The case told a tale as old as time and as young as reality TV: A famous director fell in love with an up-and-coming starlet, and the starlet ended up dead. Jess Markinson, the director, was under a lot of pressure to finish his latest venture, and the fights between him and girlfriend Taylor Rodriguez were becoming more and more violent, Hammond Academy of Science and Technology Senior Nyah Hernandez presented to her class during a recent mock trial held in Lake County Circuit Court Judge Marissa McDermott’s courtroom. After a particularly nasty fight in which Markinson told Taylor he would kill her, Taylor was found dead in her car, presumably of carbon monoxide poisoning, Hernandez said.
The defense team, led by HAST Mock Trial teammate and Senior Jeremiah Hughes, said it believed there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that Taylor’s death wasn’t anything more than a suicide, with Hughes fashioning his questions to point out that the alleged abuse Taylor suffered was “a matter of opinion” and showed that her friends actions didn’t reflect people who were worried about their friend. The defense, however, was unable to shake the rest of the class’s feeling that Jess did in fact kill his girlfriend, and he was found guilty in a five-minute jury deliberation. Hammond Academy of Science and Technology Senior Mikey Cuevas, left, squares off for the defense against Jesse Cobb during a mock trial in Lake Superior Circuit Court Judge Marissa McDermott’s courtroom Ma.
