Raul Valle Shelton, CT Stabbing Case: Acquittal and Retrial Ruling

The Raul Valle Shelton, Connecticut stabbing case is not over. A jury acquitted Valle in July 2025 of murdering 17-year-old James “Jimmy” McGrath and of intentionally assaulting three other teenagers at a Shelton house party, but deadlocked on lesser reckless charges. Prosecutors refiled those reckless counts, and as of late June 2026 a Milford Superior Court judge is weighing a defense motion to dismiss before deciding whether a retrial can go forward.

What Happened the Night of May 14, 2022

The violence grew out of two house parties in Shelton. Earlier in the evening, students from St. Joseph High School in Trumbull and Shelton High School fought at a graduation party on Lazy Brook Road. Trial testimony traced the dispute to a stolen 12-pack of beer. Griffin Marcinczyk, then 16 and a Shelton High student, told the jury that Valle threw the first punch and hit a friend of his with a motorcycle helmet. A parent broke up the fight after about 40 seconds, but tensions continued in a group chat originally set up to coordinate basketball games between the two schools.¹

Later that night, Valle, his best friend Tyler DaSilva, and several others drove in a Honda Pilot to a second party at 43 Laurel Glen Drive, where roughly 20 to 40 Shelton High students and friends from other schools had gathered.² Valle’s group was told to leave, drove off, and then came back. Partygoers surrounded the Honda Pilot, and a brawl broke out. During the fight, Valle’s friend and driver Jack Snyder handed him a black folding tactical knife.³

Witnesses Taylor Capela and Charlie Connery testified they saw Valle stab McGrath, a 17-year-old Fairfield Prep junior described at trial as a bystander who was not fighting.³ McGrath was stabbed in the chest. Medical examiner Dr. Roselle Crombie testified the injury was not survivable.²

The Other Three Victims

Three other teenagers were stabbed during the brawl:

Ryan Heinz was stabbed in the chest, side, and thigh. The chest wound caused a collapsed lung, and a medical expert testified that the likelihood of Heinz dying was “relatively high” until he was stabilized.⁴
Thomas Connery suffered four stab wounds to his thigh. A police officer applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.⁵
Faison Teele was also stabbed during the melee; the specific severity of his injuries was not detailed in trial coverage.

The 2025 Trial

Valle, 16 at the time of the stabbing, went to trial in June and July 2025 in the Superior Court for the Judicial District of Ansonia-Milford. He faced one count of murder for McGrath’s death and assault charges for each of the three surviving victims. The trial ran about three weeks and included roughly 25 witnesses.⁶

The Prosecution’s Theory

Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Marc Durso argued the stabbings were retaliatory, not defensive. In his account, Valle lost the earlier fight at Lazy Brook Road, became enraged, armed himself with a knife supplied by Jack Snyder, and deliberately returned to Laurel Glen Drive to attack people. Prosecutors showed cell phone video of the brawl and put on eyewitness testimony describing Valle lunging at McGrath.² Tyler DaSilva, Valle’s best friend, testified under an immunity agreement that shielded him from prosecution for his own involvement that night in exchange for cooperation.⁷

Valle’s Self-Defense Testimony

Valle took the stand. He testified that when his group returned to Laurel Glen Drive, a crowd of about 30 to 40 people surrounded the car, rocked it, and yelled, and that someone sprayed him in the face with WD-40. He said he got out to help DaSilva, who he thought was being beaten, and was then surrounded and hit all over his body. According to Valle, Snyder tossed him the knife in the chaos and he stabbed without aim because he was “scared” and wanted people off him. At one point, he said, he was struck in the head and “everything just went black.”²⁸

Defense attorney Kevin M. Smith called the evening “so much stupid running around” and framed the violence as the product of a chaotic scene rather than a planned attack. He also attacked prosecution witnesses as inconsistent and protective of McGrath’s memory. The judge denied a defense motion for a judgment of acquittal.²

The Split Verdict

On July 9, 2025, jurors delivered a split result. They found Valle not guilty of murder, first-degree manslaughter, and all intentional assault charges. They deadlocked on every lesser-included reckless count:²

McGrath count: reckless first-degree manslaughter.
Heinz count: reckless first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and reckless second-degree assault.
Connery count: reckless first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and reckless second-degree assault.
Teele count: reckless second-degree assault.

