The question of who was behind Carolyn's murder was finally answered in Presumed Innocent Season 1 Episode 8, titled "The Verdict". When Jaden joins her mother and father in the garage, she admits that she killed Carolyn after learning that she and Rusty were having an affair and that she was pregnant with his child.
Presumed Innocent is an American legal thriller television series created by David E. Kelley. It is based on the 1987 bestselling novel titled Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow. The series is the first television adaptation following the 1990 film starring Harrison Ford and Brain Dennehy. The series premiered its first season on Apple TV on June 12, 2024. It has been renewed for an additional season in July 2024.
The eight-episode Presumed Innocent stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Rusty Sabich, who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his co-worker Carolyn Polhemis (Renate Reinsve), with whom he is romantically involved. Rusty is replaced by Tommy Molto, who is willing to put Rusty behind bars while his wife and children believe that Rusty is not capable of committing murder.
When and why does Rusty get arrested in Presumed Innocent?
As the second episode of Presumed Innocent reaches its climax, Rusty is arrested as the prime suspect in the murder of his mistress, Carolyn. At first, he is only taken into custody for questioning by the Chicago District Attorney, but after paternity test results confirm that he is indeed the father of Carolyn's unborn child, he is put behind bars.
Throughout the series, numerous pieces of evidence and clues are brought into play. After Carolyn's murder, the crime scene is strikingly similar to that of Liam Reynolds' victims. This makes Tommy determined to destroy Rusty's reputation. Rusty's team focuses on broadening their horizons on possible suspects, including both Carolyn's son and her ex-husband.
Later in the finale episode, the jury finally reaches a verdict and Rusty is found not guilty of Carolyn's murder. Throughout the trial, Rusty has always maintained that he was only guilty of having an affair with Carolyn and that Tommy was just trying to get his vindication.
Everything we know about the killer of Carolyn Polhemus in Presumed Innocent
After the court delivers its verdict to Rusty, he goes home to confront his wife Barabara, as he has always suspected her of being the killer. Rusty believes that Barbara killed Carolyn out of jealousy, which takes her by surprise. It is then that Rusty reveals to her that he was indeed at Carolyn's house that night.
Hearing everything that happened at the crime scene terrifies Barbara, as it turns out she is completely clean and has nothing to do with it. But as if things could not get any worse, Jaden overhears her parents in the garage and confesses that she is the one who killed Carolyn after learning about her pregnancy
Jaden was very angry when she learned about Carolyn's relationship with her father, so she picked up a fire poker and repeatedly attacked her with it. She then calmly drove home.
After Jaden confesses her guilt to her father and mother, Rusty blames himself for what happened and vows never to mention the dark event again.
All eight episodes of season 1 of Presumed Innocent are available for fans to watch on Apple TV.
