An Apple a Day Keeps Shinigami Away: A Death Note Mystery

The year is 2023 and a string of heart attacks has terrorized the nation's capitol of Washington D.C. Although these seemingly unconnected deaths have a distinct similarity to the infamous Kira murders that terrorized Japan from 2003 to 2010, the death of Light Yagami means a new killer is on the loose. Unfortunately, it seems like a recent data leak has exposed the names and faces of the police taskforce previously hired to solve this case causing them to abandon their positions in a futile attempt to stay alive. This means you and your rag-tag group of other random citizens must work together to gather clues, decipher codes, and work together to figure out the identity of this new “Death Note” killer and put them in a cell before you all end up in the dirt.

Chair | Preston Bowden

Preston Bowden (he/him/his) is a first year law student at the University of Virginia School of Law and an alumnus of the University of Virginia (Class of 2023). He comes from a small town in the middle of Utah called Tooele (pronounced "too-will-uhh"). Preston has staffed three VICS conferences and two VAMUN conferences, and over the course of his time as an undergraduate at UVA gained four years of model UN experience.  When he's free from reading thousands of cases and mastering antiquated legal doctrines, Preston spends time with his fellow graduate student neighbors on the Range. Aiming to be a civil rights impact litigator, Preston also volunteers his time toward civil rights pro bono projects (the latest project relating to the protection and expansion of voting rights). Outside of the academic space, Preston loves to read genre fiction, watch a variety of tv shows/movies, and play long-term strategy video games. Preston looks forward to welcoming y'all to Charlottesville and facilitating this unique committee (Preston has watched the anime twice at this point).

Crisis Director | Velan Shanmuganathan

Velan Nagarajan Solagar Shanmuganathan is a third-year from Woodbridge, Virginia double majoring in Public Policy and Leadership and Media Studies. He has been involved in MUN for over six years and served as a Crisis Director for VICS last year. In his free time, Velan can be found hanging out with his friends, going out to dance, and being involved in various clubs and extracurricular activities to keep himself busy. He’s super excited to meet everyone at VICS XXVIII and share the committee he has been planning for over two years!!