vious year of her best friend, Lilly Kane? A ica soon finds out the “thug” is a BATF Veronica Mars former business partner of Lilly’s father undercover agent who brags to her about his was convicted and sentenced to death after high number of arrests. A day or so later, as UPN Television Network confessing to her murder. Veronica, howev- the website’s clock is winding down to zero, Weekly Series 2004-2005 er, has assembled enough facts to become a Swat team descends on the loner in Nep- Starring Kristen Bell as Veronica Mars convinced the man didn't kill Lilly. Among tune Highs’ parking lot. When the Swat other things, she learns he has an airtight team opens his trunk, Veronica sees and Review by Hans Sherrer alibi that wasn’t disclosed at his trial: He photographs the fertilizer and rifle that she was with his girlfriend far from the crime had seen and photographed the day before in eronica Mars is a one-hour weekly scene at the time of Lilly’s death. the BATF agent’s trunk! V series that premiered in the fall of 2004 on the UPN television network. It is also the The challenge Veronica has set for herself With photographic proof the loner had been name of the lead character. Veronica is a is to find proof of who killed Lilly. Her framed as a terrorist bomber by the BATF, spunky, hyper-inquisitive, resourceful and pursuit of the truth about her friend’s death Veronica wrote an article for the school pa- persistent student at Neptune High School is personal for another reason: Her dad lost per. The article generated enough negative located in a trendy Southern California his job as sheriff after refusing to rule-out publicity about the government’s mishan- beach town. Need it be said that she is blond? Lilly’s wealthy and politically powerful dling of the loner’s case that all the charges dad as a suspect. were dropped against him. It is left for the In her spare time Veronica helps her dad with viewer to infer that the BATF agent built his his one-man private investigation firm. She While it may sound improbable that a high impressive arrest record by planting evidence also conducts her own investigations, solving school student could keep her grades up, - such as the fake apocalyptic website, fertil- situations involving classmates and other work on the school newspaper, and be a izer and weapons - against innocent people people she knows ranging from the theft of super-sleuth in her spare time, the program who were “frameable” because they could be thousands of dollars during a friendly poker works. It is somewhat believable because considered on the fringe of society. game, to the electronic rigging of the student Veronica, played by Kristen Bell, primarily elections, to threats to bomb Neptune High, gathers information to solve a mystery by Veronica solved the mystery of Lilly’s mur- to finding her missing next-door neighbor. relying on her wits and hands-on tech- der in the season finale. After figuring out niques that include taking photographs, where Lilly hid her personal items, Veronica As she goes about solving mysteries in her examining records, and interviewing peo- found three sexually explicit video tapes everyday life, Veronica is on the look-out ple. Veronica is a cross between Sherlock showing Lilly in bed with a middle-aged for information to solve a big mystery: What Holmes and Erin Brockovich. movie actor. Lilly took the tapes, and when were the circumstances of the death the pre- she told the man she was going to turn them A person who has done something wrong or over to a TV tabloid program he hit her in Indigent continued from page 18 is involved in something nefarious most anger. Falling from the blow, she was killed definitely doesn’t want Veronica methodi- when her head hit a concrete pool deck. The assigned counsel system controlled by cally tracking him or her like a bloodhound. killer found out the hard way that his desper- judges. Especially because she has a finely-tuned ate efforts to conceal the truth of Lilly’s death As to why 247 Texas counties don’t use a sense of handling things herself. At the end were no match for Veronica’s sleuthing and public defender office, a witness testified, of one episode, for example, a young thief survival skills. By solving her friend’s mur- “We have to overcome judicial fear about gleefully made his getaway with his girl- der, Veronica also sprung an innocent man their loss of control over attorneys [and] friend and what he thought was a bag of from death row who police, prosecutors, we have to overcome the private defense stolen steroids. However his mood most judges, jurors and the press had all mistak- lawyers’ fear that a public defender office likely changed after discovering that Veron- enly been convinced was Lilly’s killer. will result in a loss of business.” ica switched his bag of steroids for one In a substantial number of Texas containing lots of saltwater taffy. Heh, the Veronica Mars is a fresh and bold program counties, defendants who are released on gal’s got a sense of humor to go with being featuring a smart and earnest young woman bond are presumed not to be indigent and an ace investigator. who gains the respect of her peers and adults either are denied appointed counsel or because of her investigative skills, and also strenuously pressured to retain counsel in The episode broadcast on April 12, 2005 is because she is willing to put herself on the line direct violation of state law. “In some an example of how Veronica solves puz- to rectify a wrong or help a person in need. cases, appointed counsel is withdrawn zling situations. While working on an arti- once a defendant posts bond,” said one cle for the school newspaper about an The second season of Veronica Mars begins on witness. unusual number of fire drills - Veronica September 28 on the UPN television network. Witnesses testified that “judges in Texas discovers they are actually being triggered It is not known if it will continue with the first sometimes improperly encourage by bomb threats phoned into the school. season’s themes of innocent people being prosecutors to seek waivers of counsel Veronica starts snooping around and dis- framed and imprisoned, but it will be worth and subsequent pleas of guilty from covers that a loner male Neptune High checking out to see how the writers unrepresented indigent defendants.” student appears to be tied to a website that follow up on the first season’s success. has a clock counting down to an apocalyp- In 2000, the Texas Fair Defense Coalition tic event predicted to occur in a few days. To ensure delivery, please notify issued a comprehensive report about After Veronica sees the loner with another Justice:Denied promptly of a Change of indigent defense in Texas and made 48 student who looks like a thug, she tails the Address! Write: Justice Denied recommendations for change. Very few of thuggish guy to a store. Using a tele-photo PO Box 66291 those recommendations have been lens, she takes pictures of him loading four Seattle, WA 98166 implemented and compliance has bags of fertilizer in his trunk, in which a Or enter a COA online at, been spotty at best. semi-automatic rifle is also visible. Veron- http://justicedenied.org

JUSTICE DENIED: THE MAGAZINE FOR THE WRONGLY CONVICTED PAGE 19 ISSUE 29 - SUMMER 2005