How To Speculate w/o Spoilers: Hiding the Ball

[cooksdelight]

I'm sticking with Frank as my murder suspect and father of the baby. He was there, too conveniently, for the hair sample collection. He was smiling smugly in the courtroom when the expert traced Sam's phone back to Lila's dorm. Plus, he's a womanizer, to boot.

[Happytobehere]

I'm sticking with Frank as my murder suspect and father of the baby. He was there, too conveniently, for the hair sample collection. He was smiling smugly in the courtroom when the expert traced Sam's phone back to Lila's dorm. Plus, he's a womanizer, to boot.

I think you're right. At first I thoiught Rebecca's was the guilty party and the show was going for the irony of Wes becoming a killer while protecting the woman who unbeknownst to him was actually guilty, but I think the killer must have closer access to what is going on and that leave Frank or Bonnie, of the two, Frank being the actual father is a stronger motive than Bonnie doing it to get back at either Sam or Annalise.

[Eolivet]

I think Annalise wanted to frame Sam for murder.  I think both Annalise and Frank killed Lila, Annalise killed her and Frank put her into the water tank.  I don't think Annalise knew about the baby though.   I also think Annalise wanted to represent Sam in Lila's murder and get him off so Sam would be so grateful that he'd never cheat on her again.  She was shocked that Sam was killed, she didn't want him dead, she wanted him dependent on her.

 

I love the first part of your theory (that Annalise and Frank acted together), but I feel like getting Sam acquitted is a pretty complex plan. If that was the case, she agreed to defend Rebecca...just so she could later defend Sam? I feel like it would give her more power to appear to be helping Sam (painting over the wallpaper in the room, etc.) and the minute he was arrested, turn state's evidence and sell him up the river.

 

Either way, I think Annalise had a plan, and the students definitely upset that plan. I would find it infinitely ironic if the students find out that Annalise, not Sam, killed Lila and they can do nothing about it because she helped them avoid prosecution for Sam's murder. Like a deal with the devil. It's almost Shakespearian.

[shapeshifter]

But why would Sam be on video at the clinic arguing with Lila if he wasn't involved with her?

And they got an independent forensics expert to determine that Frank's phone (at least) was at the sorority house where Lila's body was found and within the window of time of Lila's death.

[cooksdelight]

Sam was involved with her, that's a fact. But so could Frank have been. Frank somehow knew that particular expert would find Sam's phone trail. I think he's somehow "fixed" that, not sure how yet. Sam thought the baby was his, I think it's actually Frank's and Frank knows it. Which is why he put his own hair into the baggie going for DNA testing. It came back as being the parent of the baby. But, people think it was Sam's hair since Laurel was there with him and can vouch for it being Sam's hair. She thinks.

[wanderingstar]

I think Annalise wanted to frame Sam for murder.

 

 

There's a good Law & Order episode from the mid-90s with this exact plot. A wife tries to frame her husband for the murder of a prostitute he had been seeing, all the while seeming to stand by him, even testifying as a character witness. It's one of my favorite episodes from the series. 

 

I certainly wouldn't put it past Annalise to have such a master plan.

[Neurochick]

Either way, I think Annalise had a plan, and the students definitely upset that plan. I would find it infinitely ironic if the students find out that Annalise, not Sam, killed Lila and they can do nothing about it because she helped them avoid prosecution for Sam's murder. Like a deal with the devil. It's almost Shakespearian.

 

 

The only reason why I think someone helped Annalise kill Lila is this; how did Annalise get Lila inside the water tank?  

[Chicago Redshirt]

The fact that Frank has a rep for sleeping with students and that he's shady in general means he could potentially have done it. I could see Frank having done it in conjunction with someone else, like Annalise or Bonnie or even Sam. But not on his own.

 

Here are a few of the problems I'd have with Frank as the sole killer theory:

 

1. We don't know of any connection between Frank and Lila. Sure, it's possible that they slept together, but it doesn't really fit. Lila was a virgin who had pledged herself to Griffin but fell in love with Sam and then slept with him. Could she have also fallen for Frank? It seems remote.

 

2. Would Frank, as a professional fixer, have been dumb enough to leave Lila's body intact in the water tower? Seems like he would have removed it at some point.

