Week 8: Trial, UA Event, and more

Czarina P S -

Hi, guys and welcome to week 8 of my senior project!

It’s April so it is officially Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention month! This week was definitely one of the more busier weeks for me despite only going in for one day! I started off my Wednesday morning with getting to the station and catching up with my mentor. Then, I started reading in regards to a case that my mentor got a call out for.

I was able to start it, but not fully finish it because I needed to go watch a trial. Remember that case I mentioned in my last blog that I would be watching the trial for? That’s the one I went to go see. I went with one of the detectives who was assigned to the case, and on our way there, he explained a bit more about the case and how trial would go so I was very grateful for that. Once we got to the courtroom, I took a seat closer to the back so that I wouldn’t be causing an interruption in case I had to leave. I was able to see opening and closing statements before the judge announced that we would be taking a lunch recess.

We walked back to the station and one of the volunteers taught me how to input cold cases into the computer, so now I’m able to somewhat do that! Once that was finished, I walked back to the courthouse so that I could continue seeing the trial. I was a little late, but I got to see most of the direct questions from the prosecutor for the victim. I was there for some time and got to see that finish. They were about to start the cross questioning from the defense attorney, but I had to leave in order to go to the University of Arizona event with my mentor.

Once we got to the U of A, I met one of the wellness dogs from the station. Her name is Maisy and she’s absolutely adorable! I’ll attach pictures of her. To start off the event, there were speakers from the SACASA director, Miss Native American University of Arizona, the assistant chief from TPD, Laura Conover, and a few others. There was also a dance performance from a few of the students. Unfortunately, I got very cold very quickly and I had to call it a night an hour into the event. I enjoyed hearing from everyone and seeing how it played out before I left, though.

Well, that’s all for this week. Thanks, again for reading and I can’t wait to update you guys next week!

Maisy and I at the UA event
Maisy!

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Comments:

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    deanna_b
    Oh my goodness, Maisy looks so cute! Could you briefly explain the process of how you input cold cases into the computer? Is there any special format or platform you have to use?
    April 6, 2025 at 3:03 pm - Reply
    dea_k
    Hi Czarina, Maisy looks so adorable! What was your opinion on the methods used in the cross examination for the trial you watched?
    April 6, 2025 at 5:24 pm - Reply
    carla_johnson
    If you get the chance to watch voir dire for a trial, you may find it interesting. Voir dire (Latin for "to speak the truth") is the process for jury selection. The questions asked of prospective jurors are interesting and revealing. I worked with attorneys who preferred male jurors on sexual assault cases because, sadly, women tend to be more critical of women. They think things such as, "I would never have dressed like that," or, "I wouldn't have put myself in that situation." Perhaps it's gotten better in the "Me Too" era. One can hope. On a different topic, you may want to start conceptualizing your tri-fold deliverable. Have a great week!
    April 7, 2025 at 9:42 am - Reply
    czarina_p_s
    Hi, Deanna! Isn't she the cutest thing? In terms of the cold cases, I have to input certain information regarding the case; such as names and birthdays of the victim and suspect, the kind of evidence received, location of the incident, and a brief summary of what happened and why it went cold. The platform used is SamsCloud.
    April 9, 2025 at 10:32 am - Reply
    czarina_p_s
    Hi, Dea! I apologize if I wasn't clear in my post, I didn't get the chance to watch the cross examination due to having to go to the UA event. But, I thought that the way the direct examination ensured that the victim got to tell their story and introduced evidence by asking the right kind of questions, was very cool to watch.
    April 9, 2025 at 10:36 am - Reply
    czarina_p_s
    Hi, Ms. Carla! I was going to watch that because my mentor recommended it to me, but unfortunately because of transportation reasons, I wasn't able to go. I never knew that about male/female jurors, though! That's an interesting perspective. Yes, I have been looking at different ways I can do my pamphlet as to make it one I'll be happy with.
    April 9, 2025 at 11:32 am - Reply
    adampongratz
    Hi Czarina, sounds like an eventful week. What are some questions asked by the prosecutor?
    April 9, 2025 at 12:12 pm - Reply

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