Junior Jurists Students Well-Prepared, Intense During Regional Mock Trial Competition
Charles Jones was obsessed with Cindy Smith.
He stalked her, beat her and eventually killed her. “If I can’t have her, no one will,” he said.
Arianna Wright wanted him behind bars.
In a Spokane County courtroom Saturday, the young prosecutor accused him of “coldblooded, premeditated murder.”
An aspiring lawyer, Wright impressed the crowd at the YMCA Eastern Washington Regional Mock Trial competition. The Waterville High School senior was in full form, delivering compelling arguments and boldly cross-examining witnesses.
About 30 students from Waterville High School in Douglas County and Evergreen Junior High in Veradale spent the last three months preparing for the event. Both schools were given the same fictional case. Each had a prosecution and defense team, witnesses and experts, in two separate trials.
The teams were ready for action Saturday.
“You don’t like Mr. Jones very much, do you?” asked Heather Stout, a ninth-grader at Evergreen, as she challenged witnesses on behalf of the defense.
“Yes,” said the student on the stand, speaking as the son of the murdered woman.
“Do you resent him?”
“Yes.”
“Do you hate him?”
“Yes.”
The students practiced for the trial before and after school, and during law or civil classes. They role-played, studied similar court cases, learned to speak confidently in a room full of people.
“It’s practice, practice, practice,” said Steve Llewellyn, a University High School teacher and one of the event organizers. “It’s just like a sport. They work on strategies and commit themselves.”
Although the trials weren’t for real, the students took them seriously. Many were dressed in suits and ties. Some carried briefcases.
They also learned all the legal terms. “They’ll probably hold me in contempt of court,” one student said before the trial as he fixed his shirt.
It became especially serious when the trial started.
“I was so nervous,” said Stephanie Miller, a Waterville student and member of the prosecuting team. “It’s been so hard. … I’ve learned that law is not cut and dry. It’s not black and white.”
But despite being scrutinized by volunteer attorneys who gave them points for how well they argued the law, the mock trial was also fun.
“It’s like playing lawyer,” Stout said. “The best part is when they answer your questions the way you want them to.”
Most of all, the event is a great learning experience, said Judge Richard Schroeder, one of several judges and lawyers who volunteered their time to make this happen. The students gained an understanding of the court system by participating in it.
“They were marvelous,” said Judge Paul Bastine, who presided over one of the trials. “These kids really do get inspired.”
Despite Wright’s best efforts, Evergreen’s defense team prevailed: Charles Jones was acquitted of murder.
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