Last week the San Leandro High’s mock trial team had a case that occurred in the Alameda Court House in Oakland. The duration of the trial was approximately 3 hours long, where students were involved in a mock trial called People v. Fromholz. This case included Haley Fromholz, a chef on the reality show Recipe for Success, who is charged with first degree murder for using poisonous mushrooms referred to as “heartstopper” to murder the celebrity judge Morgan Sears, according to the case file.

The defense team consists of students who have different trial tasks and roles to successfully  defend Haley Fromholz, the accused chef. These roles included defense attorneys who argue to protect Fromholz’s rights, defense witnesses with a responsibility to help the jury understand the facts and a bailiff who focuses on ensuring safety within the court. The defense team in favor of securing Haley Fromholz’s innocence created a reasonable doubt while challenging the prosecution’s evidence and motives in order to convince the jury. 

With the team competing on Tuesdays through Thursday, students have prepared for upcoming trials with the help of volunteer attorneys and coaches that meet with the students regularly, according to Mr. Ocon, the team’s advisor. Competitions will end this week unless the team moves into semi and final rounds.