Trial Day 3

My experience with the last day of trail here was the biggest and most important to me. I was part of the jury and I had the duty of deciding if the defendant was guilty or not. I felt as if us jury members did a good job at deliberating over this case and coming up with a verdict. We didn't just all agree to get out of there, we truly deliberated about what we thought and our ideas on the case. We each spoke our opinions and made sure that we all came to an agreement on the case. We talked about all the different scenarios that he could have done rather then using a knife and that is what really helped us all to come to an agreement. I felt like this mock trail was a wonderful experience and it has really opened my eyes up to the workings and experiences in a courtroom. You don't understand all the time and effort that goes into a case until you participate or become a character of a courtroom. I would love to do something like this again sometime.

Today was the last day of the trial. I was part of the jury and we took a long time to deliberate. It took a lot longer than I thought because all the jurors had so many different opinions and we all had to settle on a unanimous verdict. Finally we voted guilty because of the premeditation (even if it was only for a second). I thought it was interesting that the perpetrator actually confessed to the whole thing but none of us jurors were aware of it-- guess we should have paid more attention to the media.
All in all I think everybody did a great job-- especially the attorneys!

I must say I was very pleased with how the last day went for this project. I feel that throughout the entire thing everyone did a great job of playing out their roles. Without the work of each individual/group involved in the case it just wouldn't have been the same. I also give extra kudos to the defense attorney because she was so dedicated and didn't really have a lot to work with in this case. It was pretty interesting to hear how the prosecuting attorney prepared for her role. Gotta love some Law and Order! I must also say how fun it was to get to look behind the scenes at what was going on inside everybody's mind. Of course this isn't something you get in the "real world" and so it was very exciting. It really showed the defense's ability to work on the spot and put something together out of nothing. It also gave us all some insight on what the jury was going through as they deliberated. I just think being able to ask each other questions really helped tie everything back up. It goes without saying how happy I was to hear that he was found guilty of first degree murder. It would have been fun to see what kind of sentence he would get for it. Overall I would have to say that the trial was a success and that no one should be disappointed in how they did. I also have to give out some Kudos in Blake's name. He did a pretty darn good job and it was fun seeing him try and play out this story that had been created for him. I must also point out that it was great working with those who were involved with the police department. I only wish I could have done more. You guys were all fantastic!!

I am so glad that this is all over! This was one of the most stressful things that I have done in a long time! I thought that Beth did an amazing job with the defense, I consider myself to be pretty adept at 'reading' people, but I honestly had no idea what the jury would come back with, all I could do was present what I thought was relevant and leave it up to the jury. I'm please with the verdict, obviously. This whole thing felt very real, especially the frustration of it all. Overall, I had a really great time with this project. Thanks to everyone who helped me, gave me ideas and insights, and listened when I bounced ideas off of them.

I thought the last day of trial went really well. I was glad to see that everyone's hard work paid off! Hats off especially to the Prosecution and Defense Attorneys how they handled a lot of stress and work in such a short amount of time, and did so well with it! I was especially surprised with Blake. I was impressed with how he handled himself and how he got so engrossed with his role in the project. Overall, I loved this project and I wish more classes did something along these lines, I believe you learn more by doing something like this rather than listening to a lecture for an hour and fifteen minutes. Good Job Everyone!

Day three of trial finally came!! I felt very relieved to hear a guilty verdict from the jury--I would have been very surprised to hear not guilty. I thought the discussion afterwards was pretty interesting as well. I was really shocked that not a single jury member looked at the media blog recently and therefore had no idea the media had taken a picture of Blake's confession that was previously thrown out of court. I think the jury members were happy with their decision maybe even more so after they found out that Blake had confessed to going to the Union to kill Brionna which would be considered first degree murder. I thought the defense did an excellent job thinking on the fly and coming up with a story line. I was personally sold on the roommate coming in to testify which turned out to be one of Beth's good friends...I didn't even think to question it because he had all the right answers. Overall, the project was a great experience for me and I hope next years class has as much fun as I did!

The final day went pretty much how I imagined it would. I'm surprised how quickly the Jury deliberated. I think Beth had a really difficult job concerning the circumstances of Blake (confession, knife submitted, testimony iffy), not to mention playing a man (chick) down. Well done Beth!
The Alyssas did extraordinarily well compiling a very convincing case and I think the verdict proved this. In the future, I think if there were multiple victims (2 would even be sufficient) there would be a lot more involvement. Twice the CSI, twice the investigation, twice the coverage, twice the fun! But seriously, it seemed like the murder happened and then (with the exception of a few roles) everyone laid low for over a month.
Overall, great experience, very exhilarating, and will never look at crime/court dramas the same way again; would have loved to spend another few days in court!

I really enjoyed the last day of trial. Deliberation was somewhat short and I loved the discussion afterward to see what everyone thought about the trial and their roles. It seemed very realistic overall and the experience of seeing this whole murder play out will be unforgetable. It was interesting to hear about all of the attorneys thoughts and how they just came up with things out of thin air. They did a really good job at researching thier roles and getting into their parts. I thought the defense had an extremely hard case to prove, seeing as Blake confessed to the crime and turned in the weapon, but she did a really good job! The prosecution was really well prepared and did a very good job at getting their point across.

I really enjoyed our discussion at the end of class to hear what everyone thought. I found it very interesting to hear Blake's thoughts on what he made up on the spot and how he felt about the whole thing. It was very cool just to hear the little msitakes of the attorneys and the police department and how well they covered them. I really enjoyed this hands on experience and overall really enjoyed the class and I hope that next year is just as much fun!

