Not Guilty! That was the decision by the jurors in moot court held Monday in Judge Stedham’s courtroom. I watched with pride as the students in Mr. Ford’s senior history class played out a true murder case. Each student had a part either as witness, defendant, attorney, prosecutor, or juror. I was impressed with the preparation that went into staging this event. Some students came dressed in their part, complete with accent; Rod embellished his role as witness by including a heavy, southern drawl with a unique twang. His testimony was worth the trip to court that day as he sauntered to the witness stand wearing a “wife beater" t-shirt. Also, Emily who acted as prosecutor was so commanding in her performance that I actually thought I was watching an attorney analytically dissecting her prey.
Unfortunately, the jurors’ decision of not guilty proved to be the wrong decision. In fact, the defendant was guilty and had indeed killed his wife for the insurance money that would buy him a brand new motorcycle. Jake, the defendant, delighted in announcing to the jurors of his dirty deed after moot court had ended, and defense attorney Kate Stedham beamed at winning her first case.
This was more enjoyable than watching Court TV.
Jan Hurd
President
