Raul Valle found not guilty of murder in fatal stabbing of Fairfield Prep student at party
Valle let out a deep breath as he heard the words "not guilty" the first time. His attorney, Kevin Smith, kept his hand on Valle’s shoulder as the verdict was read.
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Raul Valle was found not guilty of murder and intentional first-degree manslaughter in the death of 17-year-old Jimmy McGrath. Valle was also acquitted of assault charges related to the fatal stabbing at a house party in Shelton on May 14, 2022.
The jury of six men and six women returned those verdicts on Wednesday afternoon, the third day of deliberations. But jurors were unable to come to an agreement on lesser included charges, such as reckless first-degree manslaughter. Judge Shari Murphy declared a mistrial on those charges, leaving the door open to Valle being tried again on the lesser included charges.
Valle let out a deep breath as he heard the words "not guilty" the first time. His attorney, Kevin Smith, kept his hand on Valle’s shoulder as the verdict was read. It wasn’t until court adjourned that Valle broke down sobbing as he hugged Smith and his family. Valle appeared ready to speak with reporters outside the courthouse, but his attorney nixed any interviews.
Valle, now 20, was 16 and a student at St. Joseph High School, when he admittedly stabbed four Shelton teenagers during a fight on Laurel Glen Drive. Ryan Heinz, Tommy Connery and Faison Teele survived their injuries. McGrath, a star lacrosse player at Fairfield Prep, was stabbed in the heart and bled out on scene.
His father spoke with reporters after the verdict, where he said he never expected this outcome from the 12 jurors who sat through the trial, based on the evidence that was put out there.
“I'm not sure if they were all in the same courtroom as we were together,” Kevin McGrath said. “I was ready for maybe manslaughter. I was not ready for not guilty. I'll be honest with you. I don't think anybody was here.”
During nine days of evidence, the jury heard from 26 witnesses, including Valle. He was the only person to take the stand in his defense and testified he used a knife that night because he feared for his and his friend’s safety. But the prosecution called a parade of witnesses who told a different story. Two people testified McGrath wasn’t part of the brawl that broke out and was backing up when he was stabbed.
Kevin McGrath thanked the prosecutors for their work and said they did a wonderful job.
“There's no Monday morning quarterbacks here. I think they did everything they could. I’m astonished at the result, but you know, it's due process. He's entitled to it, and at the end of the day, the jury made their verdict,” Kevin McGrath stated. “We'll live with it, and we'll work closely with the prosecution.”
Kevin McGrath and the family’s attorney, Michael Rosnick, said they anticipate the state’s attorney’s office will retry Valle on the lesser included charges—reckless first-degree manslaughter for McGrath’s death, reckless first-degree assault for the injuries to Heinz and Connery and reckless second-degree assault for Teele’s stab wound.
Rosnick also noted there are several civil suits pending connected to the case.
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