Prep school murder jury deadlocked on EVERY charge after boy's knife rampage at party

Daily Mail​

09-07-2025

Deliberations continue over a boy's deadly stabbing at a Connecticut prep school party as jurors remain deadlocked on every charge brought against the accused former student.
Raul Elias Valle, now 20, is accused of stabbing 17-year-old James McGrath at a home in Shelton, about 15 miles west of New Haven, after a fight over stolen beer three years ago.
On Tuesday, jurors declared they were deadlocked on all four charges brought against Valle, including one murder charge.
There was one holdout on the murder charge, as the jury was stuck at 11-1 on Monday. The following day, the holdout was found to extend to the three assault charges as well, WTNH reported.
Valle is accused of stabbing four students at the house party in 2022 when he was a 16-year-old student at St. Joseph High School, which enrolls students for $19,000 a year in tuition.
The jury is set to continue deliberating over the case that began trial on June 17, 2025. If the jury does not find Valle guilty of murder, they could deliberate whether he is guilty of intentional first-degree manslaughter and then reckless first-degree manslaughter.
All of his alleged victims survived the attack, except for McGrath, a Fairfield Prep standout athlete, who was killed during a feud between groups of boys from rival schools at an earlier party.
Valle has been tried as an adult, despite his age at the time of the attack, and was released on a $2 million bond posted by his parents. He pleaded not guilty and turned down a plea deal, opting to go to trial, and faces up to 60 years in prison if he is found guilty.
Prosecutors said that on May 14, 2022, Valle used a pocketknife to stab the four teenagers during the fight.
'Everything just went black,' Valle testified last week.
'I started waving and just stabbing in every direction, just flailing my arm around.'
Valle has claimed he was acting in self defense against the group of fighting teenagers.
He told the court that he believed the knife 'was the only thing that would help me,' and claimed he thought he was going to die.
'It didn't make him stop, even though I was flailing around a knife,' Valle testified.
When asked who he was swinging at, he responded: 'Anybody who was coming at me.' 'It felt like the only thing that would help me.'
He broke down as he recalled pulling the knife from his pocket while feeling 'hopeless' and 'scared.'
During questioning, Valle admitted that he stabbed four people a collective nine times. Besides McGrath, those injured were named as Faison Teele, Ryan Heinz, and Thomas Connery
'They just weren't stopping,' Valle said. 'I didn't see it [the stabbings] happen. I didn't feel me stab [McGrath]. I didn't go up to him and stab him.'
Valle admitted that he was the 'only one with a knife' that day.
During questioning, Valle admitted that he stabbed four people a collective nine times. Besides McGrath, those injured were named as Faison Teele, Ryan Heinz, and Thomas Connery.
When asked if he was responsible for the stab wounds, Valle said: 'I don't know. I guess so. Yes.' He added that he didn't remember sinking the knife into the teens.
Valle's attorney has framed the stabbings as self-defense, saying his client was swarmed by teenagers during an 'attack' by other partygoers.
Valle said his trio were confronted by 'about 30 people spread out in a line' which he described as a 'wall' of teenagers.
Another high schooler at the party, Taylor Capela, witnessed the deadly fight, and said she heard one of the alleged victims shout 'he has a knife, he has a knife.'
Moments later, Valle lunged at McGrath, Capela said.
Capela said McGrath was not fighting anyone and was simply observing the chaos when Valle plunged the blade into his chest.
She watched in horror as blood seeped through his white clothing. Capela also recalled seeing Teele and Connery covered in blood from their wounds.
Capela broke down in the courtroom as she recalled the horror, saying she now suffers with nightmares and anxiety.
Witnesses detailed how the fight, which ended McGrath's life, was sparked by an earlier disagreement at another house party.
Valle's friend Jack Snyder, who gave him the knife, testified under an immunity agreement shielding him from prosecution linked to the crime.
Snyder admitted going to a house party around two miles away earlier in the night and stealing beer from one of the stabbing victims, Ryan Heinz.
Snyder said this triggered a minor dispute with a group from another local school, Shelton High.
The rival groups then began insulting each other on a group chat that had originally been set up to organize basketball pick-up games.
Valle told the court that he believed the knife 'was the only thing that would help me,' and claimed he thought he was going to die
Snyder admitted that he and Valle left the first party when tensions were high, but planned to confront the other students later.
They drove to the party on Laurel Glen Drive later that night, where Valle said the car was mobbed by the boys from the rival school.
Snyder said he gave Valle a pocket-knife he had in the car, claiming that his friend 'aggressively' asked for it. Their friend Tyler DaSilva was also in the car.
He added that he, DaSilva and Valle intended to resolve the fight peacefully because DaSilva 'knew some of their families', but he said one Shelton High student punched Valle, and the situation escalated from there.
Meanwhile, Snyder remained in the car. He said that when Valle returned he was visibly disturbed. He said Valle told him 'I think I just stabbed four people'.
Snyder said Valle tossed the knife into the woods as they left the scene - something the defendant denies.
Snyder also admitted writing 'enjoy the hospital' in the basketball pick-up group chat, but told the court he did not understand the seriousness of the situation when he sent the message.