Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building.
Only Murders in the Building is in the midst of its third season, and the race is on to find the person who killed successful but obnoxious actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd). With only three of Season 3’s episodes having premiered so far it’s unlikely that any viewer is going to correctly guess the identity of Ben’s killer, let alone their reasons for doing so, yet. But given what is known about the series, characters, and themes, as well as the general history of the murder mystery genre it is possible to note which characters are more likely to be involved than others. So, without further ado, here are Season 3’s possible killers, ranked from least likely to most likely to have committed the crime.
8 Charles
To be clear, it’s incredibly unlikely that any of the series’ three main characters were involved in Ben’s death. Only Murders may feature plenty of serious, even dark elements spread throughout its comedic shenanigans but at the end of the day it’s clearly meant to be a more lighthearted, easily enjoyable show, and much of its appeal comes from the friendship between Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez’s characters. That core dynamic would be irrevocably altered if any of the trio became a killer, likely in a way that would ruin the series — and Charles-Haden Savage, played by series co-creator Martin, is even less likely to be the culprit than either of his friends.
While it’s true that Charles and Ben didn’t get along during their time working together on Oliver Putnam’s (Short) play, Death Rattle, the second episode of the season revealed that this was more Charles’ fault than Ben’s. A flashback showed Ben telling Charles that years ago he had fired a young Ben from a guest role on Charles’ hit TV show Brazzos, which was supposed to be his first major acting job. Charles barely remembered the younger man, highlighting the self-centered nature of his younger self. In the present he feels guilty for his past behavior, suggesting that his story for the season will at least partially revolve around him trying to be a better, more caring person going forward. Murdering one of the people he wronged would go completely against this idea.
7 Oliver
Oliver is ranked higher than Charles simply because he’s more involved with the season’s exploration of the passion of artists so far. He’s pretty desperate to make Death Rattle (or as he’s now calling it, Death Rattle Dazzle) a success so he can mount a return to Broadway. In some alternate universe where the series had bad writing, that could be used as a motive for murder if he believed Ben was more of a hindrance to the show than a help. Fortunately, in this reality, there’s almost no chance he’s the killer.
6 Mabel
The final member of the main trio is the only one the series has made seem like an even remotely possible suspect so far. At the beginning of the season, Mabel Mora (Gomez) is itching to get back into the amateur detective game. She admitted to Oliver that her first thought after seeing Ben collapse was wondering if he was murdered and hoping they and Charles could investigate and make a new season of their podcast about his death. If she wasn’t a main character that would make her a pretty obvious suspect. But she is a main character so the chance she did it is still pretty slim. She was also shown talking to a vision of Ben, who reassured her that she would find out who killed him, and she later told Charles that the case was personal for her as she treasured the memories of watching one of Ben’s TV shows at the same time as her mother.
If she turned out to be the killer, the series would have to engage in some seriously convoluted storytelling to make those scenes make sense. If any of the Big Three ever do turn out to be killers, Mabel would probably be the most believable choice — but the only time that could really conceivably happen would be if the show was ending and wanted to go out on the most dramatic possible terms. While a fourth season has yet to be announced, there’s also been no indication the third will be the show’s last, so viewers can rest easy as the trio almost certainly won’t be broken up by one of them going bad yet.
5 Kimber
Kimber Mia (Ashley Park) is one of Ben’s Death Rattle co-stars and as of the third episode the series has pointed to her as the obvious suspect in his murder. Dialogue between the two suggests they had a significant relationship, likely a romantic and or sexual one, during preparation for the play, and it’s clear that this connection didn’t end well. Given that, when Mabel and Tobert (Jesse Williams) discovered video showing that Ben had a tense confrontation with someone in his dressing room the night of the murder the viewer’s mind automatically jumps to Kimber. The character also provided the narration for the third episode, speaking about her belief that one must be ruthless to succeed in show business, with the final lines playing over the footage of her joining in on Loretta Durkin’s (Meryl Streep) showstopping solo song during a rehearsal for Death Rattle Dazzle. And, in the most damning moment, she reveals that she lost her cast handkerchief, one of which Ben was found holding.
Ironically, this all actually makes her seem like a less likely suspect. It’s simply too early in the season for the killer to be this obvious. The only way it could conceivably be imagined that she really is guilty is if the series does what some other murder mysteries have and seemingly disqualifies her as a suspect for a time, only for the clues to eventually wind back to her later on. However, this is a tactic that’s become more and more common in the genre lately, so one imagines that Only Murders might do something else to stay fresh and original.
4 Loretta
Streep’s casting as Loretta significantly complicates this season’s suspect guessing game. The acclaimed actress is the most high-profile addition to the cast, arguably even more so than Paul Rudd. Ever since her involvement with the series was announced, after the Season 2 finale had already revealed Ben as the new victim, Streep’s character became the easy choice for a potential killer. Her stature as an actress puts pressure on the creators to give her a role that viewers will see as worthy of her talents, lest they be accused of wasting the popular star. Most viewers will know this and therefore look to her as the prime suspect, as the role of the killer would presumably be the most meaty part in the season after the lead roles.
