A Connecticut teenager will be tried on Monday for murdering a Fairfield Prep Lacrosse player in the 2022 murder case.

James McGrath, 17, was fatally stabbed in front of Shelton's residence in Laurel Glen Drive on May 14, 2022, after a fight broke out between underage students who drank that night.

Raul Eliah Valle of Milford, 16, was always Criminal of one count of murder and two first-level attacks suspected of stabbing McGrath and others. Valle attended St. Joseph's High School in Trumbull, near Fairfield Prep, and McGrath was a junior. Fox News Digital has contacted Valle's attorney Kevin Smith.

Connecticut criminal defense attorney Mark Sherman told Fox News numbers that House gatherings are very common in suburbs of big cities, but it is certain that such murders are very unusual. "I'm a bit biased, but I think it's possible that there might be no intention to kill someone in a case like this. Here…of course, it could be the intention to fight or panic, use weapons, but it is hard to believe…the intention to kill. ”

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Sherman believes Valle's lawyers would argue that he was defending himself, and prosecutors would argue that Valle "bringed the knife to fight with fists" and left his aggressive spiral out of control.

"Especially... both groups of kids are very respected," Sherman said. "They are both good kids. They have a lot of school spirit. Some are athletes,...and it's also really shaken parents who tend to have parties and parties and be alert because anything happens."

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Connecticut-based criminal defense attorney Allan Friedman noted Connecticut has an obligation to “retreat” law, which is actually the opposite of other states’ “on your stand” law, requiring residents who they believe they are threatened to retreat before using force against another person.

He also said that Val, who was a minor at the time of the crime, faces at least 40 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

Both Sherman and Friedman highlighted the potential dangers associated with McGrath's murder.

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Sheldon police arrested Paul Leifer, 59, and Susanna Leifer, 51, in 2023 and accused them of allowing minors to possess alcohol. Susanna Leifer is also charged with second-degree recklessness following McGrath's death. They also face several lawsuits related to the crime after allegedly supplying alcohol to minors.

Last year, the couple was sentenced to two years of accelerated recovery and 50 hours of community service, according to WTNH.

“Around May 14, 2022, the defendant held a social gathering at his home, during which time people of (21) age (21) individuals provided a lot of alcohol to a large amount of alcohol,” Thomas Connery filed a 2023 lawsuit filed by Thomas Connery, the father of another minor who was stabbed in the evening of 2022.

After fighting at the Leifers home in Shelton, the teenager described as a St. Joseph High School student came to another party at Laurel Glen Drive in Shelton. Another battle occurred at Laurel Glen Drive’s house, including McGrath, with four students stabbed, including McGrath, according to a police report obtained by Fox News Digital at the time.

Connery's lawsuit further claimed that two parents allowed party attendees who had once drunk to leave the house instead of breaking up, calling police or taking "an otherwise appropriate action" after the fight broke out.

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In the second lawsuit, a minor was hurt after Leifers party and father, also claimed that Leifers knew they were providing alcohol to minors at home on May 14, 2022.

Police responded to several 911 calls, reporting a battle that took place at midnight on May 14, 2022, outside the Laurel Drive Hotel and multiple victims were found on the front lawn. According to the arrest warrant, the owner of the residence where the party occurred was at home at the time of the incident.

Witnesses told police that at one time, about 25 people participated in the battle on the front lawn of the house. At least three juvenile suspects, including Valle, were mentioned in the report, who were suspected of knife. McGrath had “a stab wound on the left side of her chest”, the arrest warrant said. "The stab wounds through the ribs and the heart."

A doctor in Connecticut's chief medical examiner's office told police McGrath had about 1.8 liters of blood in his lungs.

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“Now that kids are starting in graduation season…many wealthy people who don’t understand the dangers associated with so-called social hosts,” Friedman said. “The law can now do or allow for alcohol consumption for minors is: If you hold an event, let’s say three or four kids in your home, and then all of a sudden, everyone goes on…Instagram or Facebook, whether those kids are using these kids, they’re all like, ‘Hey. Hey.

Under Connecticut law, parents have a responsibility to stop drinking or call police, but sometimes parents are “not willing to do so.”

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Both lawyers pointed out that in addition to the threat of criminal charges, if the minor is injured in attendance in an event of a minor drinking alcohol, the minor is injured, and parents engaged in social presidency and provide alcohol to the minor will also face civil consequences.

A representative from St. Joseph's told Fox News Digital in 2022 that Valle had not participated in good academic status and had not participated in any battles before the May 14 incident.

Valer was released on a $2 million bond just days after his arrest in May 2022.

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one McGrath's itu pronouncement Described the 17-year-old as the "sunshine" of his parents' life and the "best friend and confidant" of his sister.

"Many people describe Jim as a wonderfully happy man with a big heart and a lover friend of many," the obsess said. "He loves his school, Fairfield Prep, and has performed well in every sport of his choice. He prepares football and lacrosse for Fairfield and plays teenagers for Shelton and Connecticut Wolves. He understands what it means to be a part of the team."

Fox News's Michael Ruiz contributed to the report.