Prosectution- Alden Mitchell

THIS IS HARD ASF

Could you please introduce yourself to the court?

My name is Alden Mitchell. I am an influencer, and I own a famous Vegan food truck named Glow, which is all about healthy eating, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. I also teach people how to forage for their own ingredients.

Are you familiar with the defendant in this case, Haley Fromholz?

Yes. We were both contestants on the cooking show Recipe for Success.

Describe your relationship with the defendant.

Haley and I became friends at the beginning of the show. We grew very close as we both advanced to the semifinal challenge.

What was the semifinal challenge?

We had to select our own ingredients in a recipe that uniquely represents us.

How did you gather ingredients?

Haley convinced me to go foraging with him/her.

When did the defendant propose this idea to you?

On the night of April 8th, the day before the signature challenge.

Was this the first time the defendant had brought up wanting to go foraging?

No, he/she had mentioned her interest in it once before when we first met. He/she seemed really into it.

Why did you go foraging with him/her?

I was pressured by Haley and felt bad for him/her because of the harsh way Sears treated him/her. He/she seemed really stressed out by it.

What do you mean by harsh treatment from Sears?

Chef Sears seemed to hate everything Haley made. Even when we weren’t being filmed, Sears spoke to him/her with contempt.

Why do you say the defendant seemed stressed out?

When I talked to her that night, he/she complained to me about Chef Sears. Tears welled up in his/her eyes, so I reassured him/her, and I think I gave him/her a hug.

Why did you feel pressured to go foraging?

Haley didn’t like my original idea of a sourdough bread bowl and told me to use my foraging experience to impress the judges. I also felt like she was only using me to find the mushrooms for her. I felt manipulated and even bullied.

Where did you two go foraging?

Artemis Grove, a state park near the set.

When did you go to Artemis Grove?

The morning of April 9, right before filming the challenge.

Did you help the defendant with foraging?

Yes. I showed Haley common edible mushrooms since she was an inexperienced forager. I warned her about deadly heartstopper mushrooms, too.

How was the defendant acting at this time?

Haley seemed distracted and kept looking at the signposts, which was strange since I thought she was interested in foraging.

Did you and the defendant stay together the whole time?

No, near the end, Haley had a stomach problem and went somewhere to relieve herself, while I stayed in Upper and Lower Pete’s Path. She was away for about twenty minutes.

Did the defendant return with anything new?

No, just the same basket and mushrooms that she had left with, but I did notice a green baggie Haley had walked away with in her basket was now in her jacket pocket.

What did you see in this green baggie?

When we arrived at Artemis Grove, it appeared empty, but upon his/her return, I saw something small, round, and white inside it.

Now, let’s go to the next day. When did you find out Sears was dead?

In the morning, around 7 am. I received a text from Imari Rodriquez.

How did this news make you feel?

I was shocked and devastated that someone so young as Sears could die like that. I had to read the message three times before it sank in.

How do you think he got poisoned?

I really don’t know. In all my years of foraging, I’ve never heard of anyone being poisoned by foraged mushrooms. I feel so sorry for him. [[It made me want to help out with the investigation as much as I could.]]

[Did you help with the investigation?]]

[[Yes.]]

[[How?]]

[[I let Detective Sacks into the suite I shared with Haley and answered all her questions. I also let her access Haley’s laptop, since he/she often let me use his/her computer to play games.]]

[[Did you ever do anything other than game on the defendant’s laptop?]]

[[No, I would never break her trust and snoop around like that. No one would want someone to look through their business.]]