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

[waldojabba]

Did you read the tweet? The tweet said that the defendant needs more time to hire a private lawyer, so he’s not asking the court to appoint him a public defender. A private lawyer, aka someone who doesn’t work for free. So if he’s hiring a private lawyer anyway why not the old one was my question? I realize lawyers’ fees vary. But it seems to me that the previous lawyer is already familiar with the case so he doesn’t have to do a whole lot more, whereas a new lawyer would have to start from scratch. Starting from scratch would take more time, which translates to more billable hours. I would think. Hence my question.

JMO

The tweet :” JUST IN: Raul Valle appeared very briefly in court where he requested more time to hire a private attorney for the amended charges. He said the first trial took a toll on his family financially. Valle will be back in Milford Superior Court on Nov. 17.”

Yes agreed he did reportedly say Private Lawyer…Time to hire a Private Lawyer.

As I am not necessarily a black and white linear thinker - I read between the lines and spitball and offer my Opinion.

One would think that his prior lawyer is the obvious choice but that’s not happening rn it seems.

The tweet goes on to talk about how the previous trial took a toll on the defendant’s family financially.

So if I look at that I might deduce that his previous lawyer’s fees are out of his reach. And I wondered if the fees are really so different across the board in the New Haven metro mkt.

I don’t know what the financial means test is for a public defender. And since Raul is an adult now would they be able to just look at his income? Could he find a pro bono lawyer?

TLDR: Plain and simple without parsing the language - In my head without going on and on, what he was saying if I read between the lines was - “i don’t have a lawyer and I need time to figure it out.”

But that’s just my opinion aka JMO.

 

[Seattle1]

Raul Valle granted 45 days to secure private attorney

Valle appeared in a Milford court Monday, four months after he was found not guilty of murder in the 2022 stabbing death of 17-year old-James “Jimmy” McGrath.

www.fox61.com

11/17/25

“I’ve been calling a meeting with numerous lawyers over the past month and they’re asking for large sums of money which me and my family are trying to put together. So I’m asking for a little bit more time to get that done,” Valle said.

The prosecution asked the judge to instruct Valle to apply for a public defender to move the process forward. If he decides to hire private, then the case could be turned over to them.

[..]

His next court date will be Jan. 6. If he doesn’t have a private attorney by then, he will have to apply for a public defender.

 

[Seattle1]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2008553555209416774

 

[Seattle1]

https://www.wwlp.com/news/connecticut/man-found-not-guilty-of-murder-in-shelton-teens-death-appears-in-court-with-new-lawyer/

1/6/26

Following Valle’s appearance outside the court Tuesday, Crosland said he plans to file motions, leaning toward jeopardy, on whether he could be tried legally again. His attorney added that he intends to do so as soon as possible and hopes the court will grant those motions, avoiding trial.

 

[Seattle1]

1/6/26

During a brief appearance Tuesday at state Superior Court in Milford, Valle appeared briefly with Darnell Crosland, his new attorney, who asked for a continuance in the case to March 25 to bring himself up to speed and file motions that "may be dispositive." Judge Kevin Russo granted the request without objection from Senior Assistant State's Attorney Marc Durso.

Outside the courthouse, Crosland, who said he first met with Valle around midnight, indicated he was hoping to get the case tossed out on the grounds it violates the constitutional provision against double jeopardy "and whether in fact he can be retried legally again."

"They're very, very fascinating issues," Crosland said. "You've got a big verdict on a murder case and you're still in court. The courts are a little split on how they view jeopardy in this case, but Judge Russo has allowed me to file the motions that I need, I'm going to file those motions expeditiously, and hopefully they'll be dispositive ... and we won't have to have another trial."

Yahoo News/CT Insider