NOT GUILTY CT - James McGrath, 17, athlete, fatally stabbed at house party fight, Shelton, May 2022 *ARREST*

[LAborn]

Just to keep things straight
Raul did not think to bring a knife - it was one of the "other kids" who brought the knife and handed it to him and I think its very unfair to judge his parents by this one isolated incident.
JMO

I know what happened. Since we're keeping this straight, Jack said the knife was always in his car like a lot of people have knives for utility purposes. You have to wonder why Valle asked for the knife, don't ya? And yes, it's absolutely fair to judge the parents. I'm a parent, have been around many kids and their families. Speaking from experience. Who takes their kid to Florida after they stabbed 4 people?

 

[LAborn]

when they sent the first note I think they were..maybe not in agreement on the murder charge. Then she told them to start working thru the rest. I think the judge was fair and another time sending them back would not have had any different result. But surprised they could not even agree on the lesser charges.

Can they bring him to trial for a lessor charge for Jimmy's death though? They said a "partial verdict". I'm still confused.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1943033125753262336

 

[Seattle1]

They were deadlocked on the murder charge. My understanding that will be retried. Right?

Deadlocked charges are generally declared a mistrial, but I'm not sure if the DA can refile the "1st Degree Manslaughter- Reckless" if a deadlocked charge is a 'lesser included charge.' I think double jeopardy applies since the lesser included is considered when there's an acquittal on the primary charge, as happened here. JMO

 

[LAborn]

Deadlocked charges are generally declared a mistrial, but I'm not sure if the DA can refile the "1st Degree Manslaughter- Reckless" if a deadlocked charge is a 'lesser included charge.' I think double jeopardy applies since the lesser included is considered when there's an acquittal on the primary charge, as happened here. JMO

Thank you.

 

[mzmarymac]

I learned about this case about 15 minutes ago after seeing a tiktok of the verdict being read. After a quick scan of the info, I must ask what in the world the state was thinking to pursue murder charges against a 16 year old who was in the midst of a mutual fight between 2 groups of people. Of course they were going to lose. And offering him a 40 year plea deal is truly taking advantage of a kid who seems like he didn't have a lot of money or knowledge of the legal system. He didn't even realize he killed anyone.

That said, he's got a bunch of other minor charges they can retry him on - the reckless manslaughter and some of the reckless charges for the other boys. I'd like to learn what the jury vote was internally on those. That said, if they are smart, they will offer this young man a plea deal with time-served and a lengthy and strict probation and be done with it.

 

[waldojabba]

I am surprised by the verdict.
I guess it just underscores that you never know what a jury is going to do

I think the entire process found Raul on a very uneven playing field.
I sensed an under current of bias - especially highlighted in today's world
Maybe that came through loud and clear to the jury
Sounds like they reached deep and thought about "What if that was my kid"
For both Raul and the victim Jimmy McGrath

The state gave very ill advised immunity deals
I think they were cocky and thought they had a slam dunk and over charged

I don't know what Raul's life looks like going forward - if there is more legal jeopardy - but he is one lucky kid right now. I hope he can turn things around personally and make his life count.

JMO

 

[waldojabba]

honestly we know nothing about RV or his family other than he liked to party every weekend and drinking was the norm.

Having grown up in FFCounty a few towns over and now recently living back in my hometown-

Drinking in HIgh school? On the weekends? That's what goes on here for all demographics - drinking is the norm especially if you are an athelete - and let's not even talk about the drugs that are readily available.
That was High School back in my day and it's the same today. It not a secret.
Partying on the weekend by no means meant or means you were with a bad crowd and did not mean you were not a great student/star atlete/ worked a job etc.
As far as Raul, he was on the basketball team and was recruited by St Joe's the school he was attending in Trumbull. He must have been pretty good as their team is well regarded in their conference.
JMO

 

[Magic8Ball]

Just to keep things straight
Raul did not think to bring a knife - it was one of the "other kids" who brought the knife and handed it to him.
I did not see much about the family in MSM so I think its very unfair to judge his parents by this one isolated incident of one of their children.
We really have no idea what type of parents they are.
Also it would be great if we could correlate "good" parentng with kids turning out "good" but sadly that is not always the case.
JMO

Great point. Not all good parents end up with wonderful adult kids and vice-versa.

