"Mare Of Easttown" Has Taken Over My Life, So Here Are 23 People Who Might Be The Killer

"I haven't been this suspicious of a group of townsfolk since Broadchurch."

If you've been watching Mare of Easttown on HBO, there's a good chance you look something like this right now:

FX

I certainly do.

We're only four episodes in, and it seems like for every answer we get, two new questions pop up.

C. A. Kennedy, Author @CAKennedy6

Mare of Easttown is making me paranoid. Haven’t been so suspicious of an entire group of townsfolk since Broadchurch.

05:55 AM - 26 Apr 2021

Twitter: @CAKennedy6

The central mystery revolves around who killed Erin McMenamin, but there's also the unsolved case of Katie Bailey's disappearance. Last week we got HUGE news regarding the latter, and after Episode 5 it seems like the kidnapper is not the same person who killed Erin (but who knows?).

For the sake of theorizing, here are all the people we've been introduced to who could be the killer:

1. Frank Sheehan

HBO

Now, after Episode 2's bombshell of a cliffhanger, Frank was looking pretty guilty. But now that we know he's not the father of Erin's baby, he seems less suspicious.

nairobi @itssmayraaa

The moment Frank asked details about the investigation... my true crime senses started tingling #MareOfEasttown

03:15 AM - 26 Apr 2021

Twitter: @itssmayraaa

2. Dylan Hinchey

HBO

Dylan can swear up and down that he had nothing to do with Erin's murder, but he certainly has motive, especially since he found out that DJ wasn't his biological child. And now we know he had a secret relationship with Jess, who was Erin's best friend. By the end of Episode 5, Dylan is right back at the top of my suspect list.

3. Brianna Del Rasso

HBO

Brianna is another obvious suspect, but so far there hasn’t been any evidence that proves her innocence, and the show made it clear that she hated Erin — plus, she is NOT a nice person. The fact that her dad is acting so aggressively towards Mare (harassing her in public, throwing things through her window) doesn’t make Brianna look any better.

Ally @MovieManiac89

Kate Winslet's character not even flinching at the jug of milk crashing through her window & continuing to eat her sandwich is the kind of no f*cks energy I aspire to. #MareOfEasttown

05:12 AM - 26 Apr 2021

Twitter: @MovieManiac89

4. Dylan's parents (either one of them)

HBO

Dylan’s parents seem to really love DJ, and it’s not inconceivable that they wanted Erin out of the way so that Dylan would have sole custody of the baby.

5. Kenny, Erin's dad

HBO

Kenny seemed shocked and devastated when he got the news about his daughter’s death, but that could have been an act. We know he wasn’t particularly nice to Erin and wasn’t happy about financially supporting DJ. The fact that he tried to kill Dylan only proves that he’s capable of murder. He could have killed Erin during an argument and gone after Dylan for getting her pregnant in the first place.

6. Father Dan Hastings

HBO

There’s no reason to suspect Dan just yet, but there’s also no reason to think he’s totally innocent. He hasn’t really become important to the story yet, but I’m willing to be we’ll learn more about him. He's also a priest, which, on a show like this, make him instantly suspicious, but still nowhere near as suspicious as Deacon Mark.

Kate Royal @theroyalistkate

Ok so the murderer on #MareOfEasttown is 100% Kate Winslet's priest cousin becuase: [x] looks like a ferret [x] is a medium-level suspect/character [x] this show is basically a dramatized version of The Keepers already anyway

01:16 AM - 27 Apr 2021

Twitter: @theroyalistkate

7. Faye

HBO

Faye, like Dan, is a member of the Sheehan family who hasn’t become central to the story yet. All we know is that she doesn’t like Mare, and a lot of people have mentioned that she’s a good person with a good reputation.

8. Helen

HBO

Look, I don't want to think Helen had anything to do with Erin's death, and as far as we can tell, she had no motive. But she was awake when Mare got home at 3:30am on the night of the murder! She said she was up because of leg pain, but I am suspicious of everyone.

9. John Ross

HBO

John is Kenny's cousin, which would make him Erin's uncle. He's also married to Lori, Mare's best friend, and he himself is Frank's best friend. We just learned he's been cheating on Lori and forcing his son to help him lie about it so...John's not a great guy.

10. Erin herself

HBO

I think there's a small possibility that Erin shot herself by accident. It wouldn't explain why her body was found in the river, but I'm not ready to rule it out just yet.