This whole mock trial and crime situation has been wonderful. I had a lot of fun and felt like I learned a lot as well. This last day went well, the jury was right on in finding him guilty and the deliberation seemed to have gone well. The discussion/q&a after was really good, too. We got to find out other aspects of the case we hadn't known before and see behind the scenes. Basically just a great experience that I would love to be part of again, just not in a real life situation! Even as a mock trial everyone was so into their parts, there was a lot of expectation and emotion involved. Good job to everyone!

The last day of trial was interesting. I was on the jury and hearing everything i had my mind made up that the defendent was guilty. But after hearing the deliberation of some of the jurors it made me think more critically. But if someone doesnt oppose you it doesnt make you dont think critically. But, all of the evidence points towards a first degree murder. It was pre-meditated, so therefore counts as 1st degree.

What a suspensful day. Well at first it was a little dull when the judge was reading the instructions to the jury on how they should deliberate. That was a lot of reading...well done judge. When the jury called us back into the courtroom to deliberate, I was sure they would find the defendant guilty. Sure, I might be biased since I was an eyewitness and actually saw the defendant committ the crime, but I still thought that the jury's decision wasn't too tough. Alyssa was amazing and yes, a little scary at times which made her all the more better at being a prosecutor. Beth did an awesome job as well. I really thought that she would have absolutely no case (especially now that I know the defendant confessed), but she really surprised me. Oh man, and way to go with that closing statement. Being one of the lawyers would have been tough; they did a ton of work and were both great. Anyway, I couldn't help but laugh when I found out that they defendant not only confessed, he wrote it that he was going there to kill her, and that he willingly gave Alyssa his weapon. She must have just asked too nicely. Plus, it took him a while to ask for a lawyer. But I guess thing like that happen all the time in real life. The best part of day three was asking questions. It was a good day and I didn't even realize we were there for the whole hour and a half.

I was rather nervous while waiting for the jury to come back with their verdict especially after listening to the jury instructions which in many places could have swayed the outcome. It was very exciting to hear that the prosecution had won, it was like a giant pat on the back for the work that the police department put into finding the perpetrator. Personally I'm thrilled we got the right guy in the first place, but winning the case was the icing on the cake for the project. I must commend the defense on building a pretty solid case with not much to work with and very little time it was truly interesting to watch the whole thing.

This day was interesting when the jury read their verdict, but until that point to was really boring. When the judge had to read all that to the jury, it kind of made me wonder if jurys ever are able to pay attention the whole time, but if you do it had a lot of important information. I think the verdict of murder one was expected, but I still think that the defense did a really good job considering all the work she had to do after her client sort of gave everything up.

Reflection Eternal:
Memoirs of a Judge

Some time ago, back when I was a tad younger, a woman came to me and said, “Hey, I noticed you had a knack for thinking logically and that others seem to look up to you and respect you. Have you ever thought of going into the judicial field?” I remember this day very well. It was the last time that I felt as if I was confused about my life. For the next semester of my college career, I was hailed as a prodigy in the judicial field, having seemingly bypassed every major stepping stone in an aspiring judge’s career. Apparently, someone had the faith in me to thrust me, immediately, into the Honorable position. Over the course of the aforementioned semester, I banged out a few smaller cases; guilty and a couple pleas for lesser sentencing. It was a grueling half year, I wouldn’t lie about that. However, later on that year, a trial appeared in front of me: Murder One. This is, in its own right, the single most frightful and exciting case to be presented to a young judge. If it goes well, I’m a hero. They'll say, “Judge Dahlhauser, that guy can preside over a court.” If it goes bad, however, my career could be over. In any event, I had no choice in the matter and I prayed every night that it would go smoothly. I won’t go into much detail about the details of the crime and trial at this time, but I will say that he was found guilty, and rightly so. I was in awe watching the attorneys dancing to the sound of justice. It appeared clear who was leading the other, then it would switch and you would wonder why you ever thought that the other was leading, only to have it be flipped again. I had seen attorneys work before, in prior cases, but never like this. They were so impassioned. They were caught up in their work, and neither appeared to have any interest in the well-being of the other. Outside of court, however, was a different story. Seemingly best friends laying out enough, but not too much, of their own cases, helping one another, making slight of the crime or the defendant at hand; they were professionals, and it was clear. The trial, naturally, was a grueling process and it was stressful for all involved. I found myself leaving the courthouse on any given day with a desire to drink the night, and the terrible images in my head, away. I would think to myself, “Six years sober and this job is going to drag me back in.” I would visit my sponsor regularly and voice my fears to her. The more I thought about it and the longer it went on, the more I felt as though, for my own sake and that of my wife and children, I needed out. I voiced this to my Honorable Superior, but they insisted that I had shown promise and would like to see me through this one. He told me that if I could make it through this trial, (one in which he called the “Breaking Trial”) then I would have a better idea as to what I really wanted. I think he was full of shit, not wanting to take the trial himself. Regardless, I obliged. By the end of the trial, my mindset had been altered only slightly. The verdict was a relief and I felt pride in knowing that I had been a piece to the puzzle that put away a vicious murderer. The pride wore off, however, and I realized that this could not continue, or risk alienating and eventually losing my family. As I sat at that bench, reveling in knowing the world was a tad safer tonight, I looked out over the emptying courtroom. The defendant had been taken away. The attorneys were back to laughing and carrying on with the media and the others that had attended court that day. I knew that this would be the last time.
That day was the last that I ever took part in the judicial process. I have attended court a few times since, but only to enjoy the clever wordplay and ballet of the attorneys at hand. Every time, I stay in the courtroom after everyone has left and just gaze with a loving smile at that bench, once my bench, and know that I went out on top.

- Nathan Dahlhauser