I do think we can correlate parents who either furnish alcohol or allow byo parties for underage teens at their homes with frequent bad outcomes.

Most teen drinking doesn't lead to violent death, but a lot of teen drinking does lead to drunk driving deaths, and drowning/other accidental deaths, as well as to a lot of teens being saddled with a lifelong alcohol addiction before they even graduate high school.

It's all so horribly sad. Nothing good ever came of underage drinking.

Not one thing.

 

[waldojabba]

Good point. Not all good parents end up with wonderful adult kids and vice-versa.

I do think we can correlate parents who either furnish alcohol or allow byo parties for underage teens at their homes with frequent bad outcomes.

Most teen drinking doesn't lead to violent death, but a lot of teen drinking does lead to drunk driving deaths, and drowning/other accidental deaths, as well as to a lot of teens being saddled with a lifelong alcohol addiction before they even graduate high school.

It's all so horribly sad. Nothing good ever came of underage drinking.

Not one thing.

BBM from above Nothing good ever came of underage drinking.

I would take it one step further ... what good comes from adult drinking ?
If you followed the karen read case - that was all about adult drinking on trial -
JMO

 

[Seattle1]

I want to take a moment to remember the victim and his family, Jimmy McGrath, who, by all accounts, was a great friend and an incredible athlete.

In the charges filed against Valle, the State was intent that Valle intentionally murdered Jimmy McGrath. They asked the jurors to believe he picked him out in the crowd and plunged a knife into his chest, his heart, to end his life.

That's what 1st degree Murder, 1st degree Manslaughter, represents -- that this was intentional murder by Valle and nothing in between.

I've said from jump, this was an overcharge by the State that failed to consider the age of the offender and the environment-- underage, alcohol, and brawling HS boys-- not to mention two felony co-conspirators who received immunity agreements from prosecution-- BEFORE they'd even agree to talk to investigators.

By their verdict, a jury of Valle's peers said that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Valle intended to kill Jimmy. But let's be clear, this injustice we feel for Jimmy is on the State, not the jurors. MOO

 

[Magic8Ball]

BBM from above Nothing good ever came of underage drinking.

I would take it one step further ... what good comes from adult drinking ?
If you followed the karen read case - that was all about adult drinking on trial -
JMO

100% agreed.

And I do liken the KR and RV verdicts to each other.

I think our society is hypersensitive to anything correlating alcohol with violent behavior and death, because let's face it, Americans love their liquor.

It likely hits too close to home for too many jurors, who unconsciously see either themselves or their kids in the defendants. Consequently, you end up with verdicts based not on facts and evidence, but on jurors' defensive emotional reactions.

Denial is the most basic defense mechanism.
Denial in a jury room manifests as a "Not guilty" verdict.

If I had been a jury consultant for the prosecution on either the KR or RV cases, I would have asked prospective jurors a lot of questions around alcohol consumption, both their own and that of immediate family members. I would definitely have asked, "Are you a teetotaler?" And picked every single person who said, "Yes" to be on the jury.

This is why I'm so relieved we've seen a plea deal in the Kohberger case.

I just do not trust juries to get it right. At all.

JMO.

 

[waldojabba]

McGrath thanked the community, friends and family who have supported the family “through our darkest hours.” He also thanked the judge, prosecution and the first responders who tried to save his son’s life.
“I think they did everything they could,” McGrath said of the prosecution. “I’m astonished at the result, but, you know, that’s due process. He’s entitled to it and at the end of the day the jury made their verdict.”
Rosnick said the case is not over, though. He noted there are lesser included charges, and he anticipates the state’s attorney’s office will file the lesser charges against Valle.

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[pittsburghgirl]

I want to take a moment to remember the victim and his family, Jimmy McGrath, who, by all accounts, was a great friend and an incredible athlete.

In the charges filed against Valle, the State was intent that Valle intentionally murdered Jimmy McGrath. They asked the jurors to believe he picked him out in the crowd and plunged a knife into his chest, his heart, to end his life.

That's what 1st degree Murder, 1st degree Manslaughter, represents -- that this was intentional murder by Valle and nothing in between.

