Suspect not guilty in prep school lacrosse player’s murder

Raul Valle, accused of stabbing Fairfield, Conpecticut Prep College Lacrosse participant James “Jimmy” McGrath Dood in March 2022, was not discovered responsible of expenses for homicide and deliberate manslaughter.

Valle was additionally acquitted of the primary and second -degree intentional assault. The jury was caught on the accusation of reckless manslaughter of the primary diploma and reckless assault within the first and second -degree. Decide Shari Murphy defined a mistrial that damaged expenses.

Valle, now 20, was a tearful throughout an emotional response to the decision. He was 16 when McGrath, 17, was put lifeless throughout a teenage occasion fed by drinks after a home occasion. McGrath performed Lacrosse at Fairfield School Preparatory College.

Raul Valle is sworn in for witnesses on the eighth day of his homicide course of within the Superior Court docket in Milford, Connecticut, on 30 June 2025. (Ned Gerard/Connecticut Publish)

Outdoors the courtroom, McGrath’s father, Kevin McGrath, reacted with a shock to the decision.

“I’m shocked concerning the outcomes, however you recognize, it is the correct course of. [Valle] is entitled to it. And on the finish of the day the jury made their judgment, “he mentioned.” I’m not positive if, you recognize, in the event that they had been in the identical courtroom as we had been all collectively, however that’s the judgment, and we’ll stay with it. “

He described himself as “maybe reckless” that Valle could be convicted when he heard that the jury had despatched a judgment again.

“I’m shocked. You realize, it is most likely why I’ve management,” he mentioned. “I’m now shocked by the decision.”

McGrath, nonetheless, mentioned the method was honest and admitted that valley

“Raul Valle obtained a good trial,” he mentioned.

“I do not imagine that Raul Valle awakened on Saturday morning and mentioned he would kill Jimmy McGrath. You realize, I by no means believed that. They did not know one another. I’m simply in shock that an harmless younger man with a superb potential is now not with us. And the one that has entered his life is now good tonight.”

McGrath thanked the primary responds, researchers, the courtroom and the media for the skilled through the felony trial.

The household’s lawyer, Michael Rosnick, talked about casually that the state might once more strive Valle on the lesser expenses wherein a mistrial was declared.

“There are fewer prices included,” he mentioned. “I count on that we count on the workplace of the state’s lawyer to submit an data, however I’ll let the workplace of the state’s workplace communicate for themselves.”

James “Jimmy” McGrath, a 17-year-old Fairfield School Preparatory College athlete, was stabbed to dying at a home occasion in 2022. (Fairfield School Preparatory College)

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Donna Rotunno is a felony lawyer and Fox Information worker.

She mentioned Fox Information Digital that the non-guilty judgment on the homicide assault is justified.

“I do not assume the punishment on this circumstance would match the weather of crime,” she mentioned Wednesday afternoon. “I do not assume this could not spend the extent of … the place somebody ought to spend the remainder of his life in jail. And it’s a horrible, horrible, tragic scenario. However I do not assume there was the extent of intention that was essential to spend the remainder of their lives in jail.

“There’s by no means a intention to make use of [a weapon]. Your hope is to have it in case you want it and I believe the details and circumstances of this example borrow that evaluation. I believe this was a circumstance the place a battle broke out. I do imagine that [Valle] felt he was at risk. I imagine he felt that his pals had been at risk, and that is why they had been the selections he made. And, you recognize, knife or not, that was that. “

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The jury was blocked on Monday and Tuesday at 11-1 earlier than the deliberations continued on Wednesday morning, corresponding to NBC Connecticut reported. Valle testified through the course of and claimed that stitching was self -defense.

“I believe these tales are very compelling for jury members. I believe jury members are actually attempting to get it proper,” Rotunno instructed Fox Information Digital on Tuesday earlier than the jury reached the decision. “In fact there are some instances the place that evaluation might not match or somebody makes the declare of self -defense [and] It’s not logical underneath the regulation. However … given the best way wherein this jury has been out for a number of days now, and they’re clearly caught … [defense attorneys] have made a compelling argument for at the very least one or so. “

She added that each time a suspect claims self -defense, “the burden shifts to you to indicate that … you had been in affordable concern.”

Valle took the witness in his personal protection final week, of which Rotunno mentioned it’s “nearly essential” in instances like his.

