In case you aren't aware, everything in this game is fictional. Rules are located here: In the beginning, I come in as the Judge and as Gumshoe. As the Judge I explain the situation, and then I give testimony as Gumshoe, whom sets up the basic story.

From that point on, witnesses can make up any testimony they want, provided it's relevant. Any cross-examination and testimony given becomes set in stone.

The rules are thus:
1 - Testimony given can't contradict Gumshoe.
2 - Testimony given can't contradict testimony said earlier.
3 - Testimony cannot contain having seen the moment of the crime directly, or any variation thereof (Seeing a silhouette, having a picture of it, video recording, etc).

Any contradictions are perfectly open for either side's cross-examination to object to.

This would encourage creativity, allow room for screw-ups, but doesn't totally rape a case if someone is lying. It also nicely organizes it so that your most important witness can be at the beginning, because they set the story up. At the end I judge fairly and evenly.

Also; Judging is based off of a variety of factors, not just who was more convincing. Try to keep it fun.

January 31st, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom #4
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Court is now in session, for the trial of FenrisWolf's murdering of a Mr. Rick Z. Arber. Today, the defense will prove that FenrisWolf is not guilty beyond reasonable doubt, and the prosecution must establish that he is guilty the same way.
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Detective Dick Gumshoe shall provide the first testimony, and then we shall hear FenrisWolf's. This will be the first Prosecution and Defense testimonies. This trial will end in two weeks, and I will call my verdict then. If either side wishes for clarification, they may request Gumshoe to do so.
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Gumshoe, you may give your testimony.


Court Record:
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Sure thing, Pal!

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The victim, Rick Z Arber, was found dead in his apartment. We arrived on the scene after a phone call from a resident just down the hall.
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The guy said that he heard a struggle next door, then an impact. But don't worry! We checked the guy out, he's cool. He didn't do it.
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We got the phone call at 4:45 and rushed to the scene. There we found FenrisWolf just outside the door, just leaving.
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He obviously did it! We arrested him on the spot and took him downtown for questioning. A guy like that's suspicious, pal!
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When we got there, we saw Rick, laying on the floor face down, dead. He was pronounced dead at 5:05 PM.
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Cause of death was a stab wound to the back from this knife. We know that the knife was taken from Rick's home, 'cause it matches a set found in the house.
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Murder Weapon added to the court record.
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All of the witnesses we collected either lived at the apartment, knew Rick, or knew FenrisWolf.

Gumshoe's Testimony added to the Court Record.

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Hmmm. Very interesting.
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FenrisWolf, give your testimony immidiately.

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I didn't do it!

Rick Arber is one of my best friends! I was invited over to his apartment to discuss the latest script we were working on, and when I showed up, he was already dead!

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This witness says he heard a struggle and an impact, eh? I happened to see another man in the apartment at the time! He was wearing a mask so I couldn't get a clear view of his face, but he was stealing Rick's personal posessions! I think I'll back up a bit to when I first arrived...

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I got to the apartment complex at about 4:40 and walked down to Rick's door, apartment B-4. The way the apartment building is set up, there are two levels, with 8 apartments. Starting on the first door on the right, you have apartment B-1. First door on the left, apartment B-2. Further down the hall on the right, you have B-3, and on the left is B-4, where Rick lives. Er, rather, lived.

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Sorry, I'm still a little torn up about this whole thing...

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Anyway, I used my key to Rick's apartment, as the door was locked and I thought I heard movement inside. He wasn't responding to when I called out his name, so I went inside to investigate.

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And then I saw the man! And then I saw Rick's dead body! I was furious at this man! I skipped right past the "Did you do this?" line of questioning and went straight to the "Avenge my best friend" train of thought.

As you can see, I am a rather large fellow. It wasn't hard to knock the robber unconcious during our rather short scruffle when I threw him against a wall. Most men can't handle that kind of pressure, especially when the walls of the apartment are some of the hardest stuff I've ever seen! They must be made of solid diamond or something!

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A-anyway, I looked around Rick's apartment for his phone to call the cops, but I think the robber had run off with it! There was an open window in the back of the apartment but no loot around it. I bet that the robber was taking the stuff to his car parked out front.

I walked out the front door of B-4, closing it behind me. When I looked down the hall, the cops were already there! I said, "Thank God you're here! The murderer is-" but then the policemen tased me and I was dragged to the police station for further questioning. Then we started this trial.

I have no more to say... *sniff*

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Hm...So you say you arrived long before...and a robber was there.
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Hmm....
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Ahhh! This man couldn't have done it! That must be it, the robber did it!
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Very well. The Prosecution may now cross-examine.

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FenrisWolf's testimony added to the Court Record.

Originally Posted by Mirai Gen http://www.court-records.net/animati...ge-nodding.gif Hm...So you say you arrived long before...and a robber was there.

