The trial for a 20-year-old man who’s accused stabbing and killing a Fairfield Prep scholar at a Shelton home social gathering in 2022 is coming to an finish and the state and protection will probably be presenting closing arguments on Thursday.
Raul Valle, 20, is accused of stabbing and killing 17-year-old James McGrath on Could 14, 2022 and has been charged with homicide. He’s additionally accused of stabbing three others on the social gathering.
Valle was 16 years outdated on the time and he pleaded not responsible.
In 2023, he rejected a plea deal that supplied him 40 years in jail.
Over the previous 9 days, the state has offered their argument to the jury.
Valle’s protection legal professional Kevin Smith requested a movement for an acquittal for his consumer and argued the state didn’t show past an affordable doubt his consumer’s intent of homicide.
Choose Shari Murphy will probably be giving the court docket’s resolution on the movement to acquit throughout at this time’s proceedings.
After closing arguments, the choose will cost the jury to allow them to begin deliberating. That might occur on Thursday or on Monday when court docket resumes after closing on Friday for the Fourth of July vacation.
A glance again on the trial
The state has introduced in 25 witnesses, together with members of the Shelton Police Division, medical professionals who handled the victims and mates from either side of the courtroom.
The deadly stabbing occurred at 43 Laurel Glen Drive in Shelton after Valle and his greatest good friend Tyler DaSilva from St. Joseph Excessive Faculty received right into a battle with a gaggle of youngsters from Shelton Excessive Faculty, in response to police.
A number of individuals who have been on the social gathering have testified about what occurred that evening and no less than 5 individuals named Valle because the particular person liable for McGrath’s dying.
The jury heard from all three surviving victims — Ryan Heinz, Thomas Connery and Faison Teele — three adults who have been additionally teenagers on the time.
Heinz testified that he was stabbed in three components of his physique.
He obtained intensive medical therapy for his accidents, however he testified the reminiscence of the evening replays on a regular basis in his thoughts.
Connery testified that he was stabbed 4 instances within the leg and his quadricep has everlasting injury.
Teele was stabbed within the arm however couldn’t have, in response to testimony from Eric Black, a doctor assistant who works at Griffin Hospital.
On the eighth day of the trial, witnesses Taylor Capela and Charlie Connery testified to seeing Valle stab McGrath.
As soon as the state rested its case on Wednesday, the protection referred to as on Valle to take the stand.
He testified that he entered the battle at Laurel Glen Drive as a result of he wished to again up DaSilva, his childhood greatest good friend.
“I saw my best friend, somebody that I love. Nobody was helping him,” Valle mentioned.
All through his testimony, Valle mentioned he didn’t know they have been heading to Laurel Glen Drive till they arrived and the knife used was not his.
Valle testified to feeling “confused” when his schoolmate, and the motive force of the evening Jack Snyder, handed him his knife previous to the battle.
Valle mentioned he positioned the knife in his pocket and admitted to utilizing it, however mentioned he didn’t notice he was stabbing anybody and his intention was to wave it to scare off the teenagers within the battle, but it surely didn’t work.
*On Tuesday, the problem of immunity was raised through the proceedings as Smith requested his consumer whether or not or not the Shelton Police Division supplied him immunity.
Senior Assistant State’s Legal professional Marc Durso objected to the road of questioning and mentioned it was out of the scope of questioning.
All through the trial, the jury realized that the state supplied Snyder and DaSilva an immunity deal in trade for truthful testimony.
Smith requested a movement for an acquittal for his consumer and argued the state didn’t show past an affordable doubt his consumer’s intent of homicide.
You possibly can watch video of protection from the trial on the NBC Connecticut YouTube web page.