And there’s plenty about Loretta as a character that makes her look suspicious. She’s a struggling actor who has waited decades for her big break, giving her obvious ties to the themes of artists’ passion and desperation. She saw a silver lining in the possible cancelation of the play after Ben’s first “death” as it meant she and Oliver could act on their obvious romantic feelings for each other without worrying about the latter’s rule about becoming involved with co-workers. And, most telling of all, she hated Ben, calling him a “fucking asshole” before being picked up as a new client by his brother, Dickie (Jeremy Shamos), immediately after Ben’s actual death. This would usually be a mix of evidence that makes her seem like a strong candidate for being the killer but, again, Streep’s casting makes it so obvious. One hopes that the writers were clever enough to come up with a significant storyline for the famed actress without going the predictable route of making her the central villain.
3 Dickie
Dickie’s sudden business relationship with Loretta is just one of several things that points the finger at him. Although he was technically Ben’s manager, his brother seemed to treat him more like a servant, which certainly could have caused resentment. While hiding in the closet in Ben’s apartment, Mabel and Tobert saw Dickie have an angry, emotional outburst, crying and saying, “Goddamn it, Ben. Why? I’m so sorry, Ben.” This could be interpreted in a lot of ways. He could be thinking “Why did Ben have to die?” and feel misplaced guilt for not being able to do anything to save him, but the statements, especially the second, could also suggest a guilty conscience. There’s also the fact that he came into Ben’s apartment at all, but to be fair, as his brother and employee he could have more innocent reasons for being there than Mabel or Tobert. The mistreated brother is another choice that seems a little too obvious, but it’s still worth watching Dickie closely to see what else can be learned about his motivations and his relationship with his brother.
2 Donna and Cliff
The mother-son producer duo financing the play are pretty viable suspects partially because we know so little about them so far. Neither Donna (Linda Emond) nor Cliff DeMeo (Wesley Taylor) have been shown to have had significant problems with Ben and his death doesn’t benefit them in any obvious way. In fact, it’s likely costing them a lot of money, which so far seems to be the thing they, especially Donna, value most. But the very fact that they’re not being presented as major suspects makes them seem more suspicious. And even with what little has been established about them so far they do seem to have possible motives. It is clear that Donna is devoted to her son, even if their ways of showing affection are pretty gross. She emphasized how important it is to her that Cliff’s first producing effort is a success. Death Rattle seemed pretty ridiculous even before Oliver transformed it into a musical, so it’s possible Donna may have killed its star in an attempt to shut it down and protect Cliff’s reputation, despite the financial loss this would cost her.
Cliff, on the other hand, was impressed by the redesign of the play, especially after Loretta and Kimber’s rehearsal, and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Death Rattle Dazzle. Maybe, for whatever reason, he had always seen potential in the production but believed Ben was holding it back or that his death would lead to increased public interest. It’s also possible Donna and Cliff could be in on it together, although if that’s the case a different, shared motive needs to be introduced. If there’s something casting doubt on whether one or both of them really did it, it’s that so far they’re the least human, believable characters. They’re greedy and self-absorbed and their incestuous kissing seems designed purely to make viewers squirm. Making them the killers on top of all that would make them cartoonishly evil, when Only Murders usually gives even it’s villainous characters a little more nuance.
1 Tobert
Tobert has emerged as the most likely suspect, partially due simply to process of elimination. He’s neither part of the main group nor played by an especially famous actor, and he hasn’t been shown to have a glaringly obvious reason to dislike Ben yet. As a documentarian who was making a film about Ben, he stands apart from the other new characters, all of whom are more directly involved in the play and contribute to that storyline, raising the question of why he would be included in the season at all if he didn’t have anything to do with the crime. His interactions with Mabel in the third episode are also pretty telling. Not only was he also sneaking into Ben’s apartment, claiming he left a boom mic there, he revealed that he’s planning on redesigning his documentary to make it about Ben’s death and the ensuing investigation. That sounds like a much more interesting task for someone with his serious passion for filmmaking than what was sure to be a vanity project for Ben, so it seems like the death worked out in Tobert’s favor.
He also got a significant monologue that explained the motivations he wants Mabel to think he has, which may have also revealed hidden ones. He explained that while shooting a nature film he saw an elephant get stuck in the mud and was struck with the classic journalistic conundrum of whether to help those in need or remain an impartial observer and record events as they happened. Although he first said he helped the elephant, he later admitted this was a lie but said he felt guilty about it and wanted to behave differently going forward, hence why he wants to find out the truth about Ben’s death — but that may be the real lie. It seems very possible he killed Ben to make a more artistically fulfilling project for himself and now is trying to screw up Mabel and company’s investigation so he doesn’t get caught.
New episodes of Only Murders in the Building Season 3 premiere every Tuesday on Hulu.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
