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High schools go head-to-head in mock murder trial

  • Erica Rodriguez •
  • Originally published January 28, 2011 at 5:18 p.m., updated January 28, 2011 at 5:18 p.m.

  • Students who participated in the trial by school: Goliad High School

    Sara Pnacek

    Austin Speed

    Ryder Billo

    Jake Schneider

    Anthony Maldonado

    Christopher Gutierrez

    Rachel Vaughn

    Samantha Garza

    Viku Bhatka

    Ben Guerrero

    ...
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    • Students who participated in the trial by school: Goliad High School

    Sara Pnacek

    Austin Speed

    Ryder Billo

    Jake Schneider

    Anthony Maldonado

    Christopher Gutierrez

    Rachel Vaughn

    Samantha Garza

    Viku Bhatka

    Ben Guerrero

    Zachary Helmer

    Austen Guerrero

    Joh von Dohlen

    McCalley Cunningham

    Amy Moore

    Jason Harvey

    Hannah Speed

    Garret Friedrichs

    Alex Swize

    Tyler Regan

    John Wirt

    Lesley Janak

    Yorktown High School

    Victoria Pena

    Jennifer Huddleston

    Caleb Schendel

    Mandi Henderson

    Sam Niemeier

    Dani Penn

    Ashley Fitts

    Jessica Stevens

    Abby Lodeweges

    Sara Watson

    Wycoda Fischer

    Katie Gohmert

    Lindsey Byrnes

    Whitney Ludwick

    Morgan Campos

    Danielle Parella

    Alana Stern

    James Semper

    Grant Allman

GOLIAD - A tale of murder, friendship and teenage jitters unraveled Friday at the Goliad County courthouse for the first time.

The room echoed with high school lawyers, witnesses and a full jury of teens.

Yorktown and Goliad students faced off in a mock murder trial based on the John Steinbeck novel "Of Mice and Men."

The mock trial was a Goliad tradition that's crossed generations and school districts.

Yorktown represented George Milton, a main character in the book, who was on trial for murdering his friend Lenny, who is mentally disabled.

The student event began in the 1980s when former-Goliad English teacher Teresa Childress organized a mock trial as a competitive event. When she left for Yorktown, so did the trial. This year, Childress' former student Kristin Billo, now a Goliad High School teacher, organized her class to go to trial.

"I was so excited they were able to bring it back again this year," said Mary Claire Speed. The former Goliad high school student also played in the trial when she was a freshmen. Friday she watched her children get competitive. "This is a competitive group of kids and they need that to succeed," she said.

The students, fully immersed in their characters, donned southern accents, tattered clothing and lawyeresque outfits to look the part of the book's characters.

Speed's son Austin carried his grandfather's briefcase and his great-grandfather's wooden cane.

"It's the stereotype of the Southern lawyer," he said. "So, you get the look to stay in character."

Students were tense, but clear and straight-forward as they answered and questioned each other before Harold Gleinser, retired Goliad County judge.

"I think it was pretty tough to be prepared for anything that can happen," said Jennifer Huddleston, a Yorktown freshmen who played a defense attorney. "For me it wasn't about a grade or anything like that, it was just fun."

A jury of high school seniors deliberated the case. They found George Milton guilty and ruled in Goliad's favor.

"It was a big sigh of relief on our side," said John Wirt, a Goliad senior.

Childress said having the two schools against each other took the competition to the next level, and she and Billo are already planning for next year's case.

"It's just a relief," Childress said. "I'm real pleased with their performance."