Case Closed as Millikan Wins Student Trial Competition : Education: A team of Sherman Oaks junior high students is judged the winner in a mock trial event designed to teach about the legal system.

A team of junior high school students from Sherman Oaks, playing convincing roles as attorneys and witnesses, won the Los Angeles County mock trial competition Thursday.

The 20-member team from Robert A. Millikan Junior High School defeated a team from Hughes Middle School in Long Beach in a case that was scored by real-life attorneys and argued before Superior Court Judge Richard G. Kolostian.

Polytechnic High School of Long Beach defeated Dorsey High School to win the high school division of the contest finals.

“I feel ecstatic,” said Sarah Kanouse, 13, who played a defense attorney for the Millikan team.

The mock trial competition is staged by the Constitutional Rights Foundation, a nonprofit group that sponsors educational programs in public schools. Other sponsors include the State Bar of California and the Los Angeles County Bar Assn., as well as the Los Angeles Daily Journal.

This is the 12th year of the contest, which is held to teach students about the legal system and the Constitution, said foundation spokeswoman Eleanor Taylor.

The finals, held at the Los Angeles County Courthouse, followed regional contests involving 39 high school and 24 junior high school teams.

The winners of the high school division will go on to a state competition next year. There is no state competition for the junior high school teams.

The team from Millikan acted as attorneys and witnesses in a trial in which a man faced up to seven years in prison on charges of voluntary manslaughter and possession of an unregistered assault weapon.

In the imaginary court case, “People vs. Haines,” Millikan student attorneys defended Pat Haines, who was accused of shooting and killing a carpenter who had come to collect payment for work done in Haines’ basement.

Prosecutors from Hughes Middle School argued that the killing was unlawful. Millikan attorneys argued that Haines acted in self-defense, fearing an attack from the carpenter, who, at it turned out, was not armed.

Kolostian found the man guilty on both charges, but two attorneys acting as competition judges ruled that Millikan put on the best case.

The Millikan team is coached by teacher Steve Casas and Anita Dymant, an assistant U.S. attorney.