Lawyers from the surrounding area will try a murder case from more than 200 years ago Saturday.

A group of Southern Illinois high school students will go through a mock trial at the SIUC School of Law, re-trying the Boston Massacre of 1770.

Suzanne Schmitz, the regional coordinator for the mock trial, said this program is an excellent way for high school students to comprehend courtroom procedures.

Advertisement

Our purpose is not to encourage students to become lawyers, she said. Our purpose is to help students understand how the legal system works in the courtroom.

Students representing Carbondale, Murphysboro, Mt. Vernon, O’Fallon and Triad high schools will compete for the southern regional title of the Illinois State Bar Association’s annual program.

The four top teams will advance to state competition in Springfield in March, and the top state team moves to a national competition in May. Last year’s top state team was Mt. Vernon.

This particular trial will be a re-enactment of a murder case from more than 200 years ago, when Bostonians were angry at the presence of British troops and what they considered unreasonable British taxes.

The British fired upon the Bostonians, killing eight. The event is known as the Boston Massacre of 1770.

Herald Emme, a government teacher at Carbondale High School, said his students go through training with area attorneys to prepare for the mock trial.

A lot of the training is research on the objectives of the case, he said. Don Prosser, a local attorney, helps train on the process of questioning.

Advertisement*

Schmitz said the training for the trial and the trial itself gives students extra education that they would not normally receive in high school.

It helps them learn about legal matters, as well as bringing history alive for them, she said.

The program has been sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association for 15 years.

The mock trial will be at the SIU Lesar Law Building Saturday from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.