David Epperly, a freshman from Christiansburg, knew Elswick. He said the announcement changed his opinion of Elswick. He can't hold him in the same respect now, he said. Only the president, who serves as a judge, the prosecutors, the defendant and ultimately the jury know when the court has met. The court follows the uniform code of military justice.
Defendants can have whatever counsel they choose, from another cadet to a professional attorney.
A case can't even go to trial unless the superintendent of the school decides there is enough evidence to go forward. If the verdict is not guilty, no announcement that the defendant has been tried is ever made. Cadets found guilty, however, leave campus almost right away. They are gone by the time the drums begin to rumble through the barracks announcing their departure. At 5 p.m. the next day, Harback's shift as officer of the day was over.