Freshman Avinash Krishna prepares his notes with teammate and co-captain junior Jack Christian prior to the Mock Trial team’s first competition on Jan. 31.
On Feb. 8 the SCDS Mock Trial team beat Jesuit High School, 467-427.
The case involves a first-degree murder trial in which pro-immigrant Casey Davidson is accused of murdering Alex Thompson, an anti-immigrant activist.
Junior Gabi Alvarado, co-captain and lead attorney for the defense, received a perfect score for her closing argument.
“(That) is exceptionally unusual,’’ Mock Trial coach Rick Lewkowitz said. “(Alvarado) did an outstanding job!”
Lewkowitz said he was happy about the improvements the team made after it’s first competition on January 31.
“Everyone is looking more confident and comfortable,” Lewkowitz said. “People are persuaded by people who are confident and prepared.”
Freshman Ming Zhu, a witness for the defense, added that everyone handled their roles very well, “even when the opposing team was asking unexpected questions.”
The SCDS team appeared better prepared than Jesuit’s, Lewkowitz said
“Jesuit was not nearly as versed as (junior) Jack (Christian) and (Alvarado) were on evidence, and that hurt them a lot,” said Lewkowitz.
Junior Blake Lincoln, pre-trial attorney and expert witness for the prosecution, agreed adding that Jesuit used too many notes, and “didn’t seem to speak well to the judge, which was their biggest downfall.”
Though the SCDS team was less scripted than in their first competition, Alvarado said that is something they need to continue to improve.
Zhu added that the team was caught off guard by a question regarding an autopsy report.
“It is rare to be asked questions about information from physical evidence,” Zhu explained.
“(In the future) we (should) review some of our case material in case the other team asks a weird question.”
Round three of the county tournament was on Thursday, Feb. 15, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse (720 9th Street, Sacramento).
—By Kristine Schmitz
