A team of Nansemond River High School students won two mock trial competitions Saturday at a competition sponsored by the YMCA and the Young Lawyers Association of the Virginia State Bar.

A prosecution team and defense team each defeated two separate schools in different mock trials on the same case. Gaulvan Key also was awarded an “Acting Oscar” for his role as the defendant on Nansemond River’s defense team.

“We were stunned and thrilled and surprised,” said Inga Francis, a U.S. history teacher at Nansemond River. “We’ve been preparing for it since early November.”

All schools involved were working on the same case, the story of John Diamond and Trudy Doyle. Diamond is a police officer and former Marine who was awarded the Purple Heart. The two are dating when he decides to move to California to start over and wants her to come with him.

He goes to the truck stop where she works to convince her to come with him. Soon, a shot rings out and she is dead. Diamond is indicted for first-degree murder.

The prosecution team from Nansemond River tried to prove that Diamond is an “abusive control freak” who deliberately stalked and killed Doyle. The NRHS defense team argued that Doyle was a suicidal, depressed woman with a lot of trouble in her life, and she tried to commit suicide at the truck stop that morning. When Diamond attempted to grab the gun from her, it discharged and the death was a tragic accident.

Other schools used other methods to argue their cases, Francis said. Each prosecution and defense team brings its own witnesses, so the other side can never be quite sure of what the witnesses will say.

“There’s a lot of surprises as you try the case,” Francis said. “It’s not just learning your part and playing a part. You have to think on your feet. With each sentence, it could change your entire approach to what you’ve prepared.”

A team from Nansemond River placed second in statewide competition last year. They passed the trial court stage and the Court of Appeals and made it all the way to the Supreme Court.

The case progresses through the different mock courts just as it would in real life, so the Court of Appeals arguments will focus on matters of law rather than on re-trying the case.

This year’s teams will compete in the Court of Appeals on March 13. From there, lawyers choose the top teams to go on to the Supreme Court.

The prosecution team included Justice Rinaldi, who played the lawyer, and witnesses Chelsea Blei, Alexis Epps, Kaitlin Graf and Troi Reddick. They defeated First Colonial High School by winning a jury verdict of involuntary manslaughter with a sentence of eight years.

The defense team also won with a not guilty verdict from a different jury. They were lawyers Brionna Hunter and Michael Govan, and witnesses Armonee Avent, Gaulvan Key and Madeline Van Dyke. They defeated the team from Princess Anne High School.