If he killed somebody, she believes shes guilty as well for letting it happen. Specifically, he enlisted a long-time friend known as "Father O'Leary" (William Xifaras) to frame and kill the pedophile,which would allow hisgrandson, Jacob, to receivelegal "proof of innocence." The Barbers were on a holiday when Jacob meets Hope Connors. What Actually Happened: Laurie goes for her morning run and sees Ben. Its a different kind of bleak but hopefully, one that feels very much in keeping with the story weve been telling.. Defending Jacob ending explained: Did Jacob kill Ben. And as the final episode reveals, Defending Jacob never definitively weighs in on Jacob's guilt or innocence. He confessed that he was the one who killed Ben. His grandfather is a convicted killer but his father is an upstanding member of the community, albeit one with a tendency towards reckless behaviour. Jacobs classmate, Ben Rifkin, is found stabbed to death in a park. However, the tight focus of the shot means that its not possible to see if anyone else is in the room coercing him. She still has Andy, who defends her during a deposition. Cookie Notice Her body turns up several weeks later, and an autopsy discovers that her windpipe had been crushed. Defending Jacob ending explained: Did Jacob Barber murder Ben Rifkin The police suspect Jacob of killing her. Coupled with Lauries memories of a young Jacob almost dropping a bowling ball on another childs head, it was enough to persuade her that he did it. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. If the central question of Defending Jacob is what happens when your child is accused of a horrific crime, the natural follow-up lingering in the background of every episode is potentially even more important: Did he do it? Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? Defending Jacob Reader Q&A - Goodreads ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, James Corden gets a star-studded send-off on his final Late Late Show, Kim Kardashian is catching shade from Patti LuPone and Sharon Stone for AHS casting, Jonathan Majors accuser gets full temporary protection order ahead of court date, Review: The Russo brothers spy thriller Citadel has plenty of action and little else, Former Springer bouncer Steve Wilkos pays tribute to TV mentor Jerry Springer. The Cop Who Killed Breonna Taylor Just Got a New Policing Job The body rolls down the hill and she goes to see if he is dead. Flashbacks are shown where he can be seen involved in this, but he refuses it in front of Andy. Before going to Mexico, Andy wasn't sure about his son being a murderer, but things changed after the trip - and he ultimately started to side with Laurie on the matter. In the end, it is shown that Jacob is in a coma. The dark truth may be that someone elsein the community just may be the real killer - someone who steadily appears on camera but never exhibits any suspicious behavior. Andy tries to forget his fathers involvement, but the truth eventually comes out. Jacob put the idea of killing Ben back in Lauries head after Hope went missing too. This event echoes the ending of the 2012 book on which the show is based. Read More: Is Defending Jacob Based on a True Story? Laurie - also hospitalised with various injuries - is told by Andy that the jury voted in favour of a car accident, and he heads home to sit quietly in Jacobs room as the credits roll. Andy finds out that a pedophile named Leonard Patz may have killed Ben. Jacob is set free. He's also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor. Offers may be subject to change without notice. As a character,Billy underlines Andy's life-long guilt. In contrast to Jacob, Leonard Patz is a grown adult who must be accountable for his decisions. Its almost a fitting punishment shared secrets between Jacob and his mother that they both know the other is a killer and neither will ever be believed. And hes going to look at you and wonder, did you or didnt you? A.I. OLeary is his right hand man on the outside and we know hes been tasked with looking out for the Barber family but that does not mean he murdered Patz. Defending Jacob ending explained: Who killed Ben? | Radio Times In both the Defending Jacob show and book, the Barber family takes a vacation after the trail ends. . Just as one single thought crushed Andy's psyche in Mexico, a few simple words destroy Laurie's frame of mind, resulting in a near-fatal accident after swerving off the road. Andy threw away Jacobs knife so it was never tested for Bens DNA. one who killed Jacob's classmate, Ben. The family go to Mexico for a vacation. Laurie tells him to let go but he doesnt. We want people to watch it and say, Holy , Morten Tyldum, who directed all eight episodes, told The Times. More:Is Defending Jacob A True Story? Defending Jacob is a limited series made for Apple TV. Later when the family are in Mexico Andy drunkenly tells Laurie he thinks his dad was responsible. Was she trying to kill Jacob or herself? He tries to forget about this, but the truth comes out. Dockery says that its clear Laurie is in a fog of her own trauma, and the ambiguity about her decision took a lot of work to calibrate correctly. Jacob dies on impact and Laurie suffers critical injuries. So it took it took a lot of time to fine tune that, and I think theyve done it really well in the edit. But whereas the TV series reveals thatHope merely disappeared, the book ends with her corpse being discovered on a beach, and that she'd likely been strangled to death. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Its told through Andys eyes and its not clear whether the crash is an accident or not, though Andy refuses to incriminate Laurie at all. Another suspect in the case is Leonard Patz. After all Jacob rarely spoke for himself throughout the book, although he was the defendant and it was important to remain in a neutral sense. Laurie decides to kill them both by crashing into the side of a tunnel. Andy confronts his father over his apparent involvement. Jacob told his parents that Ben bullied him, and he did own a knife that he took to school. Andy sits in Jacobs room quietly as the show ends. The central premise of the show has been how the Barbers unite against all the odds. He confessed that he was the one who killed Ben. Who knows. While that is completely understandable as a parent, that is the turning point.. ProsecutorNeal Logiudice (Pablo Schreiber) finds a way to connect Andy's father being in prison with Jacob's trial. However, Sarah was livid as she doesn't know what he did or what drama he was pulling her into. As it turns out, Father O'Leary never intended to harm Laurie or Jacob. Defending Jacob Ending Explained | Who killed Ben Rifkin Father OLeary, the henchman, was asked to protect the family by Andys father and convicted murderer Billy. Disappearance At Clifton Hill Ending Explained: How Does Abby Solve The Kidnapping Case. Bens father Dan, however, meets the Barbers in a car park but is stopped by a henchman who was stalking the Barbers. I think if Id given you a definitive answer on either one of those, you would have been a little bit frustrated because youve already entertained the possibility in both directions, says creator Mark Bomback.