Name: _______________________________

Role: ________________________________
LOTF’s Trial
The boys have been rescued! However, now they are back in society, they must face the
consequences for their actions and they are being charged as adults. Please note that Roger has
already been convicted of first degree murder in the death of Piggy. However, he has been
granted permission to testify as a character witness for the prosecution in Jack’s trial for the
death of Piggy with the promise of a lesser sentence if Jack is convicted.
Each team of lawyers must decide what degree of murder to prove in the following cases:
Day 1: (May 3rd)
 Jack is accused of _________________________________murder in the death of Simon.
 Jack is accused of _________________________________murder in the death of Piggy.
Day 2: (May 4th) (if these trials take longer than 2 days, we will wrap-up on Monday May 7th).
 Ralph is accused of _______________________________murder in the death of Simon.
Roles: (24 students)
Prosecution lawyers (5 total)
o Opening/closing statement lawyer (2 students…. 1 for Jack’s trial and 1 for Ralph’s trial)
o Direct questioning lawyers (2 students…. 1 for Jack’s trial and 1 for Ralph’s trial)
o Cross-examining lawyers (2 students…. 1 for Jack’s trial and 1 for Ralph’s trial)
Defense lawyers (5 total)
o Opening/closing statement lawyer (2 students…1 for Jack’s trial and 1 for Ralph’s trial)
o Direct questioning lawyer (2 students…1 for Jack’s trial and 1 for Ralph’s trial)
o Cross-examining lawyer (2 students…. 1 for Jack’s trial and 1 for Ralph’s trial)
Jack- Greta
Ralph- Jack
Roger- Fiona
Piggy- Mary Gunnett
Samneric- Amelia
Littluns- Jess Henry
Robert or Maurice or one of Jack’s tribe members- Gaige
Prosecution (5)- Julia, Adela, Ryan, Briana, Emily
Defense (5)- Rachel S., Blaise, Mary S., Annie M, Lexi
Jurors (7)- Glen, Alyssa, Dylan, Olivia, Katrina, Sam Barber, Giana
Mr. Brown and I will be the judge

Now, since I am not there, if you want to switch parts with a classmate, I am totally cool with
that. However, you need to email me at exg124@francis.edu just so I know what is going. If you
have any questions about this trial, email too!

For the defense lawyers and prosecutors: Amongst your defense group and prosecuting group,
you must figure out who is going to be the:
 open/closing statement lawyer for Ralph’s trial
 opening/closing statement lawyer for Jack’s trial
 direct questioner lawyer for Ralph’s trial
 direct questioner lawyer for Jack’s trial
 cross-examiner lawyer for Ralph’s trial
 cross-examiner lawyer for Jack’s trial
You will figure this out amongst yourselves. If you cannot come up with a solution, either email
me and I will pick or do a 3 round game of rock, paper, scissor’s to see who gets what trial/job.

Prosecutors: Your first task that you need to think of is what charge you plan on pursuing in
regards to Jack and Ralph. Once you figure out which lawyers are doing Jack’s trial and which
are doing Ralph’s, I would then discuss in those groups what you think Jack deserves in regards
to Piggy’s and Simon’s death, and what you think Ralph deserves in Simon’s death.
*NOTE: Piggy cannot be used in regards to his own death. He can, however, be used as a
witness in regards to Simon’s death (for both Jack and Ralph).
Fill these 3 statements out and then build your case off what you are trying to prove.
Jack is accused of _________________________________murder in the death of Simon.
Jack is accused of _________________________________murder in the death of Piggy.
Ralph is accused of _______________________________murder in the death of Simon.
In case you need this, here are the different degrees of murder:

First degree murder: Killing with the intent to kill; it is premediated and done with malice.
Felony murder also falls under this category. Felony murder is an unplanned murder that occurs
during the commission of a felony (example: is defendant burglarizes a house and during the
burglary, he/she kills the homeowner- no premeditation but committed during a felony).
Second degree murder: Killing with the intent to harm and kill, but it is not premeditated or
planned.
Voluntary manslaughter: Also known as the crime of passion murder. It is an intentional killing
that involves no prior intent to kill, and which was committed under such circumstances that
would "cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed". Both this and
second-degree murder are committed on the spot under a spur-of-the-moment choice, but the two
differ in the magnitude of the circumstances surrounding the crime. For example, a bar fight that
results in death would ordinarily constitute second-degree murder. If that same bar fight
stemmed from a discovery of infidelity, however, it may be mitigated to voluntary manslaughter.
Involuntary manslaughter: a killing that stems from a lack of intention to cause death but
involving an intentional, or negligent, act leading to death. A drunk driving–related death is
typically involuntary manslaughter. Note that the "unintentional" element here refers to the lack
of intent to bring about the death. All three crimes above feature an intent to kill, whereas
involuntary manslaughter is "unintentional", because the killer did not intend for a death to result
from their intentional actions. If there is a presence of intention it relates only to the intent to
cause a violent act which brings about the death, but not an intention to bring about the death
itself.

