Sixteen University of Mount Olive criminal justice students recently developed a fictitious murder case, and then tried the defendants during a mock trial.

“They started out with a skeleton fact pattern, conducted interviews around campus with professors and administration to learn more about the facts of the case from the witnesses,” said Dr. Glenn Coffey, Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminology. “They then further developed the characters for testimony in the court experience.”

According to Coffey, it was a three-hour live presentation with the jury of audience members rendering a verdict. “It was quite a spectacle of fun and learning,” Coffey stated.