Who killed Andrea Cornish? That's the ultimate question posed by HBO's The Night Of , but there doesn't seem to be a ready-made way to answer it. The eight-episode miniseries tells the story of a New York City college student named Naz who finds himself the prime suspect in the murder of a young woman he meets in a game of sex, drugs and sting. Woman, the show is about to close. There seem to be a lot of theories as to who the killer of The Night is.
Everyone seems to be coming up with their own theory. With just two episodes left until the August 28 finale, Indiewire even made some predictions about how much Andrea's cat knows about the murder, and they actually aren't that far-fetched. While Andrea's killer wasn't a cat, it's now clear that all the information the show has provided about the case shouldn't be ignored. At this moment, everyone became a suspect. Take some advice from The X-Files ' Fox Mulder: Trust no one.
That's the thing about a show that has become a must-see TV series of the summer: you really don't know what anyone's intentions are. Every coincidence or sign will make you question everything you thought you knew and look for things you don't know. For example, if Naz murdered Andrea, why wasn't he covered in blood? Exactly. That's why these 12 theories are worth checking out. Who knows, you might even come up with your own idea before you finish reading.
1. Andrea’s stepfather was responsible for her murder
In episode six, viewers meet Andrea's very helpful accountant Ray Haller, who says Andrea's stepfather Don Taylor is definitely a possible suspect. Ray paints him as a gold digger who worked as a coach for just $30,000 a year before marrying Andrea's mother. However, after his wife died, Don wanted to take half of her assets, but Andrea refused. Well, exactly, according to Ray, Andrea said Don could inherit her mother's fortune "over my dead body." This is an interesting word choice because Don will get everything she has since her death.
2. The accountant got something out of Andrea's death
Yahoo! A theory was put forward that Ray was involved in the murders along with Don. According to their theory, the two planned to kill Andrea and take the money, but Ray realized he could take more if he implicated Don in the murder by hinting at Don's motives to Naz's lawyer. Lots of cash. It definitely sounds reasonable, because if you're the kind of person who could plot a murder, you're probably the kind of person who could orchestrate that same murder so you don't get caught. He's just a little too forgiving. Also interesting is that he attended Andrea's funeral. John Stone even captured a heated conversation between Andrea's stepfather and him in the cemetery.
3. The guy who harassed Naz and Andrea that night came back and killed her.
While Andrea was with Naz, Trevor Williams happened to pass by Andrea's apartment with a friend. But he didn’t just walk over; He yelled at the couple, made offensive remarks to Naz, and then continued to walk away. Later, Trevor returns to the murder scene and tells the police that he saw Naz and Andrea together. However, when later interviewed by police, he said he was alone - even though that was not the case. Why would he lie about this detail? He also seemed particularly angry at being questioned.
4. Duane Reade is the guy who does it
When Stone asked him a few questions, Reed ran off, leaving us with a cliffhanger in episode five that remains unresolved. As of now, this person has disappeared. But what we know about Duane's criminal record, which included burglaries and the fact that he was known for his use of knives, hasn't gone away. Fans also can't forget the look he gave Natsu before entering Andrea's house. It's a creepy stare, that's for sure. But is it murderous? It's not clear yet.
5. Freddie was the one who called for Andrea’s murder
Is Freddie, the inmate who runs the show at Lake Prison, really the mastermind behind the whole thing? As Refinery29 speculated, Freddy may have had some run-ins with people outside of prison. In other words, Andrea may owe him money. Maybe he sent Red to do the job. This would explain why he likes Natsu so much. Sure, he might appreciate Natsu's intelligence, but maybe he also feels a little guilty about what he's done - or worse, wants to stay close to his enemy.
One Reddit user thinks Freddie might even be in cahoots with Andrea's stepfather. It's already been mentioned that Freddy is from Queens, and so is Don. Since Don may have been seeking the fortune of Andrea's mother, he could have planned the murder by contacting those who could make this happen. Considering how many connections Freddy has outside of prison, he definitely seems like the type. Who could he call to do the job? Trevor and his friends, they may have actually been smoking weed when they saw Andrea and Naz walking into her house.