The jury foreman later said there had been a single holdout on the lesser charges.⁹ Judge Shari A. Murphy declared a mistrial on the deadlocked counts.¹⁰ Jimmy McGrath’s father, Kevin, told reporters the jury “just didn’t see the intent.”¹¹

The Refiled Charges

Prosecutors then filed amended charges: one count of reckless first-degree manslaughter, two counts of reckless first-degree assault, and one count of reckless second-degree assault.¹² No new bond conditions were attached, and Valle remained free.¹³

Kevin Smith left the case after the verdict. Valle first appeared without a lawyer and was ordered to secure counsel by January 2026.⁹ He then hired Stamford criminal defense attorney Darnell Crosland.¹⁴

The Motion to Dismiss

On April 15, 2026, Crosland filed an 18-page motion to dismiss the remaining charges with prejudice. The motion rests on two arguments. The first invokes collateral estoppel, a doctrine tied to double jeopardy: because the jury acquitted Valle of intentional murder and assault, the defense argues, it necessarily found he acted in self-defense, and the state cannot relitigate that issue. The second cites Valle’s speedy-trial right, noting he has been on a $2 million bond since May 2022.¹⁵

Prosecutor Marc Durso responded that the acquittals do not resolve self-defense at all. He argued the jury may have simply concluded the state failed to prove intentional conduct beyond a reasonable doubt without ever reaching self-defense, and that retrying the reckless counts is legally permitted.¹⁵

Where the Case Stands

Judge Kevin Russo of Milford Superior Court heard oral arguments on the motion on June 1, 2026. Russo pressed the defense on its reading of the verdict, asking whether the jury might never have reached self-defense because it found the state failed to prove intent. Crosland maintained that the acquittal on the top charges logically required a self-defense finding, and said a retrial would be “Groundhog’s Day all over again.” Kevin McGrath, who attended the hearing, said the family was “looking forward to the retrial.”¹⁶

Russo said he would issue a written decision within 90 days of the hearing, though he expected to rule sooner.¹² As of late June 2026, no ruling had been issued.¹⁷ If the motion is denied, the reckless charges proceed to retrial. If granted, the criminal case ends.

The Civil Cases Are Separate

The criminal proceedings are not the only litigation. In May 2024, the McGrath family filed a wrongful death suit naming Valle and alleging his actions were “willful, wanton and malicious.” That suit also names five former St. Joseph High students, including Tyler DaSilva and Jack Snyder, along with their parents, on negligence and parental-liability theories tied to alcohol provided to minors. Those claims have been consolidated with lawsuits filed by the families of the three other stabbing victims and assigned to the complex litigation docket.¹⁸¹⁹

The McGraths also sued the homeowners at both party addresses. The suit against Paul and Susanna Leifer, owners of the Lazy Brook Road property, was settled for approximately $1.5 million.¹⁸ The suit against Ronald and Stacie Rich, owners of the Laurel Glen Drive home, was withdrawn in September 2025 “without costs to any party,” and it is not clear whether the withdrawal followed a private settlement.²⁰ A separate suit against Tyler Rich, the couple’s son who hosted the party, remained active and was scheduled for jury selection as of late 2025.¹⁹

1
CT Post. Initial Altercation at Lazy Brook Road Party
2
Court TV. CT v. Raul Valle Preppy Party Murder Trial
3
NBC Connecticut. Jury Deliberations in Raul Valle Trial
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Connecticut News 12. Testimony: Second Teen Could Have Died in Shelton Party Stabbing
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WFSB. Day 4: House Party Murder Trial Jurors Hear Other Stabbing Victims
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NBC Connecticut. Inside Raul Valle Trial: Family of James McGrath Murder Trial Experience
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CT Post. Raul Valle Murder Trial James McGrath Day 7
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Court TV. Raul Valle Describes Deadly Fight: Everything Just Went Black
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NBC Connecticut. Man Acquitted of Murder of Fairfield Prep Student Expected Back in Court
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CT Post. Raul Valle Attorney Smith Charges James McGrath
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Court TV. Jimmy McGrath’s Father Speaks Out After Verdict in Raul Valle’s Trial
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WTNH. Man Found Not Guilty of Murder in Shelton Teen’s Death Returns to Court Monday
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Patch. Amended Charges Filed Against Raul Valle Following Not Guilty Verdict
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Connecticut News 12. Raul Valle Hires New Attorney for Round 2 of Case in Jimmy McGrath’s Death
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CT Post. Raul Valle James McGrath Stabbing Double Jeopardy
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Court TV. Raul Valle’s Attorney Warns Retrial Will Be Groundhog’s Day All Over Again
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WFSB. Judge to Decide if Raul Valle Retrial Can Proceed
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CT Insider. James McGrath Raul Valle Verdict Civil Lawsuits
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NBC Connecticut. One Civil Case Settled, Others Active in Deadly Shelton Fight
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New Haven Register. McGrath Family Lawsuit Stabbing Rich Shelton