Raul Valle, 20, stood trial in the killing of Fairfield College Preparatory School student James “Jimmy” McGrath and the stabbings of several others at a house party on May 14, 2022, in Shelton, Connecticut. At the time of the stabbings, Valle was a 16-year-old student at St. Joseph High School. Police arrived at the scene and reported Valle had stabbed four people, injuring Ryan Heinz, Faison Teele, Thomas “Tommy” Connery, and killing McGrath.
The jury began deliberations on July 7, 2025, and two days later, they reached a partial verdict. They found him not guilty of intentional murder in the death of McGrath, intentional first-degree assault in the stabbings of Heinz and Connery, and intentional second-degree assault in the stabbing of Teele. The judge was forced to declare a mistrial on the reckless charge, as the jury was unable to decide on it.
Possible Retrial
Raul Valle was facing several charges, including murder, manslaughter, first-degree assault, and second-degree assault. He previously declined to accept a 40-year plea deal if he pleaded guilty, and instead decided to go to trial, where he faced up to 105 years in prison if convicted on all of the charges.
Although he was acquitted, a retrial on the lesser charges is still possible if the state decides to pursue it. According to Brian Gallini, dean of Quinnipiac University’s School of Law, the state can retry Valle on the lesser charges in which the jury deadlocked. “I would be very surprised if we didn’t see a retrial here,” he said.
Attorney Jim Bergenn, who is not associated with the case, said, “[Valle’s] starting fresh with these remaining charges, and with the prosecution knowing that a jury couldn’t find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on intent, and they even hung on recklessness.” He implied the defense is in a good position if another trial were brought forth.
Civil Case Against Raul Valle
On the defense’s side, McGrath’s family attorney, Michael Rosnick, stated there is an option for a civil case for the plaintiffs to receive financial compensation for the pain they have suffered. He said, “We will still be pursuing justice to hold anyone accountable who bears any responsibility to the chain of events that night.”
Attorney Trent LaLima informed the media that a person can lose a civil case even if they were acquitted of criminal charges. Valle may not be the only named defendant in the civil case, as two other St. Joseph’s students were granted immunity from the prosecution heading into trial.
Tyler DaSilva and Jack Snyder were with Valle the night of the stabbings and were granted immunity in exchange for truthful testimony. However, they are still at risk of being included in the civil case. “Those immunity agreements the state had with DaSilva and Snyder do not apply to a civil suit,” LaLima said. “So, when the lawyer said he intends to hold anyone responsible, he could be referring to DaSilva and Snyder.”
If the McGrath family were to win the civil case against Raul Valle and/or the other two students, the justice they would receive is financial compensation or an injunction that the defendants must follow. Regardless, justice of any kind is better than none, especially for a family who is grieving the loss of their son.
McGrath Family Reacts
James McGrath’s father, Kevin McGrath, said, “I’m shocked right now at the verdict.” He admitted he was not prepared for a not guilty verdict and stated, “I’m just in shock that an innocent young man with a brilliant potential is not with us anymore, and the person that took his life is free tonight.”
Even after receiving what felt like an injustice to the McGrath family, Kevin McGrath still thanked the prosecution, the judge, and first responders for their part in trying to save his son’s life. He also thanked his community of friends and family who stood behind them during this a dark time.