A 16-year-old homicide suspect is claimed to have stabbed Jimmy McGrath outdoors this home on Laurel Glen Drive in Milford, Connecticut, the place a memorial within the type of a coronary heart was positioned outdoors. (Michael Ruiz/Fox Information Digital)

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Valle went to the St. Joseph Excessive College in Trumbull close to Fairfield Prep, the place McGrath Junior was. Each had been to a home occasion on the night of 14 Could 2022 wherein a battle and a minor drink had been concerned previous to the stabbing, which occurred later that night at one other home occasion.

The police responded to numerous 911 cellphone calls wherein a battle was reported that occurred simply earlier than midnight on 14 Could 2022 outdoors a home on Laurel Glen Drive in Shelton and located a number of victims on the entrance garden. The proprietor of the home the place the occasion occurred was at residence on the time of the incident.

At one level there have been about 25 folks concerned within the battle on the entrance garden of the home, witnesses instructed the police. No less than three youthful suspects are talked about within the report, together with Valle, suspected of getting a knife. McGrath had “one stab wound on the left facet of the chest,” says the order. “The stab wound went via the rib and the center.”

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A physician from the Chief Medical Examiner from Connecticut instructed the police that there was about 1.8 liters of blood within the lungs of McGrath.

Throughout his emotional testimony, Valle mentioned that he by no means meant to kill somebody that night. He mentioned {that a} buddy handed him the knife throughout an enormous battle with dozens of youngsters who surrounded him. He claimed that he misplaced consciousness at a sure second through the battle.

Valle additional mentioned that he was waving the knife in all instructions and felt overwhelmed, based on Court TV.

Raul Valle speaks on July 1, 2025 throughout his second testimony day throughout his homicide course of in State Superior Court docket in Milford, Connecticut. (Ned Gerard/Connecticut Publish)

“So I believe it is rather tough in a self -defense web site for a jury to not hear from the suspect,” Rotunno defined. “Generally you’ll be able to set up it via different witnesses, however when you have a suspect who can take the place, and you’ve got somebody who … goes to do a very good job to inform the jury what occurred, I nearly assume it’s essential in these instances.”

Rotunno mentioned that “you must keep in mind in a melee, you’re speaking about conditions in a second.” She seen that at a sure second throughout his testimony Valle it was requested if somebody subsequent to him got here on to him through the battle, to which he replied that he couldn’t keep in mind.

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A 16-year-old homicide suspect is claimed to have stabbed Jimmy McGrath outdoors this home on Laurel Glen Drive in Shelton, Connecticut, the place a memorial within the type of a coronary heart was positioned outdoors. (Fox Information Digital)

“I believe that for the protection one of the best piece of knowledge is precisely the truth that it is a complete battle. You don’t have any thought who’s coming to you. You do not know what’s going to occur to you. You’re scared and also you act,” she mentioned. “And in each circumstance I perceive that the prosecution will say, he introduced this knife to a fist battle, proper? … however solely as a result of you’ve a weapon doesn’t imply that there was an intention to make use of it. And in case you are not the aggressor, this doesn’t imply that you don’t have any proper to defend your self.”

If the jury doesn’t come to an settlement, the choose can clarify a mistrial. That may result in the case “going again to sq.,” mentioned Rotunno. The protection might additionally argue for the discharge of Valle within the case of a mistrial.

Raul Valle listens on the eighth day of his homicide course of within the state of Superior Court docket in Milford, Connecticut, on June 30, 2025. (Ned Gerard/Connecticut Publish)

A consultant of St. Joseph instructed Fox Information Digital in 2022 that Valle had had a very good educational standing and had not been in battles at college earlier than the incident of Could 14.

Valle was launched on a bond of $ 2 million just a few days after his arrest in Could 2022.

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A Death report for McGrath Described the 17-year-old because the “sunshine” of his mother and father’ life and the “finest buddy and confidant” of his sister.

“Many described Jim as a splendidly completely satisfied particular person with an enormous coronary heart who was a loving buddy for a lot of,” says the dying commercial. “He liked his faculty, Fairfield Prep, and he excelled like an athlete in each sport he selected. He performed soccer and Lacrosse for Fairfield PrEP and as a youth for Shelton and Connecticut Wolves. He understood the which means of a part of a crew.”