Menestheus put on trial for the death of Demophon

Demophon, a king of Athens, planned on having dinner with Menestheus, also a king of Athens, when tragedy struck. According to Menestheus, the ship they planned to meet at was sunk, and from eye-witness accounts, Demophon sunk to the body of the ocean. His body was not found, and it is believed that his armour prevented him from floating to the surface of the ocean.

Witnesses claimed that Demophon was stabbed by a dagger directly in the heart by Menestheus. With no evidence supporting claims that Menestheus did it, the council was left to judge merely through speculation.

The trial was formatted as follows: six council members argued on each side their perspective and justification. Sixteen votes were required to convict Menestheus, and it was apparent that tensions were high.

Menestheus stood, defending himself, proclaiming his innocence to the rest of the council. He claimed there was no evidence to support he killed anyone and claims that Demophon wasn’t stabbed by a dagger, rather shot in the neck by an arrow.

Epcius, a strong believer of his guilt, explained “If there had been an attack, we would be in an emergency.” She then went on to explain that scouts would have noted if a ship had sunk, and that what he was saying must have been false.

Ajax the Lesser was called on to stand, and although he said while it’s possible Menestheus guilty, he felt as though the punishment was too harsh and that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him of murder. “I can’t bear to see another one of us fall. I can’t imagine he made up a story such as that” Ajax the Lesser said.

Patroclus, a beloved auger, notes that from what he gathered from the prophecies provided to him, there is nothing that can undoubtedly say Menestheus is guilty.

“There is only one solution to this problem, and that is death,” said Diomedes, a strong warrior with a backing of 4000 troops. He feels as though if a lesser punishment such as exile is given, Menestheus will merely betray them.

After a vote of 15-9, Menestheus was deemed not guilty. He noted, “Now I see who is loyal to me and who is not.” He plans on working with people who believed him as the plot thickens and sharing his crisis notes with everyone to prove his innocence.