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A Man on Death Row

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A Man on Death Row is the seventh episode of the first season of Bones.

Summary[]

The plot focuses on team's investigation into a seven-year-old murder, of which death-row prisoner Howard Epps is accused. Booth and Brennan are given a deadline to prove Epps' innocence or guilt before his imminent execution.

Recap[]

The episode opens with Dr. Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth arguing about Booth's refusal to approve Brennan's application to carry a concealed weapon as she was formerly charged with a felony. In Booth's office, they meet Amy Morton, who tells Booth she is the new lawyer of death row inmate Howard Epps and asks for his help to prove Epps' innocence, who is scheduled to be executed in 30 hours. Booth was the investigating officer in the murder case of April Wright, who Epps is accused of killing.

After visiting Epps in prison, Booth is unconvinced of Epps' innocence but asks Brennan to look over the case as a personal favor. With the help of Dr. Jack Hodgins and her assistant Zack Addy, Brennan examines the case's evidence. They soon find contradictions in the evidence presented by the prosecution.

After being sent by Brennan to photograph the surrounding area of the crime scene, Zack suddenly realizes the significance of the numbers that were found with the victim. They appeared to be a phone number but they correlated to the time and place of a meeting the victim had on the night of her murder. Hodgins determines the victim may have been moved from the crime scene before she was deposited at the place where she was found. Brennan declares that they need to exhume the body to determine where the victim was killed. Meanwhile, Booth visits the victim's family and their lawyer, David Ross , who he becomes suspicious of.

Based on the new evidence found from the exhumed body, the team can locate the original crime scene. In addition with a visual confirmation of the pubic hair of David Ross, the team begins to have doubts about the guilt of the inmate. However, the judge rules that the evidence is insufficient to postpone the execution.

Booth interrogates Ross, who claims that the victim had run away after they had engaged in sexual intercourse and that he had waited for her to return for two hours before leaving the parking lot. After FBI Deputy Director Sam Cullen agrees to grant the resources Booth and Brennan need to find the evidence they need from the marsh, they discover more bodies in the marsh, which convinces[details unclear] Booth that they had the right guy all along. Epps was the killer and he had manipulated his defense lawyer, Booth, and Brennan to discover the remains of his other victims. Booth remarks that Epps benefits no matter what they do next; if they don't call about the bodies in time, Epps can never be put on trial for these murders. However, if they do call, Epps will get a stay of execution until the other murders have been investigated. Brennan tells him that they must give the victims justice. Booth calls Amy and tells her what has happened.

Amy, Booth, and Brennan visit Epps at the prison. After Epps hints that he may live long enough to see the death penalty be abolished, Amy becomes upset as she finally grasps the danger and depravity of his character, and leaves. Epps tells Brennan that he read her book and found out that she was working together with Booth. When Epps reaches for Brennan's hand, she grabs his hand and slams it against the table, breaking his wrist. Brennan and Booth are resigned to the fact that it is their job to find the truth and the rest is up to others.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Recurring Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Featured Music[]

  • "Anything Goes" by Madison Smartt Bell & Wyn Cooper

Notes[]

  • There is a very similar storyline to this episode in NCIS titled "Mind Games". A man is on death row and a victim with the same M.O. is discovered, which is part of the man on death row's game to mess with the agent who arrested him and delay his execution. Similarly, the episode was also inspired by real serial killer Ted Bundy.

Trivia[]

  • The questioning of Epps' innocence was inspired by the rape and murder of Krystal Naab by Stuart Heaton in 1991. Heaton long protested his innocence, and the DNA testing in the case was harshly criticized. However, retesting the DNA results confirmed Heaton was Naab's killer.
  • Epps is heavily inspired by Ted Bundy, one of the U.S.'s best known and most hated serial killers, kidnapping and bludgeoning brunette women and girls before burying them in isolated nature.

Quotes[]

  • Zack: I was out taking the pictures you needed and there was a sign, and numbers on the ground, and I thought why (gibberish)
    Hodgins: Zack, when you talk that fast, human beings can't hear you.

I don't know what that means[]

External Links[]


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