Presumed Innocent diverges from the book with a shocking twist ending: Who killed Carolyn?

Well, the truth is here, and we finally know who killed Carolyn Polhemus. The season finale of the hit Apple TV+ legal thriller Presumed Innocent dropped on Wednesday, July 24, and in it, we learn whether or not Rusty wins the trial of his life, who really killed Carolyn, and a few other shocking details.

For those who have read Scott Turow's book of the same name, you're in for a surprise as the series has diverted from the novel's killer.

Major spoilers ahead for the show and its ending, do not proceed if you haven't seen the finale yet, you've been warned!

Who killed Carolyn?

At the end of the episode, we discover that Rusty's daughter, Jaden (Chase Infiniti), is the real killer. Rusty accuses his wife, Barbara, of being the true culprit behind Carolyn's murder, but having overheard their conversation, Jaden confesses.

The night Carolyn was murdered, Jaden went to her house to confront her over the affair. She only intended to tell Carolyn to stay away from her family, but then Carolyn reveals that she's pregnant with Rusty's child. That information causes Jaden to snap and disassociate. She grabs the nearby fire poker and brutally beats Carolyn to death.

Later, Rusty returns to the house, something no one knew until his sudden revelation. Believing that Barbara murdered Carolyn, Rusty ties up her body to mimic the Bunny Davis crime scene and allow for a potential new suspect. He also intentionally coerced Liam Davis into potentially incriminating himself in jail in exchange for a lesser sentence.

In short, everything Rusty did was not only to clear his own name but also to prevent suspicion from falling on Barbara. Little did he know that it was really his daughter who did it all along.

(BOOK SPOILER!) In Turow's novel, Barbara is the actual killer, though things play out much differently. I still recommend reading it if you haven't yet!

Rusty is found not guilty of Carolyn's murder

Before we get to the shocking finale twist of Presumed Innocent, we get to see the trial's final days play out. Rusty delivers his own closing argument and hammers home the fact that the prosecution has no forensic evidence. They don't have the murder weapon, nor do they even have an official time of death nailed down.

Tommy's closing argument is still strong, but not enough to move the jury. They find Rusty not guilty of Carolyn's murder and his name is finally cleared.

Afterward, Nico confronts Tommy about being in love with Carolyn, though despite his aggression toward Rusty and his smugness, Tommy was innocent all along.

As for the fire poker—scared her father might lose the trial, Jaden brought the murder weapon to Tommy's house. After she killed Carolyn, Jaden returned home, cleaned the car, and buried it in their yard.

Rusty placed a tracking device on Barbara's car after she cheated on him with Cliffton, the bartender. When he saw the car driving to Tommy's house, he assumed Barbara had left the poker, unaware that Jaden had taken the car herself.

And that's that! Presumed Innocent has wrapped its acclaimed first season. The series will return for a season 2, though it will focus on a brand-new case.

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