CSI AITR Challenge

Collin Clark - Defense Attorney

Case No.: 01
January 25, 2016
Individual Investigative Report
I am a defense attorney on the AITR CSI challenge. My job is to
represent the suspect in the murder that occurred on January 5, 2016 and was
discovered on January 6, 2016. My job is to defend my client in the best
way possible to create reasonable doubt at the time of trial and have him
found not guilty. I do not have to prove my client's innocence, however, I
need to be able to create doubt in the jurors' minds so that they will find the
prosecution did not prove its case and find my client not guilty. In order to
do this, I will have to question my client extensively, establish a timeline for
him at the time of the murder, examine the evidence the investigators
collected, read the investigator, autopsy and ballistic reports, find witnesses
that may be able to establish an alibi for my client and look for any
discrepancies that can be used to create doubt at the time of trial. One of the
biggest challenges to being a defense attorney is being able to think quickly
during the trial. You have to try to be prepared with questions for the
witnesses; however, you have to think quickly when things come up during
the trial that you may have to turn around.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016:
8:10 A.M. - I caught a glimpse of a murder in room B14. There was a body
on the floor that was bloody. The victim turned out to be Noah Anderson.
He had been shot twice in the chest.

Friday, January 8, 2016:

Morning: Ryan Meinke is arrested for the murder of Noah Anderson.
12:00 P.M.: I meet with Ryan Meinke along with my partner, Zac Olshefski.
I questioned my client and took notes as to where he was and what had
occurred according to his recollection. I further questioned him on alibis,
witnesses and whether he had reason to murder Noah.
Monday, January 11, 2016:
My partner and I filed a discovery notice asking for all evidence, reports,
pictures, and witnesses that the prosecution had for this case.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016:
My partner and I reviewed the surveillance tape of my client and Noah
Anderson walking in the hallway and showing my client shoving the victim
into room B14. We also listened to audio tape of Connie Slayton being
interviewed as to her recollection of the victim and suspect walking together
in the hallway. Lastly, we looked at pictures of the evidence collected and
took notes.
January 18, 2016 - January 20, 2016:
My partner and I spent these days looking for witnesses and questioning
them as to what they may have seen or heard on the day of the murder. We

worked on establishing an alibi and timeline for my client on the day during
the time the murder was to have occurred.
January 20, 2016:
5:00 P.M.- The reports that were requested from the investigation were
finally turned over and I spent the next couple of hours reading all of them
and looking for any discrepancies. I find that in the ballistics report by
Douglas Swayze it says the bullets came specifically from a Glock 22 or 23
and not the berretta that was found in my client's locker. I then found in the
lead investigator's report that the he believed the murder to have occurred
between 6:00 PM and 10:30 PM which is after my client is seen entering and
leaving the crime scene. Lastly, Connie Slayton says during her interview
with Investigator MacKenzie Cunningham that she thought my client was
just "goofing around" when he pushed Noah into the classroom. I take these
three discrepancies I found and work on establishing ways to get these out
during questioning at the time of trial.
7:00 P.M.- I prepared a Motion to Dismiss and Motion to Suppress on behalf
of my client as not all of the information was turned over and I did not
believe my client would get a fair trial.
8:00 P.M.- I prepared all of my questions for the prosecution's witnesses as
well as the opening and closing statements.

January 21, 2016:

Today was the day of the trial. I began with my opening statements. I then
cross-examined all of the prosecutions witnesses. My partner handled the
questioning of our witnesses. I then presented my closing arguments and
waited for the verdict.