Defense: Your first task should consist of figuring out who is responsible for what job, but then
figuring out what type of defense you plan on using for your client (Jack or Ralph). And based
off that, pick your witnesses thoughtfully.

For character witnesses:

You should fill out the document called “Character’s Trial.” It should be attached to this
assignment. You will complete that, and also collaborate with your lawyers because your
lawyers will be asking you questions that you could possibly prepare the answer for (once the
lawyers come up with their case and questions). Each of you will be paired with a juror to work
with so they can help you prepare on what you are going to say on the stand and find evidence
for you on how your character is. They will be choosing who they want to work with, but know
that you will be with someone who will help you.

For Jurors/Fact Finder Helpers:

You will pick to work with a character witness (1 juror per 1 character witness). You should not
be working with another fellow juror during this time. Having you to talk to and help them find
evidence will help them immensely as they begin to prepare what they will be saying on the
stand. You can choose who you want to work with. Again, if you cannot figure this out either
email me and I will choose who works with who or you can do a 3 round game of rock, paper,
scissor’s to settle the disagreement.
EVERYONE:
Everyone should refer to the “Character’s Trial” document. Each role has their own job they will
be responsible for in completing as you work on the trial. Make sure you go through the entire
document to make sure you do not miss anything in regards to your role. Below is a more in-
depth explanation on what your job will consist of. I am almost done with putting together a
rubric. I will attached it to this assignment once I have completed (will be posted in the next day
or so).

Responsibilities of each Role:

Opening/ Closing Statement Lawyer: This person is responsible for writing and delivering 2
short speeches called the opening and closing statements. The opening will address the court and
explain how the prosecution/ defense plans to proceed with the case. You give a summary of
what is to come, explaining what you will prove and why Jack and Ralph are innocent/ guilty.
The closing statement is a chance to wrap things up and explain to the court how you have
clearly proved the innocence/ guilt of Jack and Ralph. This person gets to have the first and last
word in the case.

Direct Questioning Lawyers: These people are responsible for leading their witnesses (the
people on your side) through direct questioning. You will create a series of questions and that
your witnesses will answer to help prove the innocence or guilt of Jack and Ralph. You are
asking your witnesses questions you already know the answers to. Your questions should start
vague and end specific, trying to prove a clear point. It is also your responsibility to present
evidence to the court as proof.

Cross Examination Lawyers: These people are responsible for asking the witnesses of the other
side questions to prove the innocence/ guilt of Jack and Ralph. You will ask questions that do not
suggest any answer at all (leading questions). You walk the line between asking questions you
know the answers to and asking questions where your witness might say something you didn’t
expect (which could hurt your case).

Witnesses: Witnesses are the people who give testimony in hopes of proving the innocence or
guilt of Jack and Ralph. You become your character. You act like him, talk like him, and become
him. You can only give testimony on what your character was present for. Anything else is
hearsay (rumors) or speculation (you’re just guessing). It is your responsibility to tell all you
know in hopes of proving the innocence or guilt of Jack and Ralph.
Jurors/Fact Finder Helpers: You must find proof in the text to help your characters prove
Jack’s and Ralph’s innocence or guilt. You are also responsible for helping find evidence for the
lawyers to submit. You help build the foundation of the case. Without fact finders, the trial could
not go on. On the days of the trials, you will be taking notes during the trial (and submit those),
along with submitting a paragraph on what you think the verdict should be and why (regardless if
that was how the trial turned out).

Lastly, I also have attached a pdf file on how the trial will look. I would take a look at it so you
can get a visual on how the trials are going to play out and when your role would be going.

I hope this was helpful and easy to understand! We will definitely be talking more about all of
this on Monday. Thank you for being enthusiastic about this. I think it’s going to be so much
fun! I advise you to start working on this over the weekend so you can come into class on
Monday with questions and ready to collaborate with one another since it is a team-based project
in a sense.

Good luck and email me with any concerns or questions!! (: