FORT SILL, Okla.-- Students at Geronimo Road Elementary School learned that fairytales would not hold up in court.
As part of Law Day, May 11, Soldiers from the Fort Sill Judge Advocate General Office performed a skit to explain how the justice system works. They used the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to do it.
In this case, Eve L. Queen was on trial for conspiring to kidnap Snow White and was accused of poisoning her with an apple. The case got off to a rocky start as three jurors were immediately kicked off the case for bias.
"I own a beauty parlor and both Snow White and Eve L. Queen are customers of mine. I can't get caught in the middle of a beauty contest between both of them," said Sgt. Sanjaeb Dodge.
While the students were very familiar with the story, they were asked to put what they had read or seen in movies out of their minds and play the unbiased jury.
"Can you all give both sides a fair trial and cast aside the preconceptions you have and decide this case solely on the evidence presented today? Of course you all can. We are now ready for the trial in this matter," said the judge (Lt. Col. Tim Hayes).
Needless to say while the two attorneys were not cast in the traditional tale, they were definitely characters.
"In this case we will show that the defendant, the eeeevil queen, threatened the woodsman and forced him to kidnap Snow White taking her deep into the woods hoping she would never ever find her way home again. We will further show that when Miss Queen found out her plot had been foiled by the woodsman, she flew into such a rage that she brewed a magic potion and placed it on an apple and then tricked Snow White into eating this apple," said Snow White's attorney, Capt. Tarik Downie.
Downie introduced a tricky concept to the young jurors by explaining that while Eve L. Queen seems crazy because she speaks to a mirror she is not legally insane and should be held accountable for her actions.
"I tried to head it off with the 'yes, she's crazy, but she's still sane enough to stand in court," said Downie.
The defense attorney, Spc. Ashlie Overby, immediately went into action defending the queen's reputation.
"This whole story sounds too much like a fairytale. This is the work of an angry stepchild, Snow White. I just want you to listen to the whole story and realize that my client, the nice queen, is not guilty," said Overby.
As the queen batted her eyes she was met with boos from the crowd. They continued to show their discontent while Snow White, (Capt. Tricia Birdsell), was called to the witness stand.
"You see there's this mirror that she talks to and she claims it talks back to her. She's always told our family it's a magic mirror. The mirror says she's the most beautiful woman in all the land. But when I turned 18, people started to say the mirror began to whisper that I was actually the most beautiful in all the land," said Snow White.
She explained to the elementary school students how the woodsman did in fact lead her into the woods, but then he told her of the queen's plan and let her go instead. She found the home of the Seven Dwarves and the fairytale continued its course. Snow White said an old woman came up to her and offered her an apple.
"I took a big bite and that's the last thing I remember until I was kissed by the prince," said Snow White.
Snow White's attorney entered the magic mirror into evidence and even stopped to ask who was the fairest attorney of them all. The woodsman took the stand and corroborated stories with Snow White.
Grumpy, one of the Seven Dwarves, also took the stand and said the apple Snow White had eaten smelled of poison.
Eve L. Queen, (Staff Sgt. Deseree Peel), was next in the seat by the judge and the students were ripe with judgment.
"I am the fairest in all the land," said the queen. A loud and long boo was the only reply she received. "As the years passed I grew quite fond of Snow White, and I believe we became very close. She has grown to be a very pretty woman. Almost as pretty as me, don't you think?" asked the queen.
"Noooooo," shouted Geronimo's jurors.
The queen denied talking to a mirror stating that she didn't need a mirror to tell her she was the fairest beauty in all the kingdom of Fortsillia. She proceeded to say the woodsman kidnapped Snow White on his own accord and was trying to work out a deal with Snow White's attorney so he would not be punished for his actions.
"I was so glad to see her that I gave her one of the apples I had picked and begged her to return home with me. She refused, and I was so upset that I ran back down the trail to my horse. I never even saw that grumpy little man."
The queen contradicted that statement by saying she actually ran away from Grumpy the dwarf, and added the apple may have simply been poisonous from insecticides.
"The first I heard of all this was when I was arrested on these frivolous charges. I can't believe that Snow White is doing this to me. I mean I'm the one that gave her beauty tips," said the queen.
Doc, one of the Seven Dwarves, was called to the witness stand and said he tested the apple for toxins and was unable to find any. He said it may have been magic put on the apple.
The defense attorney then called the Handsome Prince, (Capt. Ryan McCormick), to the stand. Overby asked Prince if he gave Snow White any medical treatment when he found her in a coma. He said no, he simply gave her a kiss.
Overby chastised him for kissing a sick woman and said it was disgusting. The jurors agreed.
In closing, the two attorneys restated their cases.
"The evil queen is guilty as charged for conspiracy to kidnap and food poisoning. The woodsman described her jealous rage. He also described his fear and to no small wonder you've had a chance to observe her first hand about 15 minutes ago when she went insane on the stage, but not legally insane," said Downi.
He added the queen would not have fled the scene if she was not guilty, and he added the woodsman lost his job for helping Snow White and had no reason to lie.
"It is not the apple that is rotten - it is the evil queen that is rotten. She's as crazy as a fox, but sane enough to know what she did was wrong," said Downie.
Overby countered with an attack on the woodsman.
"First, it is clear that the woodsman is telling a tall tale, not the truth, in exchange for this sweet deal that he worked out with Snow White's attorney. He's the one who took Snow White to the woods and he's the one who left her there. Second, there is no evidence which has been presented to you to establish what kind of poison was placed in an apple. It couldn't have been a magic spell, because if it was a magic spell, a normal kiss from a normal prince wouldn't wake up someone," said Overby. "Third, the evidence supports the fact that my client came by the home of the Seven Dwarves by accident and was trying to get Snow White to come back home. But, if you believe that my client was involved in conspiring to kidnap Snow White and somehow poisoned her then you must find her not guilty on the reason of insanity. I mean, the lady talks to a mirror and the mirror talks back."
With that the students began to deliberate. While they may not have known the legal jargon, some of the students pointed out a lack of evidence to convict the queen and that she had an alibi during the kidnapping. The students were also mixed on if the queen was truly insane.
"What that means is she couldn't understand right from wrong," explained Capt. Erick Liddick. "We all know what right from wrong is. We know that it's wrong to steal, right? We know that it's wrong to hit somebody. So, the question is: did Eve L. Queen know the difference between right and wrong."
The restless jurors voiced their opinions loudly, but they were unable to reach a unanimous decision.
"In most states to convict somebody of a crime you have to have a unanimous verdict. That means that everyone has to agree that the queen is guilty. If we have one person who says not guilty, the queen is found not guilty, and she is what we would call acquitted. She is let go. It's very difficult as you can see for everyone to agree right? The reason that exists is so we can find truth, and we can find justice right,"said Liddick.
Not skipping a beat, a student pointed to another student named Justice, saying: "Justice is right here."
Liddick told the judge the final verdict. Eve L. Queen was found not guilty of conspiring to kidnap Snow White and not guilty of poisoning her.
The defense attorney celebrated along with a small smirk from Eve L. Queen.
"I've never lost. Crazy always gets 'em," said Overby.
"They [students] learned something about the court, and its importance and role in the American society," said Liddick.
This year's theme for Law Day is "No courts, no justice, no freedom." It focuses on inadequate funding and the ability to keep courts open.
Each year the JAG office teaches students the importance of the justice system and how a person is tried in the United States.
"We're just trying to teach them the law in a fun way," said Birdsell.
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