When season 1 of Only Murders in the Building ended with the tragic and bloody death of Bunny, Mabel standing over her body, soaked in blood, fans knew they were in for yet another season of hilarious true crime-solving. Except now, the three protagonists were deep in the center of the case, arrested for the murder since they were present at the scene of the crime. Chances are none of them are guilty. Charles and Oliver are cleared since they were outside when the murder occurred. Now, however, the focus is on who was the one to kill Bunny.
With Mabel, Charles, and Oliver released but still persons of interest, they will do whatever they can to solve the case and discover who killed their landlord. This time, however, it isn’t just about following a hunch and fulfilling their love of the true-crime genre but clearing their names as well.
Mabel
Fans don’t want to believe that Mabel could kill someone, but it’s possible it could have been an accident considering she blacked out for a short period. Maybe Mabel felt desperate to stay in the building and given that Bunny had orchestrated a tenant vote to have her, Oliver, and Charles evicted, she might have believed this was the only way.
It could also be that she was desperate to maintain contact with Oliver and Charles, realizing that solving cases together with them gave her a sense of meaning and purpose. It’s a stretch but not completely out of the realm of possibility.
Howard
Howard is often presented as guilty when he’s just a quirky man. His excuse for having a suspicious black eye was that he was playing hide and seek with his new cat and hit a piece of furniture. It’s believable given how close he has been with his feline friends, but still casts a small shadow of a doubt that there could be more to the story.
It’s likely a red herring, but perhaps Howard had finally had enough of Bunny and killed her. He could then be bad talking the new landlord Nina to the other residents to cover this up when really, he might be in cahoots with her.
Oscar
Interestingly, Bunny was wearing the same tie-dye shirt that Oscar was wearing in the first season, which might indicate that she met with him and somehow ended up with a matching hoodie. He wasn’t seen in the first few episodes, with Mabel noting that she believed they were better off as friends.
Oscar, one of the most likable characters from Only Murders in the Building, did go to jail for a crime he didn’t commit and might be harboring a lot of resentment because of it. It’s possible there was an altercation of some kind with Bunny, perhaps with Oscar trying to convince her not to evict Mabel. It could have gotten out of hand and led to her accidental death, or a moment of rage as Oscar let his anger about injustices build.
Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer is a new addition to the second season, having moved into Sting’s old apartment. She meets with Oliver in the elevator and instantly strikes up a conversation about the podcast. It turns out she’s a huge fan and wants to turn the story into a movie with herself starring as Jan. One thing to remember before season 2 of Only Murders in the Building is that Jan was the murderer.
She seems eagerly enthusiastic about the whole idea of murder, making some think that it’s possible she orchestrated the murder out of sheer fascination. It could also be to set herself up for success for the additional seasons of the series she wants to produce by buying the rights to the podcast. It sounds far-fetched, but it’s possible given that she’s playing an exaggerated version of herself.
Uma Heller
Uma Heller was Bunny’s closest friend in the building, and she had taken on the responsibilities of dividing up the personal belongings and following the instructions in the will. It’s Uma who first searches for the missing painting that’s reportedly worth a million dollars, which suggests she might have been the only one, or at least one of the only ones, who knew of its existence and value.
Could she have gotten rid of Bunny in an attempt to snatch the painting and sell it? It seems unlikely since she was open with Howard about the painting and its worth, so she wasn’t hiding anything (unless they were working together). But there could have been an unknown rivalry between the two women that reached a boiling point.
Alice
Alice’s storyline seems all too convenient. She came into Mabel’s life at just the right time, trying to help Mabel leverage her newfound celebrity status to sell her art. Alice seems a bit quirky and could potentially have a secret relation to Rose Cooper. She might know about the affair with Charles’ father, blame Charles for the mess that was caused and her relative’s death, and is using Mabel to take him down.
There has to be more to the character than fans have seen thus far. She may be trying to create a monster out of Mabel instead of helping her, which would be a tragic story for the troubled young woman who notes her entire life has been riddled with death and destruction. It’s one of the saddest things about Mabel in Only Murders in the Building.
Rose Cooper
Rose Cooper is the missing painter from the painting who died under mysterious circumstances. But no details were given about her death other than Charles’ father was arrested and sent to prison on suspicion of it. It could be possible that she faked her death to get out of some sort of trouble.
Fans wonder if the real Rose might pop up as a murderous woman who had a bone to pick with Bunny for an unknown reason and wanted to get her painting back. It would make sense that the woman who was featured in the portrait, and who painted it, would claim it to be rightfully hers. This is especially so given that Leonora revealed that Rose sold the painting only because she desperately needed the money.
Nina
There’s little known about Nina so far, only that she has taken over Bunny’s job and appears to be just as hated as Bunny was by the residents. Visibly pregnant, it’s possible she killed Bunny to finally rise the ranks and get a swanky spot in the high-end building filled with celebrities and artists to raise her child.
More may come to light about the mysterious new landlord. But just because she seems like an unlikely suspect doesn’t mean it’s not possible. She might either be the one who committed the act or at least had someone else do it for her.
Leonora Folger
Speaking of having someone else do the deed, Leonora Folger seemed just as surly and mean as her daughter Bunny. She could barely cut a slice of cheese so it’s unlikely she stabbed her daughter eight times and managed to come out of it unscathed.
Nonetheless, she seemed high society enough to have connections to orchestrate the murder if it was in her best interests. The motive might not be clear just yet, but it's possible Bunny might have been about to reveal details about her mother’s life and indiscretions, or perhaps simply refused to return the painting.
Cinda Canning
Cinda Canning is one of the more obvious potential suspects as the killer. A popular podcast host, she might not only want to take down the three people running a rival podcast to hers but also set them up to be the subjects of her next juicy episodes. Her true-crime podcast is one of many set-ups for season 2 of Only Murders in the Building.
Indeed, she is seen intimidating each one of them with the evidence she discovered that makes them look culpable, like Oliver’s notes to Bunny that he wished her dead. She has the most to gain from both Bunny’s death and the trio going to jail and being forced to end their podcast. She is also an expert in true crime and how to cover it up, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if she was the killer.
Unknown Killer
The killer may be a new character that wasn’t introduced in season 1 and hasn’t yet been seen in season 2. In this respect, the motive and what exactly happened won’t be as clear ahead of time. To figure this out, however, it will be important to pay attention to any new characters shown in each episode for clues. For example, Charles’ father, who isn’t actually dead but he only believed him to be so, could be
Or, it might be a new resident, a friend or family member, or even a passing person, like someone in the podcast fan group, a security guard, neighbor, or local business owner. There’s a big question mark here but fans hope that if the killer isn’t someone already introduced, it will still lead to a satisfactory end.