Presumed Innocent: Every Clue Leading To Carolyn Polhemus' Killer Reveal

Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent masterfully builds suspense, tension, and intrigue, which ultimately leads to a legitimately shocking ending. The series is a loose re-imagining of the 1990 Harrison Ford film of the same name but uses a more modern storyline and cast of characters. The Apple TV+ adaptation follows prosecutor Rusty Sabich, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who is on trial for the murder of his former lover and colleague, Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve). Of course, the series adds emotional tension because Rusty has to deal with not only the stress of the trial but also growing resentment from his family.

In just eight episodes, the series cleverly uses misdirection and brilliantly manipulates expectations through a series of subtle clues that most viewers missed when initially watching Presumed Innocent. All the clues amount to the series’ jaw-dropping ending where it's revealed that Rusty’s teenage daughter, Jaden (Chase Infiniti), was the one who killed Carolyn, meaning Rusty truly was innocent throughout the court proceedings. But Jaden's identity as the killer might have been more obvious than most viewers thought, especially when looking back on some of her arguably suspicious behavior throughout the series.

Jaden Discusses Disassociating With Her Father

This Is The Biggest Clue Pointing To Jaden's Guilt

Jaden offering a tidbit of crime psychology to her struggling father is perhaps the biggest clue that points to her being Carolyn's killer. Before the series finale, Jaden has an interesting conversation with Rusty regarding the psychology behind why people commit crimes. She tells her father that sometimes people experience disassociation before committing crimes they were otherwise incapable of carrying out, which often causes them to forget they committed a crime in the first place.

Since Rusty is still on trial, this conversation seems like Jaden is trying to tell her father that he may have dissociated before killing Carolyn and doesn't remember doing it. However, the season finale confirms this conversation's true meaning. Jaden is trying to justify her actions by admitting that her dissociative reaction may have caused her to kill Carolyn. Chase Infiniti, the actress playing Jaden, also hints at Jaden's guilt via her performance during this conversation. Infiniti uses subtle eye movement and restricted gestures that indicate that she is trying to cover something up.

Jaden Attends Her Father’s Trial

She's Trying To Keep Suspicious Eyes Off Her

Jaden attending her father's trial could be seen as an attempt to keep suspicious eyes off her. In retrospect, Jaden must have figured that appearing before the public as a concerned daughter who wants to support her father would make her look innocent. The teen knew that it would look too suspicious if she decided to fly under the radar or even skip town while her father was on trial for murder.

Also, attending her father's trial benefits Jaden personally because it gives her firsthand knowledge of the criminal proceedings to reassure herself that she isn't under any suspicion. Plus, Jaden arguably bears enough resentment toward her father that she would rather him go to jail than her. Infiniti also does a great job portraying Jaden's subtle guilt when confronted about her father's affair with Carolyn.

She’s Constantly Asking For Trial Updates

Which Seems Harmless, But It Really Isn't

At first, Jaden requesting updates regarding her father's trial seems harmless. After all, most well-meaning daughters would be hungry to know every detail of their father's murder trial, especially when there's a chance that the father in question could face life in prison, or worse, the death penalty.

However, after watching the series finale, it becomes clear that Jaden was likely constantly pressing for updates because she wanted to make sure she wasn't implicated in Carolyn's murder. So, asking for all these updates is a way for Jaden to cover all of her bases and gain additional information before it becomes public. While this clue is undoubtedly minor, it still points to Jaden killing Carolyn.

Jaden Also Asks A Lot of Questions

She Presses DA Horgan For More Information

Notably, Jaden asks the District Attorney in her father's case, Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp), for additional information about the case. While at first, it looks like Jaden is pressing the DA to help prove her father's innocence, in reality, her intentions are actually much more sinister. Secretly, Jaden may have been terrified that she had made a mistake somewhere along the line and wanted to make sure she wasn't linked to the murder of Carolyn Polhemus.

Jaden also could have been pressing DA Horgan because she wanted inside knowledge that hadn't been reported in the trial so she could stay two steps ahead. She also uses her father's close relationship with Horgan to justify her asking him for information without looking suspicious. However, grilling the DA for additional evidence regarding her father could arguably be seen as suspicious, because most teens wouldn't care enough or even think about asking the DA for anything, regardless of how worried they are.

Jaden Eavesdrops On Conversations About Carolyn’s Murder

Her Anxiety Speaks For Itself

Jaden is anxious enough about being linked to Carolyn's murder that she listens in on her parents' private conversations. Specifically, Jaden eavesdrops on her parents confronting her brother, Kyle, about the murder. In retrospect, Kyle was used as a red herring in Presumed Innocent because his possible status as a suspect in the murder is meant to throw the audience off Jaden's scent. Jaden's eavesdropping also serves as a clue linking her to Carolyn's death because she is going out of her way to ensure that no one, including her family, suspects her of murder.

Plus, none of the other characters physically can see that Jaden is listening in on private conversations, making her eavesdropping a low-risk activity that won't make her look suspicious. It's also worth noting that Jaden flat-out asks her mom, Barbara, in episode five if her father had murdered Carolyn. Why would she do this? It's almost as if she's acting overly interested in her father's trial as a way to mask her involvement in the murder.

Jaden Confesses Killing Carolyn’s Murder To Her Parents And Gets Away With It

She Reveals Every Detail

After her father is found innocent, Jaden confesses to murdering Carolyn. She admits to her parents that she confronted Carolyn at her apartment and told her to leave her father alone. Carolyn responded by saying that she didn't plan on leaving Ricky because she was pregnant with his child. Out of rage, or perhaps fear — it’s never made clear — Jaden stabbed Carolyn with a red-hot poker multiple times, eventually killing her.

Jaden also reveals an essential detail in her confession that links to the series’ most prominent clue. Jaden says when she was driving home Carolyn's murder "felt like a dream," which proves that she likely had a dissociative reaction that led her to kill Carolyn. After Jaden confesses to her crime, Rusty assures her and her mother that they will never speak of this again.

Rusty's ability to sweep the incident under the rug and cast aside all the pain he endured during the trial speaks volumes about both his love for Jaden and shame about his affair with Carolyn. In the end, though, Jaden gets away with murder. As for what's next for Jaden and the rest of her family, that remains to be seen. However, Presumed Innocent has been renewed for a second season, so Jaden's story will likely continue.