Quarterfinals #1 (February 2025)

ModernBrain Silver defeats BASIS Shenzhen on a 5-0 decision, advancing to the semifinal round (top four out of 44 teams).

The case: The defendant, Jimmie Tanks, is charged with first-degree arson and attempted first-degree murder. The charges stem from an incident on July 1, 2024, when Tanks allegedly set fire to a house owned by Bertie Darrow, causing significant damage and serious injury to Darrow. The prosecution argues that Tanks deliberately used gasoline to start the fire as an act of revenge against Darrow, who had previously reported Tanks to the police for theft, leading to Tanks' imprisonment. Tanks, however, denies any involvement in the arson, claiming instead that he was experimenting with gasoline for an unrelated Fourth of July project at the time of his arrest.

Prosecution: Anya Luo, Jiachen Qiu, Vivian Mei, Mira Jiang

Defense: Charles Xu, Oki Huang, Julie Cai, Ava Tian

Judges: Margaret Henderson, Jordan Katz, Braden Weese, Ray Sun, Alexandra Chala