Prosecution's 'inconsistencies' in prep school murder trial led to suspect's acquittal: jury foreman
The foreman of the jury in the murder trial of Raul Valle, who was acquitted Wednesday of murdering a 17-year-old prep school lacrosse player at a booze-fueled high school party, slammed the state for lacking evidence to support its case.
Valle was accused of stabbing James "Jimmy" McGrath to death during a May 14, 2022 brawl in a highbrow Connecticut suburb. McGrath attended Fairfield College Preparatory Academy, and Valle attended nearby St. Joseph's High School.
Jim Stuhlman was the 10th juror and foreman in the trial. He read aloud Valle's not guilty verdict, sparing the now 20-year-old from up to 60 years in prison.
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"They just didn’t have enough to prove the case," Stuhlman told News 3.
He said the jury spent very little time deliberating on whether Valle acted in self-defense because the jury believed that the state failed to prove that he intended to kill McGrath.
"There was so much inconsistencies and contradictions," he continued. "Not everyone will be happy with the conclusion, we weren’t happy we couldn’t find an agreement on the final counts, but we did everything we could have to get as far as we did."
The jury acquitted Valle on murder, intentional manslaughter and intentional assault charges. It remained hung on lesser included charges of reckless manslaughter and reckless assault, and a partial mistrial was declared.
"It just came down to the intent, recklessness, what a reasonable person would do, those kinds of things," Stuhlman said. "We went according to the instructions, followed the law, we did what we were supposed to do."
Fox News Digital confirmed Thursday that the state of Connecticut is already taking steps to retry Valle on those charges.
Meanwhile, the McGrath family is seeking recourse through a myriad of civil lawsuits against third parties who they say were involved in the night's activities, and parents who allegedly provided them with alcohol.
"We sued the individuals and their parents, the homeowners where the two fights broke out at Lazy Brook and Laurel Glen have both been sued," McGrath family attorney Michael Rosnick told Fox News Digital.
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On the night of the incident, Valle and others were involved in a fight at a home on Lazy Brook Road in Shelton. They then drove to the second party on Laurel Glen Drive.
At some point, one of Valle's friends allegedly gave him a knife, which was used during the brawl to stab McGrath.
"The cases have been consolidated so that there will be one civil trial as opposed to multiple civil trials," Rosnick said.
The McGraths are also suing one of the teenager's parents, who are accused of providing alcohol to the minors. Other parties in the lawsuit include the homeowners of the Laurel Glen Drive property, along with their son, who was allegedly hosting the party, court records show.
Rosnick said that now that the criminal trial is finished, the civil proceedings will begin.
"We were very mindful to be respectful of the state attorney, its autonomy and its own investigation, and to not do anything that could jeopardize anything in the criminal trial," he said. "Now that the criminal trial is over, we're going to be much more aggressive in our pursuit of justice against all the responsible parties."
The state's attorney's office did not immediately return a comment request.