The Residence Season 1 ending explained: How did chief usher AB Wynter die?

Shondaland's mystery drama series The Residence dropped all eight episodes on March 20, 2025, exclusively on Netflix. Based on a book by Kate Anderson Brower, this show features an eccentric detective, Cordelia Cupp, played by the Emmy-winning actress Uzo Aduba, who is tasked with investigating the murder of Chief Usher A.B. Wynter in the White House.

Viewers Discretion: This piece contains spoilers!

However, as easy as it seems for the genius detective Cupp, equipped with her impeccable skills, she has to investigate the White House and its 132 rooms, 96 full-time employees, and 140 guests. The first episode began with the unfortunate death of Chief Usher A.B. Wynter, whose lifeless body—with cuts on his wrists and a strange suicide note—was found in the third-floor game room near the President's residence.

Over the next few episodes, Detective Cupp went back and forth to investigate the suicide-looking murder of A.B. Wynter. In the hour-and-a-half finale episode of The Residence, titled "The Mystery of the Yellow Room," viewers finally come to know how, why, and who killed Chief Usher A.B. Wynter.

Detective Cupp gathered all the key suspects of the murder, including Bruce Geller, Elysie Chayle, Tripp Morgan, Lilly Schumacher, and Patrick Doumbe, in the White House's Yellow Oval Room, where she carefully unveiled the details of the murder.

Here's what we know about The Residence Season 1 ending.

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How did Chief usher A.B. Wynter die in The Residence?

At the beginning of her speech, Detective Cupp revealed that she knew A.B. Wynter's death was not a suicide. She pointed out that there was no murder weapon (knife) found near the victim's body. Additionally, the blood found on the victim's shirt was not his, but that of the Australian Foreign Minister Rylance. That night, Wynter had exchanged his shirt with the foreign minister an hour before his death.

Detective Cupp then revealed how the pastry chef, Mr. Didier Gotthard, had removed the knife from the crime scene and tried to destroy the evidence. She continued:

"A single leaf from the Cedar of Lebanon tree and a lot of lying has finally led me to Ms. Cannon who was in the room around the time when Wynter died."

Cupp then went on to explain how A.B. Wynter was killed. She stated that Wynter likely died from blunt-force trauma to the back of the head and also ingested poison. He was already dead before his wrists were cut, thus proving it was a murder. She further explained that Wynter's dead body had been dragged into the game room after originally being found in Room 301, which was under fake renovation. Detective Cupp discovered fresh blood beneath fresh paint, further confirming the murder.

In a hilarious flashback scene, Tripp, the absolute blabbermouth, revealed how he had found A.B. Wynter dead in a room, dragged him to the game room, slit his wrists with Mr. Gotthard's knife to make it look like a suicide, and found a suicide note in Wynter's pocket.

Detective Cupp then pointed at Bruce Geller, the engineer who was also seen dragging Wynter's body down the hall. According to Cupp, Geller thought he was trying to cover up the crime for Elysie Chayle, his lover. Geller had found Chayle crying in the Yellow Oval Room after a recent fight with Wynter. In a fit of anger, Chayle had told Geller:

"I am going to kill him"

When Geller later reached the Yellow Room, he found Mr. Wynter dead and saw Chayle storming out, making him believe she had killed him. Thus, Geller dragged Wynter to Room 301. However, Detective Cupp was still unsure about Chayle and Geller's motives and suspected someone else was behind the murder.

Detective Cupp then revealed that she had found a missing clock from the mantel, a missing vase, and flowers burnt by poison at the crime scene.

In a dramatic scene, Detective Cupp stormed through the wooden doors as she revealed how A.B. Wynter was killed by the murderer:

"The murderer through that door with a glass of poison Paraquat, that the murderer tried to get Mr. Wynter to drink it and that Mr. Wynter did drink it, just a little, and tossed it on the flowers next to him. Burning them."

The murderer then threw a vase at him, but it shattered on the wall, and the shards hit Mr. Wynter on the forehead. Finally, the murderer picked up a large clock from the mantel and struck Wynter over the head with it, killing him.

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Who killed A. B Winter in The Residence and Why?

With her impeccable skills in noticing minute details, Detective Cupp found out that Lily Schumacher, the White House secretary, had killed Chief Usher A.B. Wynter. Even though she initially tried to blame it on Chayle and Geller, her lies were exposed. Detective Cupp used a knife to reveal a hidden room and found the murder weapon—a huge clock in a locker—with Lily's fingerprints all over it.

Cupp then revealed the reason behind Lily’s drastic action, stating:

"She did this because she hates you, and by you, Mr. President. But I mean all of you. She hates the House. The history, the traditions, the staff, and what it represents. She hated Mr. Wynter most of all because he represented what it represents and he was in her way and he had been for a long time. He sabotaged Wellness Christmas"

Cupp continued, explaining that Lily wanted to reinvent the White House (perhaps tear it down and renovate it completely), while Mr. Wynter loved the White House and cared deeply about its staff, its history, its artworks, and—most importantly—the President.

Lily wanted to kill Mr. Wynter because, on the night of the dinner, she found out that he was going to expose her evil plans. Mr. Wynter had noted down codes and puzzles that revealed Lily’s financial theft, stolen criminal statutes, and ethical violations. When Lily and Wynter argued that night, she ripped a page from his journal that resembled a suicide note—hence, she proceeded with her plan to kill him and stage it as a suicide.

Cupp further revealed that Lily learned about the poison Paraquat through her leadership in the "Conscious Landscaping" government initiative. Lily went to the gardening shed with a broken glass and used Emily’s sister’s tumbler to carry the poison. She then called Mr. Wynter to meet her in the Yellow Oval Room.

Lily mixed Paraquat with scotch and attempted to charm Wynter into drinking it. When Wynter took a sip and realized it was toxic, he threw it away. In response, Lily grabbed the clock—the actual murder weapon—and struck Wynter on the head, killing him. She then hid the clock in a storage drawer. Finally, Lily was arrested for the murder of A.B. Wynter.

At the end of the series, Detective Cupp meets Nan Cox, the mother of the First Gentleman. Interestingly, before Cupp could even reveal the incident to her, Nan correctly guessed that Lily was the murderer. The series ends with Nan complimenting Cupp, to which she confidently responds, "Yes, I'm the best."

Even though the series is widely appreciated by audiences and critics, The Residence has not yet been confirmed for a second season.

Also read: The Residence on Netflix offers homage to late star Andre Braugher in Episode 8

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