For years now, the Taft High mock trials have been the school’s representation of a lower-court trial with students assuming the roles of attorneys, suspect(s), and witnesses. The judge is played by Tom White, Careers in Law Enforcement teacher, who oversees and assists throughout the performance and corrects the students upon error.

The trial was based on a case of a Swiss lady who came to the United States to live the “American Dream”. She went on a reality TV show that she was later kicked off of for being a problem during the filming. She moved to an American town and became a nanny.  She worked for the victim for 2 years, until he found a girlfriend and the couple had issues with the defendant. She then was fired from her job as the nanny and that’s where the story gets good. The defendant had a connection with the children she formally watched and felt as if she was the “mother figure” in their life. After being fired, she stalked the victim and his family and threatened them by leaving notes on his car and following them around the town, threatening them in parking lots.

The case got out of hand and ended up in court where our students tried the case in front of Mr. Morris’s, Mrs. Cloud’s, and Mr. Fitzsimmons’s classes. The case went for 4 days with the juries reaching a verdict on November 17. The defendant has been announced as guilty in 5 of the 6 participating classes.