Raul Valle allegedly killed Connecticut high schooler James McGrath in about 45 seconds by plunging a knife into his chest during a fight at an alcohol-fueled house party, then stabbing three others in self-defense.
This week, just over three years after the slaying, Valle testified in his murder trial and painted the alleged scene for jurors, recounting how he was “just stabbing in every direction” and “terrified” for his life that night after being jumped, he claims.
“Everything just went black,” said Valle, who was 16 at the time, during her testimony in Milford Superior Court on Tuesday. Law&Crime is livestreaming the trial.
“I started waving and stabbing in every direction, just flailing my arm around,” Valle claimed, adding that he was “attacked by a whole bunch of people” that night in May 2022.
“I kept flailing my arm around… terrified,” Valle said. “It didn’t make him stop, even though I was flailing around a knife.”
According to Valle’s lawyer, Kevin Smith, the fighting began after a brawl earlier in the evening, with one of the stabbing victims allegedly involved in a fight with Valle and his friends. McGrath and the victims attended Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, whereas Valle attended St. Joseph’s High School in Trumbull, a rival of Fairfield Prep’s.
When asked what he was swinging at that night, Valle replied, “Anybody who was coming at me.”
“It felt like the only thing that would help me,” the 20-year-old admitted.
Valle, who was charged as an adult, allegedly turned himself in following the fatal stabbing and was released on a $2 million bond. He admitted on Tuesday that he felt “hopeless” and “scared” that night before pulling the knife from his pocket.
“They just weren’t stopping,” Valle said, referring to the people who he claims were attacking him. “I didn’t see it [the stabbings] happen,” he maintained. “I didn’t feel like I was stabbing McGrath. I did not go up to him and stab him.”
When asked if anyone else carried weapons, Valle admitted, “I was the only one with a knife.”
Police arrested two parents for allegedly serving alcohol to the children at a party that preceded the fatal fight.
The Shelton couple, Susanna and Paul Leifer, were convicted and sentenced to accelerated rehabilitation in January 2024 for allowing the minors to consume alcohol, according to local ABC affiliate WTNH.