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Well, actually, I didn't get there long before... I got there 5 minutes before the call was filed. Since the cops didn't enter the apartment until about fifteen minutes after they arrived, this would give the robber enough time to snap out of it and run out the window... Of course, the police took me in for questioning, and since they found no other man on the scene, I can fully see why I'm the suspect in this case, but you must believe me, Your Honor! This man is real and at large! It wouldn't surprise me if in fact he testifies against me today!

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So, Mr. Wolf, you say you were just visiting your friend, Mr. Arber?

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I doubt that.

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First and foremost, you say you arrived at the late Mr. Arber's apartment at 4:40, and after unlocking the door yourself, you skipped straight to knocking the supposed villain unconscious, looked for a phone to no avail, and then walked out? The police arrived at around 5:00, given the time it takes to arrest you and examine the victim, give or take maybe 2 minutes.

So it took you a full 15 minutes before you could find someone, even a neighbor, for help? You had 15 minutes to tie this mystery man up, to restrain the man who killed your best friend! Yet what do you do, Mr. Wolf?!

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You waltz out the door without so much as a confirmable effort to make sure this awful person is caught! Did you look for the phone for over 15 minutes, Mr Wolf? If so, you would've surely seen the Masked Man wake up from his unconscious state and escape, yet you leave this out of your testimony! Or maybe you were spending those 15 minutes removing the phone to support your future testimony -- but that's beside the point.

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Why, Mr. Wolf, did you take so long? How did you let the masked man get away if you were there for such a long stretch of time after knocking him unconscious? Why didn't you make an effort to contain the real murderer? Why didn't you scream for help after you defeated the man? Why didn't you remove his mask so you could identify him?!

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I believe those are sufficient questions for the defendant, your honor, but I would also like some confirmation from Mr. Gumshoe about whether or not Mr. Arber's phone was missing from the crime scene, as well as other valuable possessions a burglar would attempt to take, rather than a cold-blooded murderer.


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Oh, and, Mr. Wolf, one last thing.

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If the man was masked, how could you be so confident that he may be testifying today?

That is all my questions for now, your honor.

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((What a pitiful testimony. Obviously lying.))

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((Just set 'em right up, guilty boy, and we'll knock 'em down....))

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Oh, you'd like to think that you've won, wouldn't you? You've proven nothing.

I never said when I left. I went to find a phone immediately after knocking the man out. After searching all the usual places, I felt that it was more important to put the man behind bars than find out his identity at that time.

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I will admit, I probably wasn't thinking very clearly during that time. My best friend had just been murdered, after all.

The cops did not enter Rick's apartment until after they had detained me. It took a full effort for them to drag me out to the car. They hadn't sent anybody back in until after they were satisfied that I was secured in the back seat of their car.

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In fact, the only reason I left Rick's apartment was to find a phone to call the police. That would involve going to a neighbor, now wouldn't it?

As to why I didn't make an effort to contain the murderer, I had just thrown him into a wall. He had stopped moving. I wasn't thinking clearly enough to realize he'd wake up.

Concerning my lack of a cry for help, I didn't need any! What am I going to do, get beat up by an immobile guy? I hardly doubt it.

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And as to why I think he's testifying here today...? Call it a hunch.

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((Showtime.))

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Mr. Wolf, if I may, I'd like to ask you a few questions of my own. But first....

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You there, boy! Java me!

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Mm, yeah. Rock on.

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Now, I ain't no fancy big city lawyer....

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((What's that? He's not? Oh my! How unorthodox!))

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....But I must say, sir, that you seem to know an awful lot about police procedure and the actions of the investigating officers despite the fact that you were promptly electrocuted and removed from the scene upon their arrival, which in and of itself is an odd thing to do. I'm actually rather shocked, haha no pun intended, that you haven't pressed charges of police brutality against the arresting officers, as no cop worth his salt would just tase the first person on the scene of what was essentially a noise complaint at the time.

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But let's skip ahead a bit, shall we?

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Now, you claim that every officer on the scene was involved in hauling your charbroiled carcass out to the back of a squad car out front, yes? Okay, let's say that story's true. You also mention that a window was supposedly open, through which this supposed "Masked Burglar" of yours supposedly would have made his escape to the supposed car that was supposedly out front....

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((Oh man, this is good coffee!))

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....where every officer on the scene was at that very moment shoving you into a paddy wagon!

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So Mr. Wolf, if that's even your real name, not only does your story hinge entirely on the idea of our fair city's boys in blue being so dangerously and violently incompetent to the point that they'd use excessive force and arrest a person before even establishing whether a crime had actually been committed, but that they must also have been completely blind, deaf, and stupid to not have noticed the escaping blood-soaked masked bandit escaping in his car directly in front of them.

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But yes, Mr. Wolf, I will concede that you apparently weren't thinking clearly as a result of Mr. Arber's death....

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....Because otherwise you'd have been able to come up with a better story.

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Anyway, your honor, Mr. Wolf claims that he entered the victim's apartment through the use of a key, which I'm willing to believe he had on his person for the time being. In light of this, I'd like to ask Detective Gumshoe if there was any sign of forced entry at the scene, as that would clear up whether or not there was actually another intruder involved.