I've said from jump, this was an overcharge by the State that failed to consider the age of the offender and the environment-- underage, alcohol, and brawling HS boys-- not to mention two felony co-conspirators who received immunity agreements from prosecution-- BEFORE they'd even agree to talk to investigators.

By their verdict, a jury of Valle's peers said that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Valle intended to kill Jimmy. But let's be clear, this injustice we feel for Jimmy is on the State, not the jurors. MOO

This verdict is what happens when prosecutors both overcharge and load all the responsibility of a situation that included many people onto one person. They might have charged all the brawlers on both side with assault and then bargained that down, just for fairness. And then charge Raul with manslaughter. It was a terrible idea to give both of his friends immunity.

It wasn't the jury that deprived Jimmy McGrath and his family of justice. It was overcharging and not looking at holding a lot of people accountable for the brawl.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

someone handed him a knife...no one made him start stabbing. He got away with all of it and probably since state overcharged he will not be held accountable on the serious charges.

I agree. A manslaughter trial (and in a situation where the others involved were not given immunity) would have gotten a guilty verdict.

 

[waldojabba]

gifting this - there is no paywall

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[LAborn]

McGrath thanked the community, friends and family who have supported the family “through our darkest hours.” He also thanked the judge, prosecution and the first responders who tried to save his son’s life.
“I think they did everything they could,” McGrath said of the prosecution. “I’m astonished at the result, but, you know, that’s due process. He’s entitled to it and at the end of the day the jury made their verdict.”
Rosnick said the case is not over, though. He noted there are lesser included charges, and he anticipates the state’s attorney’s office will file the lesser charges against Valle.

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www.ctpost.com

Thanks for posting! Wow, you can see why Jimmy was such a great kid!! I commend his dad's response in light of his unthinkable, tremendous loss. I pray Jimmy and his family will receive justice still.

 

[LAborn]

Can anyone answer why the DA didn't charge murder and include lesser charges so if the jury was hung up on murder, they could move to intentional manslaughter (or reckless man)? Is it a limitation in CT law? Thanks.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

I learned about this case about 15 minutes ago after seeing a tiktok of the verdict being read. After a quick scan of the info, I must ask what in the world the state was thinking to pursue murder charges against a 16 year old who was in the midst of a mutual fight between 2 groups of people. Of course they were going to lose. And offering him a 40 year plea deal is truly taking advantage of a kid who seems like he didn't have a lot of money or knowledge of the legal system. He didn't even realize he killed anyone.

That said, he's got a bunch of other minor charges they can retry him on - the reckless manslaughter and some of the reckless charges for the other boys. I'd like to learn what the jury vote was internally on those. That said, if they are smart, they will offer this young man a plea deal with time-served and a lengthy and strict probation and be done with it.

The whole bunch should have been charged with assault and underage drinking. They could have bargained that down with Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition and put an end for a few years to this sort of thing. That would have allowed for a separate consideration of what Valle did.

 

[Seattle1]

Can anyone answer why the DA didn't charge murder and include lesser charges so if the jury was hung up on murder, they could move to intentional manslaughter (or reckless man)? Thanks.

7/8/25

If the jury acquits Valle of any of the charges, they can consider lesser charges including first-degree manslaughter rather than murder.

I believe the DA did just as OP suggests: Charged 1st degree murder, and the jury acquitted RV on this charge, and considered the lesser included of 1st degree manslaughter, and the jury acquitted on this charge, but then could not agree (deadlocked) on the lesser included charge of 1st degree manslaughter- reckless. I believe the Court then accepted the partial verdict.

I was inclined to believe retrying RV for 1st degree manslaughter, reckless, would be double jeopardy, but a former prosecutor speaking to News 8 says it's possible but not likely:

Prosecutors could potentially pursue a reckless manslaughter charge in a retrial, but it would be a challenge, according to McGuigan.

“Under those circumstances it’s very difficult to imagine a scenario of how the state would come up with a theory that he acted recklessly,” McGuigan said.

There are ongoing civil cases against Valle, which McGuigan said have a lower burden of proof for verdict against Valle.

https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/fairfield/former-state-prosecutor-says-criminal-retrial-of-raul-valle-is-improbable-civil-case-possible/