Fred Mueller was a promising Bellaire High student down in Galveston enjoying his first Mardi Gras.

He went off on a food run in his pick-up truck; when he got lost he made a u-turn on Seawall Boulevard. When he did his truck was smashed into by a motorcycle driven by Christopher Nooregard, a beloved longtime vet of the Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Department.

Initially, the cops said the accident was not Mueller's fault. Then they decided to press intoxicated manslaughter charges against him.

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What followed was a tortuous nightmare crawl through the legal system that left bad feelings on all sides. Read this week's cover story, "A Wrong Turn," for the full tale.