Slain prep school lacrosse player’s father ‘astonished’ after murder suspect acquitted in stabbing case

The father of a slain Fairfield, Connecticut, prep school lacrosse player reacted with shock after his son’s suspected killer was acquitted on a murder charge on Wednesday afternoon. 

“I’m astonished at the results, but, you know, it’s due process,” a stoic Kevin McGrath said outside the state Superior Court in Milford, Connecticut, later describing his son as a “wonderful person.”

“He’s entitled to it,” said McGrath. “And at the end of the day, the jury made their verdict. I’m not sure if, you know, they were in the same courtroom as we all were together, but that’s the verdict. And we’ll live with it.” 

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McGrath was referring to Raul Valle, 20, who, after an eight-day trial and nearly three days of jury deliberation, was acquitted of murdering McGrath’s son, James “Jimmy” McGrath, during a brawl at a rowdy, booze-fueled high school party in 2022. 

McGrath, who was 17 at the time, was a lacrosse player at Fairfield College Preparatory Academy. Valle was 16 at the time of the fatal stabbing, but was charged as an adult. 

Valle was also acquitted on the lesser included charge of intentional manslaughter, two charges of first-degree assault and one charge of second-degree assault. 

The jury was deadlocked on lesser included charges of reckless manslaughter and reckless assault. Judge Shari Murphy declared a mistrial on those counts, leaving the door open for Valle to potentially be retried.

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“I can’t even imagine that, you know, I’m standing here giving this part of the speech,” Kevin McGrath said Wednesday. “I mean, I was ready for maybe manslaughter. I was not ready for not guilty. I’ll be honest with you: I don’t think anybody was.”

“I was extremely confident, probably overconfident. I’m shocked,” he said. “You know, it’s probably why I’m in control. I’m shocked right now of the verdict.”

McGrath was also magnanimous at times.

“Raul Valle received a fair trial,” he assured reporters. 

“I don’t believe Raul Valle woke up Saturday morning and said he was going to kill Jimmy McGrath. You know, I never believed that. They didn’t know each other. I’m just in shock that an innocent young man with a brilliant potential is not with us anymore. And the person that took his life is right now free tonight.”

He also graciously thanked first responders, investigators, the court and the media for conducting themselves professionally throughout the criminal justice process.

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McGrath family attorney Michael Rosnick spoke briefly about the possibility of further legal action. 

“There are lesser included charges,” he said. “I anticipate, we anticipate, that the state’s attorney’s office will file an information, but I’m going to let the state’s attorney’s office speak for itself.”

The parties are currently embroiled in civil litigation. 

Valle attended St. Joseph High School in Trumbull near Fairfield Prep, where McGrath was a junior. Both had been at a house party on the evening of May 14, 2022, that involved a fight and underage drinking prior to the stabbing, which occurred at another house party later that night.

At one point, there were about 25 people engaged in the fight on the front lawn of the home, whose owners were present during the brawl, witnesses told police. At least three juvenile suspects are mentioned in the report, including Valle, who was suspected of having a knife.

McGrath had “one stab wound to the left side of the chest,” the warrant states. “The stab wound went through the rib and heart.”

Valle claimed during his trial that he acted in self-defense, and that he was protecting one of his friends.