The 20-year-old Milford man who’s accused of the stabbing that killed a 17-year-old Fairfield Prep scholar throughout a home get together in Shelton in Might 2022 took the stand throughout his trial on Monday and he’s anticipated to proceed testifying once more on Tuesday.
Raul Valle is accused of stabbing and killing James “Jimmy” McGrath and stabbing three others at a home get together on Laurel Glen Drive in Shelton on Might 14, 2022.
He has been charged with one depend of homicide and three counts of first-degree assault and has pleaded not responsible to the fees.
Monday was the primary time that Valle has spoken publicly about what occurred simply over three years in the past.
He testified that his pals had been concerned in a fistfight throughout a home get together on Lazy Brook Street in Shelton and he was attempting to interrupt it up.
Valle mentioned he was at a celebration at 5 Lazy Brook Street when Tyler DaSilva and Jack Snyder, of St. Joseph’s, and Ryan Heinz and Griffen Marcincyzk, of Shelton Excessive College, received right into a combat.
Valle testified that he didn’t throw any punches throughout that combat, and he didn’t use the bicycle helmet he was carrying to hit Heinz.
As soon as the house owner advised the individuals who had been on the get together to depart, Valle and 6 others went to Trumbull Excessive, then finally went to 43 Laurel Glen Drive in Shelton, Valle mentioned throughout his testimony.
“Everyone got back in the car, and I assumed we had somewhere to go,” Valle mentioned.
He mentioned he didn’t know why they had been going to the house on Laurel Glen Drive the place the stabbing befell and he wasn’t positive why his good friend threw him a knife.
“How did you feel when he threw that knife to you?” Kevin Smith, Valle’s legal professional, requested him.
“Confused,” Valle mentioned.
“What did you do with the knife?” Smith requested.
“Put it in my pocket,” Valle mentioned.
Snyder additionally testified through the trial and mentioned {that a} group of about 30 youngsters started to encompass his Honda Pilot, he looked for his pocket knife within the middle console of his automotive and positioned the knife on his lap earlier than driving away from the home.
Snyder mentioned he drove towards Farmhouse Lane and as soon as he and the others within the automotive stepped out and seemed on the injury to his automotive, Valle grew to become visibly upset and requested Snyder for his knife.
“He simply mentioned ‘the place is the knife, the place is the knife,’ alongside these strains,” Snyder mentioned.
Snyder added that he noticed his pals go into the gang of individuals earlier than coming again “distraught.” Then, Valle, also called “Lito,” received within the passenger seat.
“He was all distraught and said something along the lines of’ ‘I think I just stabbed four people,’ something like that,” Snyder mentioned.
Snyder testified to driving towards a avenue that confronted the woods and mentioned Valle stepped out of the automotive and threw the pocket knife into the woods.
Snyder has an settlement with the state granting him immunity from being prosecuted based mostly on offering truthful testimony.
Valle mentioned he joined DaSilva at Laurel Glen Drive to assist him cool tensions with some teenagers concerned in an earlier combat.
“I trusted my best friend, and everything was going to be OK, and we were just going to go and make peace,” he mentioned.
Valle’s protection workforce requested the choose on Monday to scale back the cost from homicide, arguing that the state has not confirmed and not using a affordable doubt that Valle meant to homicide McGrath.
The state responded by saying an inexpensive jury can concur what Valle’s intent was based mostly on the situation of the accidents and the variety of folks stabbed that evening. The movement was denied.
Valle’s testimony was reduce quick earlier than he began speaking about that second combat when courtroom adjourned for the day.
He’s anticipated to be again on the stand this morning.
Legislation consultants say it’s a extremely uncommon and dangerous transfer to have Valle testify in his personal protection.
You may watch the complete proceedings from the courtroom in Milford, Connecticut on our YouTube web page.
