Ever since the shocking Only Murders in the Building season 3 ending saw Charles' (Steve Martin) longtime stunt double Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch) shot down by a sniper, we've been dying (no pun intended) to know who was behind the murder. Did they mean to kill Sazz or was Charles the target? With Only Murders in the Building season 4 officially back, it's time to put together an official list of suspects.
I'll be updating this list every week as new episodes of OMITB season 4 debut and we get more information on the crime and just who may be responsible, moving people off the board if they are proven innocent and ranking who I believe is our most likely killer based on the information we have available. Help keep track of your own list by reading our in-depth Only Murders in the Building season 4 recaps.
So, who do I think killed Sazz? Here's my list of current suspects (SPOILER ALERT if you are not caught up with Only Murders of the Building season 4's most recent episode):
Suspects
Glen Stubbins
Glen Stubbins officially has a job on the OMITB movie, so he's sticking around for now and definitely keeps him on our board as a prime suspect. Ben Glenroy's old stuntman may seem harmless enough, but as we previously stated, he has reason to be resentful of the OMITB team for luring Ben to Broadway, which ultimately led to his death and the loss of Stubbins' meal ticket. And while the case for having two murderers in order for Charles' timeline to work makes sense, we've also seen Stubbins show off his physically fit skills, so perhaps he could pull it off in the 12 minute window laid out.
The Brothers Sisters
Based on that cliffhanger ending in episode 5, the directing tandem of the Brothers Sisters would appear to be the main suspects for the killing of Sazz, as their shoe footprint matches the one found in Dudenoff's apartment, they appear strong enough to move Sazz's body and the pair of them easily makes Charles' timeline of Sazz's death work. Not to mention they had a suspiciously long box with them early in episode 5, which definitely seems like it could be a rifle. Now, we're just halfway through the season, so for the OMITB team to solve it that quickly seems unlikely, but that doesn't rule out the Brothers Sisters entirely as our next theory details.
The entire movie crew
What if we have a Murder on the Orient Express situation here? Agatha Christie's classic whodunnit didn't have one killer or even two killers, but instead a whole group of people who had reason to want the gangster Edward Ratchett dead. What if many people on the movie team were involved in Sazz's murder. As we learn in the episode, Bev Melon knew Sazz had something secret about the movie, so to protect could she have given the greenlight to kill her? The Brothers Sisters appear fully capable of performing the murder, and having been positioned as eccentric artists, is murder something they would be OK with in service of their art? Then there's screenwriter Marshall, who is so paranoid about his script being perfect that maybe he could be driven to murder in order to protect what he feels is his one shot at his dream.
Proven Innocent
Jan Bellows
Well, having Jan (Amy Ryan) pop up in the second episode was certainly a surprise for both Charles and us. While she still has fantasies of murdering Charles, she is adamant that she wouldn't because of how much she cared for Sazz (and she had plenty of opportunities to do so when the two of them were alone). So with that and the fact that we're unlikely to see her again this season now that she is on the run from the police, Jan looks to be innocent of this murder.
The Westies
The mystery surrounding the Westies appears to be over, as they reveal that their illegal rent-control scheme they have with Professor Dudenoff to Mabel and cut her in on the deal.
Typically, when the show turns the page on a suspect, that's that, we can rule them out as the murderer. However, Vince (Richard King) said something that raised my antenna a little bit: he claimed he never met Sazz. This may very well be true and Mabel lives happily ever after among her strange new neighbors, but whether or not Vince knew Sazz feels like it could be something that pops up later. But for now, we'll go with the assumption that all of the Westies are innocent.
Bev Melon
Barring the Murder on the Orient Express theory proving true, Bev Melon gave herself an alibi for the night of Sazz's murder, showing pictures of her at a Hollywood event, clearing her off the board.
Marshall
Like Bev, Marshall has presumably cleared himself as a murder suspect thanks to his alibi of doing a standup set during the time of the murder. So the only situation where this changes is if it's a group murder.
Expect more suspects to come out of the woodwork in the coming episodes, so check back in as I update the list. Watch Only Murders in the Building season 4 on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
