Residents are being subpoenaed to appear at the Hicksville Public Library for a special murder-mystery program. According to library officials, failure to respond to the subpoena will cause one to miss out on an extraordinary, first-time series entitled Murder in the Library.

The Hicksville Public Library, in cooperation with the Nassau County Bar Association, will present Murder in the Library, a fictional whodunit that takes you step-by-step through the entire process involved in solving a murder case. During this four-night event, a "murder" will be committed, an investigation and trial will take place and a conviction will be made.

Over the course of the program, witnesses will be questioned, evidence will be collected and an arrest will be made. Participants will be present at the "arraignment" and will meet the assistant district attorney, the assigned counsel and the judge who will try the case.

"[The program takes one through] the entire legal system, the criminal investigation, the protection afforded a suspect and the pursuit of solving a crime as well as the fair judging and legal justice process that is guaranteed to every citizen," said Carol Katz of the Nassau County Bar Association.

In the past, Katz has done programs on criminal law for other libraries, working with defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges to present the public with different views surrounding a court case. Hicksville's Murder in the Library, however, is a one-of-a-kind, educational and entertaining four-part series that has never been done before on Long Island.

"The program librarian at Hicksville wanted to come up with something a little bit different and she came up with the idea of a murder in the library," said Katz. "From there, the two of us developed the idea of taking [the program] through every step, from murder to jury deliberation and verdict. I took over to get all the principals who would be part of the actual trial."

Katz added that all those playing the parts in the series are real-life experts in their field. Important roles in a murder trial will be handled by experts in their field, including Detective Joan Hanna, Medical Examiner Dr. Tamara Bloom, Detective Bruce Coffey, Judge Meryle Berkowitz, Assigned Counsel Marc Gann, Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Martin Meaney and Court Reporter Sandra Tankoos. In addition, a group of audience members will be selected to serve as jurors who will then deliberate and deliver a verdict based on the testimonies that they heard from the various witnesses called to the stand. A sentencing by Judge Berkowitz will follow.

Murder in the Library began on Tuesday, March 11 with the discovery of the crime - complete with a real "dead" victim, a crime scene investigation and the arrival of the medical examiner. The event will continue on Tuesday, March 25 with witness interviews, an arrest and an interrogation by Detective Coffey. An "arraignment," featuring Judge Berkowitz, Assigned Counsel Gann and ADA Meaney, will follow.

On April 15, there will be an attorney-client interview, an ADA-detective interview and an ADA-defensive attorney interview as well as jury selection. Court Reporter Tankoos will be on hand to record opening charges to the jury and all testimonies. The event will wrap up on Tuesday, April 29 with a trial, the jury's verdict and sentencing.

Since the Murder in the Library series at the Hicksville Library includes so many different legal experts, Katz said duplicating the series will be difficult. However, each episode is being videotaped so that attorneys will be able to show each segment at another library and hold a discussion so that other community's can become educated on the legal system.

"The goal of the program is to educate the public," said Katz. "We want residents of Nassau County to be aware of the legal system that has been given to us by our constitution and to value it. It is unique in the world."

Murder in the Library is moderated by Richard Collins, Esq. and will take place in the library's community room beginning at 7:30 p.m. on the above-mentioned dates. Participation is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Hicksville Public Library at 931-1417.

Celeste Watman, director of the Hicksville Library, said, said the program is perfect for residents of all ages. "If you are looking for many evenings of entertainment and intrigue, it is imperative that you experience the Murder in the Library series."