You Missed These Major 'Veronica Mars' Clues

During the show's first season, the mystery of who really killed Veronica Mars' best friend Lilly Kane plagued the minds of Veronica Mars fans (and the teen sleuth herself). The show was filled with red herrings that seemingly pointed at a handful of different culprits — including everyone from Lilly's own father, to Lilly's brother Duncan, to Lilly's boyfriend Logan. However, hardly anyone could have anticipated who the real murderer would be: In the Season 1 finale it was revealed that movie star Aaron Echolls (aka, Logan's father) killed Lilly Kane, and that he did it for reasons even creepier than any fan would have expected. Looking back, however, the writing was kind of on the wall, Marshmallows.

Aaron also proved he was the biggest creep/psychopath in Neptune (a hard title to earn in a town like that) when it was revealed that he was sleeping with his own son's 17-year-old girlfriend Lilly... and filming it. In fact, the filming it part was the reason Aaron killed Lilly: When she discovered the tapes, Lilly refused to give him back the evidence of their illicit affair, so he killed her to get them back.

While Veronica dug up reasons over the course of Season 1 as to why plenty of other suspects could have wanted Lilly dead, Aaron's motives were a total mystery until the ultimate reveal. But, there were definitely clues throughout Season 1 that Aaron could have committed the murder, but they're so subtle, even diehard Veronica Mars fans may have missed them during Season 1. After all, like Veronica, we were all too busy looking at the other suspects to notice them.

1. He's A Master Manipulator

Aaron beats and berates Logan in one breath, and turns on the charm in another. That's the kind of person who is able to cover up a murder.

2. He's Violent By Nature

Aaron was abused as a child and it screwed him up royally. In the above scene, he attacks his daughter's own abusive boyfriend — but what's most disturbing is that he seems to enjoy terrifying and torturing the man. At the time it almost felt like justice — who wouldn't want to protect his own daughter? But looking back, it proved that Aaron often used violence to solve his problems.

3. He's Always Been There

Aaron is mentioned minutes into the pilot episode, though his first appearance is a few episodes in. Very few characters on Veronica Mars are introduced only to serve no real purpose — it was only a matter of time before the real reason Aaron was around came out.

4. He Cheats On His Wife

Sure, Aaron being a cheater doesn't make him a would-be murderer, but his infidelity does hint at what comes later in the season regarding his relationship with Lilly. The Christmas party scene, in which one of his past lovers attacks him, also proves that he doesn't have much respect for women.

5. He's A Terrible Father

Are all lousy dads secretly sociopaths who sleep with their son's girlfriends and then murder them in a fit of rage? Nope — but if any of the dads on this show was going to off someone, it would be Aaron, because he only seems to pay attention to Logan when he's "reprimanding" him or when he needs to cultivate a good public persona.

Basically, the dude is a total jerk — and we should have seen his murderous tendencies from the get-go.

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