Students in the second period Honors Mock Trial class, under History department chair Doug Smith’s supervision, have successfully completed their first case study, marking a significant achievement in their legal education.
The case featured the State of Florida prosecuting the defendant, Fran Lewis, in a trial ruling on the premeditated murder of former Vice President of Security of Pinnacle Paper Company, Rick Braswell. Students prepared their cases over recent weeks, gathering evidence and affidavits to bolster their arguments. Ultimately, the verdict was reached, absolving Fran Lewis of all charges.
The verdict was decided by a jury of nine randomly pulled students, who spent their last three second period classes judging and listening thoughtfully to each testimony and statement by witnesses and attorneys in the heated courtroom. They then spent another entire period debating and coming to a unanimous decision which was then relayed into the courtroom and to the honorable Judge Smith.
“Personally, I think it was probably a fair verdict. According to the jury there was enough reasonable doubt created by the defense,” said Smith.
However, the verdict is just an exciting way to bring an end to this trial. Smith noted it doesn’t quite reflect all the little details and efforts put into the case from both sides.
“I think the students learned a lot about the rules of evidence and ways of examining witnesses. That will surely improve as we head into the next trial,” said Smith.
For some, their efforts saw them prevail. Attorneys and team members representing the defendant, Fran Lewis, whose role was acted by senior Brooke Davis, all had many great things to say following their team’s performance that carried them to an innocent verdict.
“Our team did very well, we worked well together and each did our individual roles well. I think winning the case was the best part though,” said Suzanne Benni, a senior attorney for the defense.
Many of the prosecuting attorneys for the plaintiff, the State of Florida, felt hard done in the verdict, believing the murderer of Rick Braswell might just have walked free out of Smith’s second period courtroom.
“We feel the failure of the jury to consistently attend trial ended up confusing what should have been a straightforward trial for our side,“ said Will Loosbrock, a senior attorney for the prosecution.
Despite the controversial verdict, attorneys from the prosecution still found much enthusiasm from the overall experience and the many lessons the trial brought with it.
“Whether we lost or won, we got to participate in a heated trial, and that was worth the work we all put in,” said Reese Denman, a sophomore attorney for the prosecution.
Regardless of the verdict, students and Judge Smith eagerly anticipate another courtroom challenge. In the upcoming weeks, the class will engage in their final mock trial of the year, ready to showcase their legal skills once more, this time for a case involving a hazing incident on a college campus.
“There are a number of interesting twists in the case so it should be interesting,” Smith said.
