[Breaking] Arrest made in Alliance Shooter’s Death

Arrest made in Alliance Shooter’s Death

Adele Cattaneo - Exodus Sentinel

SCOTT - Terra Nova remains shaken after an Alliance naval engineer opened fire on a demonstration last month, killing seven and wounding twelve others, only to be found dead herself last week.

The case was believed to be closed, and Serviceman 2nd Class Eileen Niota’s death was officially ruled a suicide. That is not the case tonight, as Alliance marines escorted Kira Joni, of the Asari Republics, from her home in Scott to an undisclosed location. Officials claim that Joni was not only involved with the execution of the seemingly random massacre, but behind the death of Niota herself.

There is no official word if the asari will be tried by the Alliance or the Republics, though there are already calls for her to be tried by the former, as asari legal proceedings are often long and drawn out processes that do not always end with human definitions of ‘justice’ for such heinous crimes.

In a similar manner as before, Sovereign Nation, the terrorist cult thought to be the motivation behind Niota’s massacre, has claimed that Joni is not among their followers, despite the Alliance’s claims of indisputable evidence to the contrary, including Joni’s personal ties to several known members and communication between Joni and Sovereign Nation’s Amu Kor, believed to be a member of Bradford’s inner circle.

It is believed that Joni had acted as a contact to Niota, perhaps even converted the Alliance member to the cult, and evidence connecting her to Niota’s death has been found in her Scott home - an ancestral songblade with human bloodstains believed to belong to Niota among the most damning.

Originally, it was believed that Niota may have taken an overdose of painkillers, prescribed for the injury she received while being subdued, and then cut herself to death using an piece of glass found in her cell.

Joni faces charges of murder, terrorism, and conspiracy if tried by Alliance courts.

Well damn. This thing just keeps getting messier and messier

Hang that bitch. Send a clear message to all those indocs that best Sovereign Nation is dead one!

This is a fucking mess.

Of course Sovereign Nation is behind this.

With so many inconsistencies to go around I don't envy any prosecutor.
That marine died in jail, didn't she? So how do you murder one in jail, where people are supposed to be supervised 24/7?

Anyway, someone somewhere at internal investigations will have a field day with this if the Systems Alliance is still intending to uphold due process.
I am also not surprised that SN dropped Joni like a hot potato.

Good going asari.

Not surprised SN killed her, more curious as to why. Silence Niota? Turn her into a martyr? Both?

Probably both and the option of having her take the fall posthumously whilst walking away scot-free. I can't say I won't be pleased to see this asari get sent down if she was truly the ringleader; this has been an absolute nightmare for everyone around here. We've had civilians getting antsy about their safety after this, and it'll be good to be able to put rest to the rumours. If it is her.

... lovely. I think the average bounty on Sovereign Nation members just shot up 100 credits.

This is getting messier and messier, and something tells me that we're far from the end.

See, here's the thing if this Joni bitch gets tried by the SA - 'less she gets life or execution (does TN have the death penalty on the books? I know it's a mixed thing in the Alliance), then she's essentially getting away scott-free (Heh).

Any lesser sentence (manslaughter, isn't it? Or assisting suicide, which idk if it's a crime on TN) means, at most, forty-sixty years behind bars. Not great, sure, but if she's a Sovereign Nation die-hard then I can see it maybe being worth the time.

If she gets away with mental instability - cause, well, Sovereign Nation - then she'd have to be remanded to an asari psych ward. Best in the galaxy and likely the only place equipped to deal with her issues (also, nowhere near as uncomfortable as prison, fyi).

So, speaking as an asari, I guess the Alliance's system doesn't exactly deliver my idea of 'justice' either.

Well. This thing just keeps going, doesn't it?

I suppose I should be glad that there's someone who has to answer for this. Gotta feel for the families. I hope thy get justice soon and the chance to grieve and have some closure. I can't imagine what the parents of those kids who died must be feeling.

pretty sure if that asari gets sentenced people doing it will have knowledge of the basic fact that they live a thousand years

The question of the procedure Miss D'Veyra depends on the nation whose criminal law will be used for the process.
The SA military has followed the anglo-saxon style of courts, but there are plenty of nations with an inquisitorial procedure (like the former EU).
If the SA will hold court over Joni, I expect them to use their military procedure in absence of a proper civilian institution.
Still, they could also decide to use Terra Nova law as a basis, but I doubt that they will make the effort.
The major problem I see is that the alliance has yet to enact a comprehensive criminal law. Law enforcement has been the sovereign right of the nations in the past.
As it is, assisted suicide would be my defense strategy of choice, if the shrink says her head is fine.
Depending wether she just delivered the means or actually helped in carrying out the suicide she might get out free.
The law differes between 'killing on demand' and just providing the means for suicide. Depending on nation, only the former is punishable and if the latter is punishable, it usually carries a shorter sentence.

Anyone else find it more than a little strange that people seem to jump on these stories quickly only for newer details to be revealed that shake our preconceptions? I admit, I've fallen into the torches-and-pitchforks mode of thinking too but I think at this point we would be better off just really giving these events the time of day unless we intend to get directly involved. The most I can say is try to form a watch group, keep an eye out for people who are a part of Sovereign Nation, report them to the authorities, and just go about your business.

If this were Thresh they probably would've just shot her and not worried about the paperwork, part of the reason I didn't like living in that isolationist cesspool.