentencing is set for April 11.
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According to a post by Xome.com, the Valva/Pollina home, located at 11 Bittersweet Lane, will be “sold through the applicable foreclosure auction process”, also on April 11, at 11 a.m. The in-person auction will be held at the April foreclosure sale at Brookhaven Town Hall, the site said.
Pollina’s attorney Matthew Tuohy confirmed that the auction is scheduled. He also said, after the jury found Pollina guilty, that he plans to appeal and that she will “continue to fight.”
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Tuohy spoke with Patch Monday: “This was an emotional trial on many levels,” he said. “Although we didn’t get the result we wanted, Angela will continue to pursue all legal remedies available to her.”
Pollina is the former fiancée of Michael Valva, an ex-NYPD officer convicted of murder in the death of his 8-year-old son Thomas, who died of hypothermia after being forced to sleep in his father’s frigid garage.
Valva and Pollina were arrested Jan. 24, 2020, and charged with second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Each faced 25 years to life in prison, and both pleaded not guilty. Valva’s attorney John LoTurco has also said he will appeal.
Jurors convicted Valva of second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child in November. The boy froze to death in the Center Moriches garage. His father was sentenced to 25 years to life behind bars in December.
Teachers and the principal from East Moriches Elementary School offered emotional testimony, as they did in Valva’s trial, describing the boys, who came to school bruised, soaked in urine, starving, and always cold. Detectives and others who responded to the home also testified.
During Valva’s trial, one witness, a plumber, said he saw Pollina throw a child down the stairs. There was also evidence shown of texts reflecting Pollina’s frustration with the incontinence of Thomas and his older brother and her stating that she did not want them in the house. Valva’s defense team painted an image of Valva as a man stressed over finances, who had nowhere to go with his boys if he had to leave the home he shared with Pollina.
Thomas’ mother Justyna Zubko-Valva pleaded for help on her Twitter page before her son died. In 2020, Zubko-Valva filed a $200 million wrongful death suit.
Zubko-Valva has not responded to requests for comment.
In June, a judge ruled that portions of the $200 million lawsuit filed by Zubko-Valva after Thomas died can move forward, a judge ruled.
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