NEW YORK CITY, New York — A former New York City police officer has been sentenced for the death of his 8-year-old autistic son.
45-year-old Michael Valva was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
According to the Suffolk County Prosecutor’s Office, Valva forced his two sons to sleep on the concrete floor in a garage.
Investigators say that on January 17, 2020, the 8-year-old child soiled himself, angering Valva, who then turned a garden hose on the boy in below-freezing conditions outside. The boy, reports say, then fell in and out of consciousness, and eventually died from hypothermia.
Officials say that surveillance footage showed the incident.
Michael Valva, the prosecutor said, would not call 9-1-1 for over an hour after the boy became unconscious.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney told CNN that “The torture that killed Thomas and endangered Anthony’s welfare was nothing short of evil.”
“This is one of the most difficult and heartbreaking cases I have experienced in my nearly 30 years as a prosecutor. Thanks to the great work of my prosecutors and the SCPD, there is a small measure of justice in Michael Valva receiving the maximum sentence,” Tierney said. “However, no prison sentence is adequate for the cruel treatment this defendant inflicted on his own children.”