11. Richard Ryan

HBO

There’s something a bit too suave about Richard, you guys. I know he was with Mare on the night of the murder, but his sudden arrival in Easttown and his interest in Mare’s life makes me think there’s more to him. Even if he’s not connected to Erin’s death, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had something to do with Katie’s disappearance. There's also the fact that he's played by Guy Pearce, which implies his character is important. Mindy Kaling agrees!

Mindy Kaling @mindykaling

Ok Guy Pearce is majorly sus in Mare of Easttown. A new writer who just moved to town who hit on Mare mercilessly, a huge grouch in a button down corduroy shirt. Doesn’t add up memento guy

04:50 AM - 25 Apr 2021

12. Officer Trammel

HBO

This one is probably a long shot, but think about it! He started working as a cop in Easttown the morning before Erin’s body was found. He seems to have a problem with blood, but that could be something he made up to seem less suspicious. However, I'm willing to admit that this seems less and less likely with each episode.

13. Deacon Mark

HBO

If Episode 2 made Frank a major suspect, Episode 3 just did the same thing to Deacon Mark. Not only was he the last person Erin spoke to on the phone the night she died, but he’s had her bike all this time! And he dumped it in the river! But as it turns out, he saw Erin the night she died and didn't tell the police/dumped the big because he was scared. He still swears he didn't kill her.

nairobi @itssmayraaa

I knew there was something off about those priests #MareOfEasttown

03:14 AM - 26 Apr 2021

Twitter: @itssmayraaa

14. The guy who kidnapped Katie and Missy

HBO

For obvious reasons, this guy is clearly bad news. The two crimes seem unrelated though.

15. Any combination of two or more characters

Lionsgate

Everyone in Easttown seems to be related in some way, and I wouldn't be surprised if that closeness extended to helping someone cover up a murder. There's a good chance this season ends with more than one person on this list being guilty.

16. Some other random person

Nickelodeon

Listen, I don't trust a single person in this town, even the ones we haven't met yet.

The following people are technically still suspects, but I think it's highly unlikely that they had anything to do with Erin's death:

This is purely speculative, and I may eat my words later.

17. Mare Sheehan

HBO

Mare is far from perfect — the way she treats Carrie is awful, even before PLANTING DRUGS ON HER — but I don’t think she’s a murderer. She has no motive, and logistically it’s basically impossible for her to have done it. The only reason she's on this list is in case the show decides to do a Gossip Girl-style ending.

Angie @angie__pangiee

I can’t believe Mare thought she would get away with that plan against her grandson’s mother. #MareOfEasttown

03:38 AM - 03 May 2021

Twitter: @angie__pangiee

18. Colin Zabel

HBO

Colin is a newcomer to Easttown like Richard, but he seems like he genuinely just wants to help Mare solve these cases. He's also got a pretty adorable crush on Mare, which she doesn't seem to mind (move over, Richard)! Anyway, he doesn't seem guilty, and he's basically the only white man in this town that I trust.

19. Lori Ross

HBO

Lori is Mare's best friend, and she's the only person who Mare seems to actually like. Their bond is really strong, and it would really random for Lori to have anything to do with the murder. Still technically possible, but unlikely.

20. Siobhan Sheehan

HBO

Siobhan was the last person to speak to Erin in person, but she was trying to help her. Other than that interaction, it doesn't seem like Erin and Siobhan knew each other very well. Siobhan seems like a pretty normal teenager, more worried about her band than committing murder.

21. Carrie Layden

HBO

Carrie’s got other things to worry about — like trying to see her son (Mare's grandson) — and it wouldn’t surprise me if she had no idea who Erin even was. It wasn’t her...I think. She has a bigger role to play still, but it seems like it'll have more to do with the Sheehan family than the murder.

22. Dawn Bailey

HBO

Like Carrie, Dawn’s got too much on her plate right now (missing daughter, cancer) to be going around committing murder just to make Mare look bad.

23. Chief Carter

HBO

Mare’s boss is a saint of a man for being as patient with her as he is, because she seems like a nightmare to work with. She steals evidence, for crying out loud! Chief Carter does not have time for this — he just wants these cases solved, thank you very much.

24. Finally, here's a list of people who definitely didn't kill Erin OR kidnap Katie and Missy

Are there any suspects you think I missed? Do you have any theories of your own? Discuss, please!

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Me, watching Mare of Easttown each week thinking I've figured something out.