Immediately after the discovery of the murdered chief judge, “a public proclamation was then sent out by heralds announcing the murder and calling a day of fasting, mourning, and burial (see Helaman 9:10). The day after the death of a political leader was traditionally a day of fasting, mourning, and burial (see 1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 1:12)” (Welch, “Case of an Unobserved Murder,” 242).