LONG ISLAND (PIX11) — Opening arguments began Monday in the trial of Angela Pollina, a woman accused of murder in the death of her ex-fiance’s 8-year-old son on Long Island.
Thomas Valva’s father, former NYPD officer Michael Valva, was already convicted and sentenced for the boy’s Jan. 17, 2020, hypothermia death. Pollina’s lawyer, Matthew Tuohy, fought to keep the trials separate. He said on Monday that Pollina would take the stand during her trial.
“I told the jury she’s going to take the stand to own up to everything she did wrong and also explain what she didn’t do, that she didn’t commit the crime, that the father committed, that Mr. Valva committed,” he said. “We’re not going to whitewash anything. We’re going to be transparent.”
Pollina and Michael Valva both blamed each other for the 8-year-old boy’s death. In May of 2021, Michael Valva’s lawyer described Pollina as a “wicked, cruel stepmother.”
A prosecutor told a judge in early 2020 that Pollina was seen on camera dragging Thomas Valva down a staircase on Jan. 15, 2020 — two days before his death — because the boy had soiled his pants. Pollina’s lawyer said his client yelled at Thomas Valva and his brother and she wanted them in the garage, but that she wasn’t the one who caused Thomas Valva to die.
Pollina pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The trial is expected to continue until the end of March.
