Trial of Ian was a community driven event wherein Gaians got to decide the fate of the NPC, Ian. The trial was played out in the Durem Courthouse, and was handled by the judicial bots, with nine witnesses present. It lasted up to 3 days nearing the end of January 2006.
Gaia 9 Action News's Cindy Donovinh did the news coverage.
Details and Accusations[]
At the end of the New Year's 2006 event, Ian was apprehended by the Gaian Police for arson of the Gambino Mansion. Evidence from the trial included Ian's fingerprint located on a pill bottle. As fingerprints or pill bottles made of plastic cannot survive fire, some suspected that the evidence had been tampered with. Additionally, the video provided never showed Ian starting the fire, only running away.
Verdict and Aftermath[]
Ian was declared innocent in a 4 to 1 vote*.
- 81% voted innocent
- 18% voted guilty Margin of error: +/- 0.3%.
As he left the courthouse, however, a shadowy figure (the same figure who shot Johnny K. Gambino) shot him. The bullet was fired at 11:55, the same exact time at which Gambino was shot.
Rufus, Ian's talking cat, took over as the shopkeeper of Barton Boutique until Ian's return. Eventually Ian was brought back to Barton when it was discovered that he was hiding in Gold Mountain's basement playing Pinball.
Theories and Criticisms[]
Some Gaians believed that Ian's trial was poorly executed due to the lack of plausible evidence on the accusing side. There were also complaints pertaining to the ProsecutionBot's frequent and badgering inquiries of irrelevant questions that were most likely used to lead or anger the witnesses. (Such as insistently asking Rufus why he says "Woof!")
In addition, many criticized that the deliberation period between the trial's beginning and the final tallying of the community's votes was longer than necessary. The final verdict was announced on February 1, 2006.
Some Gaians claimed the trial to be rigged as well, touting the fact that ,despite the outcome of the trial, Ian met with unfortunate circumstances. There is no known evidence to support this claim.
Although Ian was not killed (he was shot in the shoulder), it was a widely unpopular plot point. There had been controversy over the killing of NPC's as plot twists, and some Gaia members were unhappy that, although Ian won the trial, he was shot.
Some have theorized that it was Gino who shot both his father and Ian. Others counter this with the fact that not only was the shot fired from Durem, but Gino was alongside his father at the top of the tower.
However, during Halloween 2k7, it was revealed that Ian was in fact, Damian Von Helson, and the sniper was actually Zhivago. Zhivago was able to locate Ian, who had been in hiding, due to the vast media attention the trial created.
External Links[]
- Trial of Ian forum (no longer accessible)