A press conference was held at the Guilford home of Kevin Smith, the defense attorney for Raul Valle.

Smith said on Friday that Valle will not be making any public statements in the near future.

“I think we can all agree that for all these kids involved, any more publicity about this right now is simply not in their best interest,” Smith said. “I don't know when or if they'll ever want to speak about it, but I think they need to be given the time and privacy to process their grief, to process what they've been through, and to recognize that none of them are ever going to be able to say what trajectory their life would've been like if not for that night.”

Valle was acquitted of murder and intentional first-degree manslaughter, but the jury was deadlocked on lesser charges in the stabbings that killed 17-year-old Jimmy McGrath and injured three other Shelton teenagers. The judge declared a mistrial on those charges.

Valle was also acquitted of assault charges related to the fatal stabbing at a house party in Shelton on May 14, 2022.

The judge’s declaration of a mistrial means Valle could be retried on the unresolved charges.

“This jury followed the instructions that they were given, they followed the law, set aside their sympathies, as they said they would do when we picked these jurors,” Smith said. “I also want to thank Judge Murphy. She showed a steady hand throughout the trial that certainly contributed to the fairness that I think was evident throughout the process.”

Meanwhile, the family of Jimmy McGrath has filed multiple lawsuits against more than 20 individuals connected to the stabbing, including Valle and members of his family.

The families of the three teens who survived their injuries have also filed lawsuits.