Title
USD Mock Trial - State of Midlands v Jordan Ryder
Document Type
Oral/Panel
Publication Date
5-2020
Disciplines
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Abstract
Mock Trial is a competitive organization on campus that competes in simulated court trials. We complete against other regional schools in an attempt to qualify for the national tournament. Our members typically consist of criminal justice and political science students; however the team is open to all majors. We work on the same case for the entire year. Each year the case switches between a criminal trial and a civil trial. The abbreviated mock trial that will be performed for Ideafest is State v Ryder. It is a criminal case where a parent is accused of knowingly killing their own child. The facts of the case are that Jordan Ryder brought their child, Parker Paige on a camping trip to the Calkins Campground. On July 14th, 2018 the pair went hiking at that campground on the Leckrone Loop, a dangerous trail. Sometime during this hike Parker either fell or was pushed from a 40 ft cliff on that trail. There was no eyewitness to this crime, so it is on the prosecution to bring foreword evidence that shows that Jordan Ryder is guilty. This evidence includes showing that Jordan Ryder had suspicions items found on them during the arrest, had a pre-existing anger disorder, and that Jordan Ryder had a financial motivation to kill their daughter. It is up to the defense to show that there isn't enough evidence to show that Jordan Ryder killed their daughter.
First Advisor
Sandy McKeown
Research Area
Criminal Justice
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Tuckor; Honomiche, Krista; Juelfs, Hannah; Fischer, Collin; Howard, Allison; Deis, Alex; and Burke, Ashlynn, "USD Mock Trial - State of Midlands v Jordan Ryder" (2020). IdeaFest. 83.
https://red.library.usd.edu/idea/83