A Man on Death Row

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 be allowed 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 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 ,who he becomes suspicious of.
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 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 it's their duty to 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===
* Temperance Brennan - Emily Deschanel
* Seeley Booth - David Boreanaz
* Jack Hodgins - T.J Thyne
* Angela Montenegro - Michaela Conlin
* Zack Addy - Eric Millegan
=== Recurring Cast===
* Deputy Director Cullen - John M. Jackson
* Sid Shapiro - Heavy D
* Howard Epps - Heath Freeman
* Judge Cohen - Michael Rothhaar
===Guest Cast===
* April Wright - Kendra Rose Montagna
* Amy Morton - Rachelle Lefèvre
* Larry Carlyle - Michael Mantell
* David Ross - Jeffrey Nordling
* Ken Wright - David Starzyk
* Mary Wright - Joan McMurtrey
* Troy Pruit - Marcus Ashley
* Buck Harmon - Gabe Cohen
* Prison Guard - Price Carson
* Agent #1 - Ivan Davila
* TV Reporter - Sarayu Rao
==Featured Music==
*"Anything Goes" by Madison Smartt Bell & Wyn Cooper
==Notes==
*There has 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.
==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==
* "Bones" A Man on Death Row (2005) at IMDb.com
* Bones: A Man on Death Row at TV.com
Category:Episodes
Category:Season 1