Dad, Fiancée Indicted On Murder Charges After Son Froze: Attorney

CENTER MORICHES, NY — NYPD officer Michael Valva and his fiancée Angela Pollina were indicted on second degree murder charges Wednesday — the same day that a crowd of mourners turned out at a wake for Thomas Valva, 8, who died of hypothermia after authorities allege he was left in a frigid garage overnight as temperatures plummeted.

Huntington-based attorney Matthew Tuohy, who represents Pollina, confirmed the indictments and said the pair will be arraigned next week in Riverhead.

In Deer Park, scores of mourners packed Mangano Family Funeral Homes — the Mangano family, as well as Jen Simmons and Sue Cortina, covered all funeral and cemetery costs, as well as buying new suits for Thomas and his two brothers.

"Went to Thomas's wake. So very sad. Why? Rest in peace, Thomas. Fly high and play with the angels," Bernadette Hauburger Iorio wrote on Facebook.

Since Thomas' death, hundreds have taken to social media to call for the removal of the judge who ruled in the Valva case. On Wednesday, a "Rally to Remove Judges — Justice for Thomas," took place at State Supreme Court in Mineola.

According to News12, dozens turned out, with child welfare activists and residents alleging that the judges did nothing despite reports that Thomas was abused.

Services will continue on Thursday at Mangano Family Funeral Homes, located at 1701 Deer Park Avenue in Deer Park, with closing prayers scheduled from 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m.

A mass of Christian burial will follow from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the St. Elizabeth of Hungary RC Church, 175 Wolf Hill Road, Melville, NY 11747. His final resting place will be at St. Charles Cemetery, 2015 Wellwood Ave., East Farmingdale, NY 11735.

Members of a heartbroken community have come forward to help Thomas' mother, Justyna Zubko-Valva. Funeral costs were paid by Mangano Family Funeral Homes, owner Sal Mangano said. "It's the least we could do for the family of this poor boy — what they're going through, the grief, it's unimaginable," he said.

And Mangano isn't the only one who has opened his heart to help.

Thomas' story prompted Simmons and Cortina, who work at One World Judicial Services in Deer Park, to come forward in an act of pure love, even though they'd never met Thomas or his mother before.

"We'd followed it online and heard it on the news," Simmons said. "Our hearts just broke. We felt so bad for that little boy. We felt like we had to try and do something to help, so we reached out to Sal and he offered to donate the funeral services, and we purchased the plot at the cemetery for Tommy. We also purchases suits for Tommy and his brothers Anthony and Andrew."

Elle Mangano, Sal's sister, who owns Family Florist in Deer Park, donated all flowers to the funeral, and has been arranging for donations of gift cards, clothing, food and gifts for Thomas' brothers to be collected, since they are starting over.

"I'm asking people to write a note to the mom and include it on or in their donation. I'm going to wrap up large gift baskets for mom and the boys," Mangano said. "This way, they can see how many people care about them. I'm just hoping that we are able to bring a little peace to the family — especially his mom Justyna and two brothers. I can't even begin to imagine the pain and heartbreak that they are feeling. When Sal called me to let me know that he was handling the funeral, I knew right away that I wanted to donate the flowers to the family. My only hope is that Thomas is finally at peace and his mom is comforted by the outpouring of love and support."

Simmons and Cortina are also collecting donations of gift cards, clothing and food. "We truly just want to make sure that these boys finally get to finally live the life that they deserve and wish we could have met them sooner to help Tommy," they said.

In addition, they are making blue and yellow ribbons that will be available at the wake for all to wear. "Blue for child abuse awareness and yellow because that was Tommy's favorite color," they said.

The community also turned out Sunday for a heartfelt vigil Sunday in Center Moriches.

The Center Moriches Fire Department has organized a "Community Fundraiser for the Family of Thomas Valva." On Wednesday and Thursday, the fire department will open its doors to accept donations.

"We will be collecting gift cards and monetary donations that will benefit Thomas' immediate family," the fire department said in a Facebook post. "Suggestions for gift cards are Visa cards, Walmart, Target, supermarkets and local restaurants like Applebee's, IHOP, Panera Bread, Dairy Queen, TGI Fridays, McDonald's and Burger King, to name a few." Donations will be accepted from 5 to 8 p.m. in the main meeting room on the second floor. For questions regarding the fundraiser, people are asked to contact Maria Renzetti at 631-484-4085 or by email at Mrenzetti@centermorichesfd.com.

A new GoFundMe page, "In Memory of Thomas Valva," has been set up to benefit Thomas' mother, two brothers and extended family.

Cortina added Tuesday that they are also collecting donations for Pollina's girls, who are now with their biological fathers. "We just wanted to do something for these three girls," she said, adding that clothes, gift cards and other donations can be brought to One World Judicial Services, located at 172 Brook Ave., Suite A, in Deer Park; to contact Cortina, email sc@oneworldjudicial.com.

Thomas' father, NYPD officer Michael Valva, has been charged with second-degree murder along with his fiancée, Angela Pollina.

Thomas' mother Zubko-Valva, had the temporary custody arrangement for her two sons continued on Tuesday; custody of Pollina's three girls was granted to their biological fathers.

Although his father initially reported that Thomas died after a fall in the driveway, gruesome new details emerged Friday at a press conference by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart. Thomas Valva officially died of hypothermia, according to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner, Hart said.

"We believe that he was kept in the garage overnight preceding his death," Hart said, adding that when he was found, the boy's body temperature was 76 degrees and he had head and facial injuries that did not align with Valva's account of what had happened.