Oregon Mock Trial
Below is a link to the finals of the Oregon state mock trial competition. These students were outstanding. Please watch it in its entirety and prepare to write at least four pages but not more than six pages that concisely cover the following topics:
-What is the aim of each side’s opening statement? Who’s did you find most compelling? — write this response first BEFORE you watch the rest of the trial.
-How does each side’s witnesses support that side’s theme/goal for their case?
-What are the steps for introducing an exhibit to the court/jury? (this is one that you would likely have to do if you became a LEO or probation/PTS officer, corrections, forensics analyst, etc.)
-How did each side’s closings marshall the testimony and evidence to sell their case? Did they keep it tied in with their opening theme? Who’s closing was more convincing?
https://vimeo.com/164705277 (if it asks for a password use: “mocktrial2016”)
Oregon Mock Trial
Mock trials are the imitation of the trial, more so the proceedings of the lower courts. The mock trial experience seeks o illustrate the workings of real-life legal institutions. In this case, the students are assigned roles as judges, court clerks, witnesses, and attorneys. They study a hypothetical case, which guides them through the courtroom procedures and even preparing for trials. (Sherrin, 2017) These trials play an imperative role in improving students’ proficiency in public speaking and interpersonal skills since they allow them to have adult interaction, especially with the judges. This paper assesses the Oregon high school mock trial.
Case summary
It is classified as a criminal case opening statement. On December 5, 2014, during a party, the leading basketball player Addies Anderson had his drink compromised. The defendant, Bobby Dousa, the pep squad president, was accused of spiking the plaintiff’s drink being from a rival team a night before the big game. It is alleged that the plaintiff left his cup unattended on coming back when he sipped his drink; he felt dizzy and eventually becomes unconscious. This affected his upcoming game, whereby he played terribly and tainted his reputation.
Furthermore, he woke up to drawings of his opposing team’s logo with the picture posted on Facebook. In this case, the defendant is accused of four counts of injustice by the procession. Firstly, to prove that it was the defendant that caused the plaintiff to ingest Rohypnol, a harmful substance, secondly to prove the counts of harassment, and thirdly the assault in the fourth degree that leads to the unconsciousness of the plaintiff (Oregon,2016).
The court session, as presided over by the Hon. Judge Michael Simon. In the case of the state of Oregon vs. Bobby Duosa. The judge preceded by asking the prosecution to dispense their preliminary matter whereby the prosecution sought the judge’s permission to all the free movement of both attorneys within the courthouse.
opening statement from the defense
The defense believes that there as rushed to judgment. The defense claims that Addison Anderson approached Bobby Dousa, the defendant who challenged him to showcase his basketball skills. Immediate when the left, the defendant left the room and eventually left the part. The defendants claim that there is no physical evidence to connect the defendant to the crime, as anyone else present in part could have allegedly spiked Mr. Anderson’s drink, drawn symbols on his face, and humiliated him on social media. Tunnel vision and rushed in judgment, whereas the timeline of events does not palace Ms. Duosa drug the plaintiff as the defendant as nowhere near the party hen the plaintiff as became unconscious (Oregon,2016).
The prosecution needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty. The as you rushed to judgment, a tunnel vision as other leads ignore and suspects were ignored. Therefore, the defendants’ defense council pleads with the court to give a not guilty verdict to the defendant.
The witnesses
There were witnesses from the prosecution and those for the defenses. The defense’s witness was Bobby Dousa, the defendant and president of the pep squad and former student of Burrough High. Secondly, Emerson Kannan from Hamilton high and lastly, the emergency room physician Lyne Juarez. The prosecution list included Addison Anderson, the plaintiff and student at Hamilton High, Ms. Sherman, the host of the party, and the forensic analyst Leslie Chen. (Oregon,2016).
Addison Anderson was the first witness to be called to the stands to testify. As a student of Hamilton high school. He claims that he was in attendance at the party, whereby things did not go well with Bobby, the defendant. He claims that the defendant had been singing fight songs and talking negatively about his school. The witness claims that he left his cup unattended, and after taking the contents of his cup, he felt dizzy, awful, and nauseous. The other witnesses followed their statements as they recount the day’s happenings (Oregon,2016).
The exhibits
Following the trial, four exhibits were introduced to the court. There were objections. However, the judge overruled, and the exhibits were introduced. Four exhibits were introduced and thus were admissible as evidence before the court of law. Firstly, the Facebook post of the logo of the rival basketball group drawn on Andersons check. Secondly, the bottle of Rohypnol had fingerprint traces of the defendant. Thirdly, the email recovered from Duosa’s mobile device by the forensic analyst. Lastly, the toxicology report that had been drafted by the physical to ascertain the substance used to drug Anderson (Oregon,2016).
The indictments count
The grand jury accused the defendant, and herein are the indictments of the crimes as follows. Firstly, on the first count of knowingly allowing another person to ingest a controlled substance, in this case, Rohypnol. The defendant is accused of knowingly introducing the drug in the plaintiff’s drinks while knowing the drug’s dangers. The second count is indictments or harassment by Bobby Dousa allegedly drew on Anderson’s face, thus the nonconsensual physical contact. Thirdly, allegedly causing Anderson to lose consciousness due to the intake of the control substance Rohypnol (Oregon,2016).
The facts about the case from the prosecution side, that the defendant as in for revenge for his team. Therefore, she spent time researching the drug. Additionally, Bobby provoked Anderson to get the chance to drug him. Moreover, she was the Facebook page administrator were the photos of the logo from Anderson’s cheeks were posted and had led to hid humiliation. However, the defense closing argument argued that the court overlooked other students present at the party by only focusing on the defendant. The Facebook password is easy to guess, and it’s possible for only one with ill motives to guess.
Furthermore, there was no physical evidence of the defendant committing the crime. Additionally, the host of the party, Shemar wanted to be the pep squad’s presided; thus, she had the motive, the means, and the opportunity to commit the crime. Therefore, the state fails to prove the defendant guilty beyond reasonable doubt (Oregon,2016).
Mock trials encourage Teamwork, boosting confidence in public speaking. It teaches one first hand on democratic self-governance plays out. Furthermore, the students get to learn about the legal system competitively. In mock trials, the cases comprise of case laws, situation affidavits, exhibits, and their relevant information to a case. in most cases, areal judge participates in the mock trials as he guides the students on the process of the legal system and the nature of the events pans out in real life. There is no verdict; however, during competitions, the judger may offer a final verdict to the inning team, either the prosecution or the defense, as motivation.
References
Oregon state mock trials finals (2016) https://vimeo.com/164705277 (Retrieved December 3, 2020)
Sherrin, D. (2017). A day in court: How mock trials bring learning to life. The Education Digest, 82(8), 28
