A Man on Death Row
Encyclopedia
"A Man on Death Row" is the seventh episode of the first season of the television series, Bones
. Originally aired on November 22, 2005 on FOX
network, the episode is written by Noah Hawley
and directed by David Hugh Jones. The plot focuses on Dr. Temperance Brennan
and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth
'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.
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 evidence of the case. They soon find incongruities 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 actually 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, whom Booth finds suspicious.
Based on the new evidence found from the exhumed body, the team is able to locate the original crime scene. In addition with a visual confirmation of the pubic hair to be of David Ross, the team begin 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 car park. After FBI Deputy Director Samuel 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 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 to prolong his life as the authorities must now open investigations into these victims.
Amy, Booth and Brennan visit Epps at the prison. All three are disgusted when Epps smugly thanks them. After Epps hints that he may live long enough to see the death penalty be abolished, Amy becomes upset and leaves. 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.
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
. Originally aired on November 22, 2005 on FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network, the episode is written by Noah Hawley
Noah Hawley
Noah Hawley is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, composer, and author. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Noah wrote and produced the television series Bones and also created The Unusuals and My Generation...
and directed by David Hugh Jones. The plot focuses on Dr. Temperance Brennan
Temperance Brennan (Bones)
Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Ph.D. , is a fictional character portrayed by Emily Deschanel in the American Fox television series Bones...
and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth
Seeley Booth
FBI Special Agent "In charge" Seeley Joseph Booth is a fictional character in the US television series, Bones , portrayed by David Boreanaz. Agent Booth is a co-protagonist of the series alongside Dr...
'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.
Summary
The episode opens with Dr. Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth arguing about Booth's refusal to approve Brennan's application to be allowed to carry a concealed weapon as she was formerly charged with a felony (despite not being convicted). 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 the innocence of Epps, 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
Jack Hodgins (Bones)
Dr. Jack Stanley Hodgins IV, Ph.D., is a fictional character in the American television series, Bones. He is portrayed by T. J. Thyne. Jack is introduced to the series primarily as an entomologist/forensic entomologist, but also as a mineralogist/forensic mineralogist, a palynology/forensic...
and her assistant Zack Addy
Zack Addy
Zachary Uriah 'Zack' Addy, Ph.D is a fictional character in the television series Bones. He is portrayed by Eric Millegan. The character was introduced as Dr...
, Brennan examines the evidence of the case. They soon find incongruities 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 actually 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, whom Booth finds suspicious.
Based on the new evidence found from the exhumed body, the team is able to locate the original crime scene. In addition with a visual confirmation of the pubic hair to be of David Ross, the team begin 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 car park. After FBI Deputy Director Samuel 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 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 to prolong his life as the authorities must now open investigations into these victims.
Amy, Booth and Brennan visit Epps at the prison. All three are disgusted when Epps smugly thanks them. After Epps hints that he may live long enough to see the death penalty be abolished, Amy becomes upset and leaves. 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.
Production details
The episode was written and filmed as the series' fourth episode but was aired as the seventh. According to Noah Hawley, the writer of the episode, "The image of the man on death row has become something of a cultural cliché." It provided the writers a "rich territory for drama" and showed what Brennan and the scientists would do if what they did could save a life. The episode was filmed in a decommissioned women's prison.External links
- "A Man on Death Row" at Fox.com