Kary Antholis, a former President of Mini-Series at HBO, has confirmed the identity of Andrea's murderer in the hit 2016 mini-series The Night Of. The mystery crime show ran for eight episodes and detailed the story of a young Pakistani-American who is accused of the murder of a young woman called Andrea after they spend the night together, and he wakes up next to her dead body. John Turturro plays John Stone, Naz's lawyer, a role that was initially meant to be played by James Gandolfini, who unfortunately passed away before production began.

Ahmed and Turturro were both hailed for their realistic, emotional performances, with both being nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series at the 2017 Emmy Awards. Ahmed took home the award. The Night Of, which was written and directed by veteran screenwriter Steve Zaillian based on the BBC series Criminal Justice, is a tight thriller that keeps audiences guessing about the true identity of the killer right up until the final credits roll. As a result, many have speculated as to who was really responsible for the murder of Andrea, as there are several credible suspects presented throughout the series.

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Now, Antholis, who was the President of Mini-Series at HBO at the time The Night Of was produced, has confirmed who the killer actually was while speaking to The John Roa Show podcast. Antholis, who is now the publisher at the justice website crimestory.com, says that Ray Halle, Andrea's financial advisor played by Paulo Costanzo, was the murderer. He says it's clear that he was responsible, but that Zaillian wanted to keep the audience in doubt throughout the show's run. You can see his full comments below.

I mean, I think it's pretty's clear that the financial advisor [Ray] killed her-- but you know, it's purposely ... Steve [Zaillian] throughout that process wanted to keep people on edge, wanted people to have doubt.

Ray Halle played by Paulo Costanzo in The Night Of

While there had been speculation that Ray was the killer, and he certainly seemed like the most obvious suspect based on the way the show portrays him, to have it confirmed finally puts the mystery to rest. The fact that Antholis is still being asked about it almost four years since the finale was first broadcast shows just how well Zaillian created doubt in the minds of the audience.

The writer and director (best known for the Oscar-winning screenplay for Schindler's List) managed to turn a reasonably good British series into a well-crafted and thrilling mini-series for HBO. Zaillian explored both the failings of the criminal justice system, as well as the struggles that immigrants and their families face in the USA. The fact that Ray has been confirmed as the killer is satisfying for fans for the show, as the character is the one most likely to have done the deed, and is portrayed by Costanzo as an unlikable and shady guy.

While The Night Of was a one-off for HBO, there is potential for a sequel mini-series focusing on Turturro's lawyer Stone. The character was set up well, and a new season could use any number of real-life cases as inspiration, given that the failings of America's criminal justice system have only become more evident in the intervening years. However, as of now, there are no plans for the much-anticipated follow-up season.

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Source: The John Roa Show podcast