Riverside County Mock Trial Winners
Advance to State Competition

After seven rounds of competition, the young legal team from Notre Dame High School was named the champions of the 2022 Riverside County Mock Trial Competition, and have advanced to represent Riverside County at the California Mock Trial Competition for the first time in school history. The final round featured Poly High School as the prosecution and Notre Dame High School as the defense. In the semifinal round held hours before the championship, Poly High School defeated the 2021 champions from Martin Luther King High School while Notre Dame High School reached the finals after defeating Murrieta Valley High School. Due to pandemic restrictions on crowds, all mock trial competitions for 2022 were held virtually. The 2022 California State Mock Trial Championship will also take place virtually from March 17-20. Mock Trial involves students arguing cases in front of real judges and scored by practicing attorneys. The multi-round competition is open to all students in grades 9 through 12 enrolled in public and private high schools in Riverside County. Teams consist of 8-25 students filling the virtual courtroom roles of defense and prosecution attorneys, witnesses, clerks, and more. This year’s competition features case materials that provide the facts and legal background for the fictional trial, People v. Cobey. The focus of the trial is Jamie Cobey, a horticulturist living in the community of Burnsley, California, a semi-rural town in the high desert. Cobey has been charged with two counts: (1) first-degree murder and (2) voluntary manslaughter. On Saturday, February 19, more than a dozen students were honored for top performances with medals, golden gavel pins, trophies, and prestigious internships in local legal organizations after the fourth round of competition. 2022 Riverside County Mock Trial Competition AWARD RECIPIENTS Outstanding Bailiff 1st Place – Gold Medal: Damien Milton, Great Oak High School 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Aubrey Hernandez, Notre Dame High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Yusuf Ashrif, John W. North High School Outstanding Clerk 1st Place – Gold Medal: Stephanie Stahovich, Notre Dame High School 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Brian Martinez, Patriot High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Emily Tucker/Rend Abdulhasan, Palm Desert/Great Oak High School Outstanding Defense Pretrial Motion Attorney 1st Place – Gold Medal: Erika Salcedo, Murrieta Valley High School* 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Xuan-Anh Biggs, Poly High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Ayanna Grunwald, Notre Dame High School * Winner of Riverside County Courts Award and Riverside County Bar Association Foundation’s Honorable Douglas E. Weathers Scholarship Outstanding Prosecution Pretrial Motion Attorney 1st Place – Gold Medal: James Fagan, Poly High School* 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Indiana Behr, Palm Valley High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Tara Bakhshi Dezful, Palm Desert High School * Winner of Riverside County Courts Award and Riverside County Bar Association Foundation’s Honorable Douglas E. Weathers Scholarship Outstanding Prosecution Witnesses Witness: Dr. Charlie Dunn 1st Place – Gold Medal: Nicole Wetzel, Paloma Valley High School 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Victoria Castaneda, Patriot High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Tallulah Rector, Palm Desert High School Witness: Toni Garrett 1st Place – Gold Medal: Isabella Torres, Patriot High School 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Jose Sepulveda-Vel, Indio High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Emma Mermilliod, Notre Dame High School Witness: Angel Russell 1st Place – Gold Medal: Luis Suarez, Great Oak High School 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Savera Vakil, Paloma Valley High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Esther Chavarria, Chaparral High School Witness: Terry Edwards 1st Place – Gold Medal: Margaret Roemer, Poly High School 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Samantha Esparza, John W. North High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Marlen Castillo Sanchez, Indio High School Outstanding Defense Witnesses Defendant: Jamie Cobey, Defendant 1st Place – Gold Medal: Sydney Vinson, Chaparral High School 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Gabriela Cruz, John W. North High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: James Peters, Great Oak High School Witness: Francis Yazzie 1st Place – Gold Medal: Jia Sergeant, John W. North High School 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Gracie Carlson, Santiago High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Daniel Rodriguez, Murrieta Valley High School Witness: Dr. Tyler Clay 1st Place – Gold Medal: Samira Ahmed, John W. North High School 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Yousif Subhi, Santiago High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Keila Serrano, San Jacinto High School Witness: Dani Emling 1st Place – Gold Medal: Nicholas Duran, Martin Luther King High School 2nd Place – Silver Medal: Zyrin Wolfinger, Temecula Preparatory High School 3rd Place – Bronze Medal: Charlotte Trudeau, Palm Desert High School Outstanding Prosecution Attorneys Gold Medal: Noah Gilman-Morgan, John W. North High School** Silver Medal: Jessica Diaz, Hemet High School Bronze Medal: Melany Hernandez, Hemet High School ** Winner of internship in the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and Riverside County Bar Association Foundation’s Honorable Douglas E. Weathers Scholarship Outstanding Defense Attorneys Gold Medal: Estera Boca, Poly High School*** Gold Medal: Aleksandra Petrovski, Murrieta Valley High School Gold Medal: Roxalana Johnson, Chaparral High School For more local news and information click here.