After months of preparation, Diamond Bar High School’s (DBHS) Mock Trial team arrived at the Los Angeles Courthouses to present their case on Nov. 3 and Nov. 10 of People versus Fromholz. Fromholz, a 43-year old contestant on the baking show Recipe for Success, was accused of first and second-degree murder, as well as involuntary manslaughter of judge Morgan Sears. After entering the courthouse, both sides would separate to face their competitors to argue for their respective sides for Haley Fromholz.
A total of four witnesses on both the prosecution and the defense were presented in court, each person representing someone related to the case. In addition, four attorneys on both sides would be present, representing their side of the case and conducting the cross and direct examination of the witnesses after the bailiff, Daniel Huang, called the court to order. The prosecution presented their case first, having a greater burden of proof and needing to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. They called their witnesses Sam Longo, Detective Rio Sacks, Alden Mitchell and Imari Rodriguez to begin their trial.
The defendant, Fromholz, had been friends with the victim, Judge Sears, during their first year of culinary school until they had a falling out, in which Sears allegedly stole the family recipes of Froholz’s grandmother and published them, becoming famous as a result—a fact the prosecution would argue as a motive for muder. But Fromholz was portrayed as a good person, bringing everyone coffee in the early mornings and remaining respectful and kind to Sears even after being berated on the show, evidence used by the defense to prove Fromholz’s innocence. A compelling case was argued by both sides as the judge listened to the arguments presented to what could be anyone’s victory.
After the prosecution had presented their witnesses, the defense would then call their witnesses. Not only to present their case, but to poke holes in the prosecution’s arguments. They called the defendant, Haley Fromholz; contestant Taokta Morrison; Dr. Ren Dunn; and chef Jean Krondstadt. Both sides of the DBHS Mock Trial team, as stated by their coach Ms. Latitia Thomas, performed flawlessly with all of their countless lines memorized—a true testament to their hard work and dedication.
After the witnesses gave testimonies, there came the closing argument and rebuttal, with a speech regarding the guilt or innocence of the defendant presented by attorney Arvind Anwar for the defense and Aditi Chawla for the prosecution. A subsequent deliberation by the judge followed with the verdict: not guilty on all counts of murder and manslaughter.
Competitions days are among the most stressful for Mock Trial students as it’s a way to show not only the judge but themselves what they have worked tirelessly to prepare and perfect, as well as wow the scorers in attendance/
While competition days may be stressful, “Competitions have a huge rush of adrenaline to them and while you [may] start off nervous, you build up the confidence to perform better [next time],” said Jayden Choi.
The scores for how each witness and attorney performed are released the following week, separate from the verdict, as attorneys from various firms graded the teams based on their performances. Although DBHS Mock Trial performed exceptionally across the board, not one person scoring below a five, the team was unfortunately defeated in the second round. Having since registered for another competition, this time held at Yale University in Connecticut, they hope to