Fillmore High Seniors Jacqueline Tovar, Catherine Alonso, and Misael Ponce have participated in Mock Trial for the last four years.

Sophomore Paulina Guerrero won a Most Valuable Player award garnering admiration from her team and coaches.

Written by By Laura Bartels and Anna Morielli

Fillmore High’s legal team made major strides during the Ventura County Mock Trial competition on February 22nd and 23rd. The highlight of the competition was Fillmore’s prosecution received a GUILTY verdict against powerhouse top team La Reina High School of Thousand Oaks. The Fillmore team, now in its fourth year, consisted of 7 seniors, 1 junior, 4 sophomores and 4 freshmen. At the awards ceremony held at the Oxnard Civic Center, senior Matthew Hammond won Ventura County Second Place as campus security guard prosecution witness Lou Williams and sophomore Paulina Guerrero won a Most Valuable Player award garnering admiration from her team and coaches for her leadership. Also honored at the raucous ceremony were seniors Misael Ponce, Jacqueline Tovar, and Catherine Alonso who have participated in mock trial all four years of high school.

This year’s case, People v. Hayes was the trial of Jamie Hayes, a student at Central Coast University (CCU) on a track and field scholarship. Hayes faced a felony charge of murder for the homicide on May 15, 2014, of Lee Valdez, a campus security guard. Hayes raised the affirmative defense of “defense of another” in order to claim the homicide was justifiable. The students portrayed each principal of the cast in a courtroom, including attorneys, witnesses, defendant, court clerk, and bailiff. The trial played out in real courtrooms at the Ventura Superior Court before actual judges and scored by Ventura County practicing attorneys.

The first evening began with a pre-trial motion designed to exclude evidence gained by an illegal search. This year’s pre-trial motion focused on the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination-- “no witness in a criminal case shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.”

The prosecution attorneys, senior Catherine Alonso, senior Naythan Martinez, and sophomore Paulina Guerrero excelled in round two against Rio Mesa High School and again in round three against La Reina High School. Prosecution attorney for pre-trial motion, freshman Fatima Bazurto, strongly presented the prosecution’s argument of why the defendant’s confession was obtained voluntarily after being properly Mirandized and after a lengthy interrogation, confessed. Attorney Bazurto argued that once the defendant was given the Miranda warnings, the interrogation by the police and the police officer’s threats of embarrassment to the defendant’s mother, did not rise to such coercive behavior which would render the confession involuntary. The officer acted reasonably and the interrogation was the result of good police work. The judge was so compelled by Attorney Bazurto’s persuasive nature that he denied the defense’s motion giving Fillmore’s prosecution a huge advantage resulting in a guilty verdict and a WIN in points.

In a strong opening statement, senior Naythan Martinez articulated the prosecution’s theory of motive, means and opportunity and tied the facts of the case to each element of the law of second- degree murder. He developed for the judge, how the prosecution would prove ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ that the defendant was guilty of murder. Attorney Martinez’s convincing performance was singled out for comment by one of the scoring attorneys and he admirably scored two solid blocks of score 4s. Prosecution Attorneys senior Catherine Alonso and sophomore Paulina Guerrero earned top 5 scores for their direct examinations of their witnesses as well as their unrelenting cross examinations of opposing team witnesses.

The police detective witness was played convincingly by senior Matthew Jimenez earning a coveted score of 5- the highest possible score. Freshman Jenessa Portugal played the campus security guard who had previously been the victim of police violence by the victim. Ms. Portugal’s spunk, humor and tenacity earned her strong scores. Senior Matthew Hammond played the role of the Director of Campus Security earning a score of 5. Freshman Jerry Tovar played a handwriting expert whose years of experience and computer analysis convinced the judge that the note was penned by the defendant. Mr. Tovar also played the unofficial clerk. Rounding out the prosecution was senior Alma Perez whose job as Court Clerk was to keep the official time, a crucial role in a competition in which every second counts. Clerk Perez graciously and accurately handled a challenge by competing team La Reina who objected to the clerk’s time, but was eventually found in favor of Fillmore and which action earned her a perfect score.

Fillmore’s strong defense attorneys- all trial attorneys and witnesses earning coveted scores of 5s- were led by senior Misael Ponce and senior Jacqueline Tovar who hit the ground running in round one against Agoura High School, and in round four against St. Bonaventure High School. Defense opened with a pre-trial motion to have the confession suppressed. Citing United States Supreme Court case law, freshman Damian Meza argued that police coercion was the reason the defendant uttered an incriminating statement after the defendant had been held in an interrogation room for 16 hours, with only a small amount of water and some stale crackers. Attorney Meza’s argument drew strong scores from the scoring attorneys Pragmatic, no-nonsense defense trial attorney, senior Misael Ponce took control of the courtroom with a strong memorized opening statement earning three perfect 5s.

Poking holes in the prosecution’s case, the defense team was unstoppable, also earning twenty perfect scores of 5. Defense attorney senior Jacqueline Tovar beautifully pulled together the closing argument with a perfect score.

Sophomore Manual Gutierrez took heavy cross examination against both Agoura and La Reina but came through with a 5. New to the team junior Kiara Leon played the friend of the defendant also earning a perfect 5. Senior Alma Perez as Handwriting expert infused confidence and warmth into her performance earning a perfect 5. Sophomore Mishell Beylik played the part of the Defendant and was happy to be released to the custody of her team both evenings with a verdict of NOT GUILTY and a perfect score of 5.

Freshman Grailing MacMahon, playing the role of the Bailiff, impressed the scoring attorneys with his courtroom control earning a perfect 5.

At the awards ceremony at the Oxnard Civic Center, the Fillmore team received an impressive “Best of” award and over the two nights of competition earned twenty-six perfect “5” scores. The team ended the competition solidly in the top 20. The students owe their success to long hours of research, preparation and practice, including lunch time, after school, and weekends.

The coaching staff consisted of School Advisor and Attorney Coach Fillmore Dean Anna Morielli, and Attorney Coach Laura Bartels of Taylor, Scoles and Bartels in Fillmore.

Parents and teachers provided the students with invaluable advice and support, including former Fillmore teacher Jennifer Fitzpatrick, law office staff Andrea Davis and Joi Searson, parent Bill Bartels. Special thanks to La Fondita for helping with two nights of burritos; team parents: Jesus Tovar, Szilvia Beylik, Silvia Perez for transportation; Principal Ito, Barbara Lemons, La Fondita, Fillmore Rotary, Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association, attorney Leslie McAdam of Ferguson, Case, Orr and Paterson, and Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid.