From March 20 to March 21, Granada Hills Charter (GHC)’s Mock Trial team represented Los Angeles County in the California State Mock Trial Finals competition, placing ninth out of 36 teams.
Each round spanned three hours, with one round taking place on Friday and the other three taking place on Saturday.
This serves as the first time Mock Trial has competed at the state championships, a great victory after placing first in LA County at the Los Angeles County Mock Trial competition that took place December 3, 2025.
As a team, Mock Trial simulates real court trials. Each round includes the pre-trial, opening statements, cross examination, direct examination, and closing statements.
This year’s case was a murder case about a professional chef, Haley Fromholz. This chef was charged with murder in the first-degree of one of the celebrity judges on the show. This judge, Chef Morgan Sears, died due to poisonous mushrooms used as an ingredient in the dish served to him.
“One of the biggest challenges in this case was the complexity of the charges,” senior Mauricio Campos said.
The defendant was charged with first-degree murder, but there was also a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter. This means that the team had to be prepared to argue two different defense theories without knowing what route the opposite team would take.
This marks a change from the LA County competition, where there was more leeway in terms of preparation. The state competition required much more heavy preparation and reliance on other teammates.
“Repeating and re-memorizing our speeches, exams, and arguments are critical components of the competition,” senior Ani Varozian said. Varozian also said that having weekly competitions helped with stamina and further prepared the team.
Those practices and competitions helped the team form close bonds helping them to be able to rely on each other in the courtroom.
“One of the strengths of our team is how close we’ve become,” Campos said.