The stepmother of an eight-year-old boy who died of hypothermia after being forced to sleep in a freezing garage has been convicted a few months after the dad was also sentenced for the child's murder.
Angela Pollina has been found guilty of second-degree murder and child endangerment charges in the death of her ex's son Thomas Valva who had autism.
Thomas froze to death after his father punished him for soiling himself, and both Michael Valva and Pollina were charged with second-degree murder and child endangerment.
The trial established that Michael Valva sprayed the boy with a hose.
He then forced both Thomas and his brother, 10-year-old Anthony Valva, who also has autism, to sleep in a garage during the winter.
Pollina's sentencing is scheduled for April 11 in Riverhead, Long Island, New York, US, and she faces 25 years to life in prison.
During the trial, Pollina testified that she was "evil" but not a killer and claimed that Michael Valva alone was responsible for the slaying and that she had tried to help the boy instead.
However, the prosecution argued that Pollina was equally culpable under the law for murder.
The prosecution also described Pollina's actions as "pure evil," and Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said that Pollina's treatment of the children was "nothing short of pure evil".
Michael Valva had previously admitted to neglecting and abusing his sons, killing one of them.
The man, a former New York Police Department officer, was also sentenced to 25 years in prison in December for the death of his son.
Discussing the emotional toll of the evidence heard throughout his trial, Judge William Condon said:
"This was the most stressful trial I've ever been a part of as either a lawyer or a judge."
"Everybody who took part in this trial lost sleep, didn't eat, had nightmares - it was difficult for everyone."
Valva accepted his sentence in court, and said he had "already sentenced myself to a life of extreme remorse, loss and grief".
In an unusual show of apparent emotion, he said he "loved Thomas with all my heart", adding: "I terribly failed my boys, instead of providing them with unconditional love and support."
Valva said he did not want his son to die and never imagined placing him in the garage would cause him to.
But he said he lost his way by thinking "punishments were temporary" and that everything would simply go back to normal.
