Zoë Ambrozewksa

& 

Dean Richards

Staff Writers

It’s almost here! This Monday we will finally find out who is behind the murder on Danny Latimer in the small town of Broadchurch. But who are the main suspects? Was it indeed Nigel who killed Danny, as Susan claims? Or is Alec right in not trusting the vicar? And how about Steve? Does he truly have psychic powers, or is he somehow involved in the murder as well? To prepare you for the thrilling season finale, PopWrapped has made a top 10 of possible suspects!

1. Joe Miller

Following the penultimate episode, the overall opinion is now that Joe is the prime suspect, and the character with the best odds at the betting shops! He has been on the outskirts of the series throughout, always there but never really involved, and, as a devoted househusband, seemed almost too good to be true in a town where everyone has a secret.

Thinking back over the eight-part series, the total evidence appears to be stacked against him. If it wasn’t Nigel who Susan saw with Danny’s body on the night of his death, Joe is the only other character who would match this physical description. Joe’s son Tom appeared to be having his own issues with Danny, the details of which Joe was keeping from wife DS Ellie Miller. As the husband of one of the leading officers on the case, Joe has made jokes about being a suspect himself, but has never been taken seriously. He fits psychic Stephen’s description of the murderer as a close family friend.

As well as this, how tragically ironic would it be if, after questioning how Susan could be unaware of the abuse happening under her own roof, Ellie was guilty of the exact same thing. As arguably the heart of the show, this type of heartbreaking end is necessary for a character such as Ellie. Although he may now be too obvious a choice, my bet is on Joe Miller.

2. Tom Miller

Just like his dad, the comment DS Miller made that Susan didn’t even know what was going on in her own house almost instantly made 11-year old Tom a prime suspect. He might have seemed quite innocent at first, but the more we learned about him the more his dark side seemed to show.

When Tom learned about his best friend’s death, one of the first things he did was delete his hard drive. Not something an innocent boy in mourning would usually do… Also, at Jack Marshall’s memorial service, Tom shouted that he hated Danny, and Paul Coates reported that he feared that Tom would actually harm Danny out of hatred. So what if he actually did…?

Of course, there are plenty of explanations for all of this. Perhaps Tom just didn’t want to be “the dead boy’s best friend” just like Chloe didn’t want to be “the dead boy’s sister”, but it seems to be quite clear that the boys’ friendship wasn’t as easy as most people thought it was. Tom has a very prominent dark side within him, and what makes him an even more interesting suspect is the fact that he definitely can’t have done it on his own: we learned that Danny was strangled by a mature man with large hands, so could it be that Tom was involved in Danny’s death with the help of an accomplice? How about a Miller-killer-duo?

3. Paul Coates

Is anyone else just praying that it isn’t him? For people who watch Doctor Who, the vicar is just too much like Rory Williams to be a murderer, but well… alternative universes and all… Alec Hardy is still very suspicious of his involvement, and there are plenty of reasons for it. Paul has been secretive about his problems with alcohol addiction, and it has been suggested by multiple characters that he might be abusing children. Also, he was close to Danny and Tom as their IT teacher, so there is plenty of reason to believe that the reverend isn’t as innocent as he looks.

4. Nigel Carter

One thing is for sure: Nige is not an innocent man. Whether he was actually involved in the murder is a different story, but I am pretty sure that I wouldn’t want the man, who happens to have Mark Latimer as his best friend, anywhere near my kids. His dad was a child molester, his mum is a creepy woman with a frightening past and he himself owns guns and a giant a crossbow. But he is still one of the main suspects for the murder case as well: his mother Susan is convinced that she saw him on the beach.

5. Steve Connelly

Self-confessed psychic, Steve claims to be receiving messages from Danny about his killer, who is apparently someone close to the family (Nigel? Joe Miller?), and the use of the boat in the crime. The police immediately dismiss him as crazy, although do turn to him for help later on. He seems suspicious, as he appears to know a lot about the murder, but does also genuinely want to help in the enquiry.

6. Jack Marshall

The owner of the local newsagent, where Danny used to work doing a paper round, and in charge of the Sea Brigade, where Danny was a member. Journalist Oliver Stephens quickly uncovered Jack had previously been jailed for his sexual relationship with a minor, and the majority of the town turned against him, accusing him of ‘hugging the boys’. Jack eventually took his own life, but not before he revealed he was in love with this underage girl, and that they later married and had a son, who was killed in a car accident, and he misses dearly. Aw. Ok, now we all feel sorry for poor Jack, he’s no longer a suspect.

7. Mark Latimer

The very first suspect in the case, Mark initially lied about his whereabouts on the night of his son’s death, and appears to be no stranger to dishonesty, as he has been cheating on wife Beth with Australian hotel owner Becca Fisher, whom he was with on that fateful evening. Did Danny know about the affair and threaten to tell on them?

8. Susan Wright (Elaine Jones)

Why did she have Danny’s skateboard!? And why did she give it to Tom Miller, knowing that she would be caught? A lot will still have to be explained about her involvement in tomorrow’s episode, because things just don’t add up! Why did she lie about so many things? Has she perhaps lost her mind because of what her husband did so many years ago? And is she following him in his footsteps?

9. Oliver Stephens

Nephew of DS Ellie Miller and ambitious local reporter at the Broadchurch Echo, Olly is the first to tweet the identity of the body found on the beach, and continues to use the murder as a way to further his career throughout the series. As we’ve already seen he is the first to accuse Jack Marshall, and Danny’s blood is later found in his dad’s boat, which is then destroyed. Hmm… Olly is definitely the less obvious choice, but that might be exactly why he is the right choice.

10. Alec Hardy

Yes, even the lead detective himself doesn’t avoid suspicion! Perhaps the chances of him actually being involved have been decreased, but the circumstances in which he left his previous case are still rather fishy… Why did he decide to tell Maggie about what happened that life-changing night now, and not earlier? Could it perhaps be that he murdered Danny just so he could redeem himself? It might be unlikely, but the Doctor, or err… the police… don’t always do what we’d expect!

Special mention goes to Chloe Latimer’s boyfriend

Dean Thomas

, who was one of the first to support the incrimination of Jack Marshall, and local hotel owner

Becca Fisher

, who was having an affair with Danny’s father Mark. As well as this, both have been involved with drugs during the series. 

So, now it’s your turn! Let us know who you think killed Danny Latimer, and make sure to catch the nail-biting series finale of Broadchurch airing Monday night!

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