6.Drug dealers did it
This seems a bit of a red herring. Maybe a little too "Law & Order." But the drug dealer John Stone went to talk to instead ran for legal counsel. However, he was the one who sold Andrea the drugs, so as Hollywood.com points out, Stone's explanation of the drug dealer makes sense. Andrea owed him money, and he owed his supplier money. Would he kill for money? Stone would like to think so. But I still have a question: who is his supplier? This is a possible clue that the show has yet to delve into.
7. Creepy hearse driver did it
As fans of the show learned in episode six, Mr. Day (the creepy hearse driver Naz and Andrea meet at the gas station) doesn't value women. Or as he tells Chandra, women are "just like Andrea." When the young lawyer went to question him, he said in no uncertain terms that Andrea got what she wanted. Did he do it? He does seem angry enough to take a life, but I wonder if his overall evilness is a little too obvious. Is this just another case of misdirection?
8. Andrea’s nosy neighbor killed her
Andrea's neighbor Cavill was the one who reported Naz to the police when he broke into her house at 4am. But why was he up at that inopportune hour staring at the residence of his young female neighbor? He called the police and told them he heard a break-in, but what if he had already broken in? Or just walk in because it's become clear that Andrea didn't fully close the back door when she let the cats out?
Cavill was particularly interested in talking to Detective Box about the people he saw, and he made some snap judgments about Naz, even asking the police if they thought he was the kind of person who would flee the country. Sure, it could be casual racism, but what if it was just him trying to blame someone else for this horrific murder? As Decider points out, no one is questioning his relationship with Andrea at this point in the series, despite being the prosecution's key witness.
9. The mysterious man the cat saw
You knew cats would get into one of these theories, right? When Andrea let the cat out of the house, it seemed to spot something in the shadows outside the apartment door. Reddit users seemed to think it was a familiar person, someone the cat knew and wasn't afraid of. Could this man be from Andrea's past, which we already know was filled with drugs and rehab? She also gets into Natsu's taxi, telling him that she "can't be alone tonight." Could this be the person she was worried about meeting? Or does this mystery man know something that could help the case? This has been overlooked on the show so far, but it seems like it might be a telltale sign. Isn't Andrea the cat's real owner? Could this be a clue to the person who really killed her that night? This seems to be a clue that still needs to be explored. Let John Stone (and the Cat) handle the case!
10. That motorcyclist is the murderer
The look the unknown biker gave Natsu was definitely funny. Was the motorcyclist also fleeing the scene of a crime he had just committed? Or did they just happen to see the bloody knife on Natsu's dashboard? Maybe appearances are nothing. But Reddit user sage_1994 pointed out that Andrea has a motorcycle tag on her license, which means she probably knows a motorcycle rider or two. Basically, don't fall asleep under that stare. It might actually make sense.
11. Andrea committed suicide
With so many stab wounds on her body, it's hard to believe that Andrea would have killed herself. But Refinery29 reports on a theory by Twitter user Will Daily that questions whether the slain woman was actually Andrea. Basically, according to this theory, she faked her death to get away from whatever was bothering her that night. This theory claims that Andrea may have given Naz drugs like ketamine - which would have certainly knocked him unconscious - so that she could frame him for the murder of another girl who looked like her. This may seem a little drastic, but Andrea's stepfather did initially say that the woman in the photo he showed at the morgue was not her, but he changed his mind after they told him he would have to see the body to confirm it wasn't her. What if it really isn’t?
12. Sorry, Natsu did.
It may be sad for some to admit this, but there are a lot of signs that do point to Naz. While he doesn't remember how he got to the kitchen, he's been shown brief flashbacks in recent episodes as he tries to recall what happened that night. Did he already do it and forget about it? He had taken a lot of medication that night, which may have affected his memory. Now knowing that Naz was indeed capable of violence - he threw another child down a flight of stairs and admitted he had no remorse - the combination of drugs and pent-up aggression could have led to something horrific happening that night.
Like "The Box Detective," I'm not so sure Naz is the murderer because not everything lines up. Now, there's something questionable about these theories, but it's clear that with what is currently known, it's difficult to say without a doubt that Naz was the one who murdered Andrea. It looks like fans will have to stay tuned to see if that changes.
Photo credit: Barry Wetcher/HBO; HBO (11)
