Those of you who were looking to fill the Thursday night murder mystery void How To Get Away With Murder left behind, more than likely found yourselves tuning into the American Crime series premiere. The story kicks off with the murder of war veteran, Matt Skokie, but just like any great crime drama, the question of who is and isn't guilty has yet to be determined. And while the end of the episode resulted in both Carter and Tony being placed behind bars, the series still has yet to confirm who the actual American Crime murderer is.
Sure, we all have our own assumptions we could make, given the evidence presented before us. However, anyone who's watched even one episode of Law & Order knows that every suspect is innocent until proven guilty. (Plus, if we already know without a doubt who the killer is, where's the intrigue in that?) Really, anything is possible at this point. Because, similar to real life, each character has secrets that extend far behind surface level. So as we delve deeper into the season, we'll (hopefully) be able to better sort out the guilty from the not guilty. But for now, let's have a closer look at some of the more likely suspects.
Carter Nix
As it stands, Carter is being painted as the most likely suspect of Matt's murder, given Hector's testimony and the fact that he was the one originally in possession of the victim's ID and wallet — which Hector was later caught using. However, in my experience with crime dramas, the person who looks most guilty is usually innocent 99 percent of time, which makes it seem like there's still a lot more to this story than meets the eye. Yes, Carter is a meth head, who is clearly unstable and prone to violence, especially when in need of a fix. But that doesn't automatically make him a murderer. For all we know, we could've gone to visit Matt, hoping to score some drugs, but found him already dead and decided to rob him instead. Is that still a crime? Yes, but not the one he's currently being accused of.
Odds of guilt: 50 percent
Hector Tonz
Though he certainly looked guilty at the beginning — using a dead person's credit card doesn't exactly scream "innocent" — it's starting to look more and more like Hector was merely a pawn in a much grander scheme. True, he's part of a gang, but he looks a lot less shady than some of the other members (who, if you noticed, were watching Revenge during Hector's little visit — I see you, ABC product placement). Perhaps they were taking notes about how to properly covering up a crime? Either way, I'm willing to bet Hector is either covering for one of them or is completely in the dark of what actually went down. So is he an accomplice? Maybe. But a murderer (at least in this case), he is not.
Odds of guilt: 30 percent
Tony Gutierrez
Unless he's a very skilled liar, this poor guy is just a victim of poor decision making. Bet that $50 doesn't seem as worth it now.
Odds of guilt: 10 percent (because every case has a way of surprising you).
Aubry Taylor
It's always who you least expect, right? We automatically assume it's a guy that did this, given how the victim's wife Gwen appeared to have been sexually assaulted. But that doesn't mean Aubry wasn't the actual murderer. She could've had an accomplice, whether that be Carter or some other guy she was craving a fix with. One of the key themes of this series is showcasing human prejudices, whether it be involving race, ethnicity, or even gender. (Note Aubry's treatment at the hospital and how everyone was quick to assume that she was one of his victims rather than equally guilty.) Women tend to get overlooked when it comes to stuff like this, but never underestimate a woman's wrath, people. She could very well end up being the biggest threat of them all.
Odds of guilt: 75 percent
Someone We Have Yet To Meet
We now know that Matt was a drug dealer, which means he could have enemies everywhere, whether it be competitors or a junkie in a rage. So right now, the culprit could still be an unknown face. Perhaps even Matt's brother, Mark. We have no idea what's going on with him right now. Maybe he found out what his brother was involved in and completely lost it. But that's the beauty of a show like this. No one's completely innocent, which means everyone has the potential to be guilty.
Images: Bob D'Amico/ABC; Van Redin/ABC (3); Felicia Graham/ABC; allofthemwitchs/Tumblr
