Man charged in hypothermia death of 8-year-old son assigned court-funded attorney

Michael Valva was back in Suffolk Criminal Court Thursday, where he was assigned a court-funded attorney. It comes after an investigation found he had no money.

News 12 Staff

Mar 5, 2020, 8:31 PM

Updated 1,680 days ago

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The NYPD officer charged in the death of his 8-year-old son in Center Moriches now has a new lawyer.
Michael Valva was back in Suffolk Criminal Court Thursday, where he was assigned a court-funded attorney. It comes after an investigation found he had no money.
High-end attorney John LoTurco volunteered to represent Michael Valva in his murder case. Valva is accused of the abuse and hypothermia death of his 8-year-old son, Thomas Valva, in a Center Moriches garage.
Valva's fiancee Angela Pollina is also charged with murder.
LoTurco stated Thursday that on the night of Thomas Valva's death, the garage was unlocked and that there was a space heater inside. He also said because of extensive media coverage, his client cannot get a fair trial and will be examining a possible change of venue request to be filed with the court.
"The media, his estranged wife and the Suffolk DA have vilified him and sensationalized this story, whereby it is almost impossible to obtain a fair case in this jurisdiction on his behalf," says LoTurco.
Valva's estranged wife was also in the gallery watching the proceedings Thursday. She says Valva has hundreds of thousands of dollars and can afford his own attorney.
Valva will be back in court at the end of the month.