Defendant Acquitted In Fatal Enfield Stabbing Case From 2018

ENFIELD, CT — Just over three years after Enfield High School student Justin Brady was stabbed to death during an altercation in the Presidential section of town, the man who admittedly wielded the knife which caused his fatal injuries was found not guilty by a Hartford Superior Court jury Friday.

Shyhiem "Trey" Adams, now 21 but 18 at the time of Brady's death, had been charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection with the case. An affidavit supporting Adams' arrest indicated he and Brady had been involved in a fight on Hoover Lane, during which Brady sustained multiple stab wounds.

On Sept. 10, 2018, police were dispatched to the neighborhood at 12:24 a.m. with a report of "a group of kids standing around a male lying on the ground." Brady was lying on the grass with severe stab wounds, and was having difficulty breathing. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where he was pronounced dead at 1:33 a.m., according to the affidavit.

Police obtained a warrant and tracked down Adams at a house on Keney Street in Hartford, where he was taken into custody and charged with manslaughter, according to the affidavit.

During the trial, the fact Adams used the knife to inflict injuries on Brady during a fight was never disputed. Defense attorney Christopher Parker maintained Adams was merely defending himself after being pinned to the ground and beaten severely, the Hartford Courant reported.

Adams, who testified in his own defense, said he was overcome by Brady and began "swinging wildly" with the knife in an attempt to free himself, according to the Courant.

Read more at courant.com.

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