 

3. I'm not sure what motivation Frank would have had. With most of the other suspects, there's a fairly accessible potential motivation based on what we've explicitly been shown. Griffin could be angry that Lila cheated on him and made a mockery of their chastity vow. Sam would potentially want to keep her quiet about their affair because he could lose her teaching job and his marriage, plus he didn't want to have to support a baby. Annalise could want to kill Lila for cheating with her husband and for giving him the baby she couldn't. Bonnie could have wanted to please Annalise, or been jealous of Lila's sleeping with Sam. Rebecca could have wanted Griffin and been upset enough to want to get Lila out of the way. Or there was some implication that Rebecca dealt drugs, so she could have had some sort of drug-business motive for getting rid of Lila.

 

Part of this may be that Frank has really not been shown to have much in the way of independent motivations, period. He likes hooking up and manipulating things. But that's about it, as far as we've been shown. 

[cooksdelight]

The baby was Frank's motivation, I think. Lila would most certainly expect him to marry her. He's not the marrying kind. No way, he enjoys his freedom too much. And his position with Annalise. He may have had plans to go retrieve the body at some point but it was discovered before he could. Foiled his plans, on to plan B.... frame Sam, and frame him so tight he can't get out of it.

Or, it could have been he had other plans for Lila's body, was interrupted, had to get rid of it quickly so the water tower was his closest option.

He's an expendable character. Bonnie and the kids, not so much. Plus, they didn't have as much of a motive to kill her. The baby daddy would. It always comes down to motive.

[PrincessTT]

The baby was Frank's motivation, I think. Lila would most certainly expect him to marry her. He's not the marrying kind. No way, he enjoys his freedom too much. And his position with Annalise. He may have had plans to go retrieve the body at some point but it was discovered before he could. Foiled his plans, on to plan B.... frame Sam, and frame him so tight he can't get out of it.

Or, it could have been he had other plans for Lila's body, was interrupted, had to get rid of it quickly so the water tower was his closest option.

He's an expendable character. Bonnie and the kids, not so much. Plus, they didn't have as much of a motive to kill her. The baby daddy would. It always comes down to motive.

 

But from what we've seen Lila was going after Sam as the father of her baby... Even if she was sleeping with Frank too and if there was a chance that it was his baby, she seemed to be pursuing Sam and pinning the baby on him. 

 

Plus, how would Frank have known for sure which one of them was the father in order to fix the DNA test. If they were both sleeping with her then it could have been either of them. 

[cooksdelight]

Perhaps Lila and Frank were in on a plot to blackmail Sam for money? Then Lila screwed it up by going to see Sam and crying all over his shoulder. She finds out she's pregnant, they know it's Frank's baby, but Sam has been in the mix so they decided to go after him.

[cooksdelight]

When Frank asked Annalise if she wanted him to "take care" of Sam's sister, that just reaffirmed for me that he killed Lila. What better way to take care of a problem for Annalise, whether she asked him to or not? Lila tells Frank she's pregnant with his child, he panics, and at the same time he figures out a way to solve a lot of problems when he murders her and sets up Sam as the fall guy. All of Annalise's problems are solved.

[TobinAlbers]

I think poor Asher is gonna get arrested for the murder at the end of the season with the other Keating 4 then caught in the dilemma of coming forward or staying quiet while working on his defense to get him off.

 

As far as the cops are concerned Asher-

-Was at the scene of the crime during the timeframe they'll establish that Sam's death occurred. They only have his word that he didn't enter the house.

-He admitted that he was there in search of the statue which ended up as the murder weapon

-Once they search his place and find the statue, forensics will determine it's the murder weapon due to Sam's blood, etc.

-As for motive I think the police will think he killed Sam for Bonnie: Hannah knew that Bonnie had a 'special place in Sam's heart'; Frank and the Keating 4 know Asher has a thing for Bonnie; once it's out that he slept with her that night, the thinking might be he either killed Sam after learning that he was a 'rival' for Bonnie or as revenge for getting Bonnie fired.

 

It's not airtight but with Asher on the scene and in possession of the murder weapon, the police have cause to make him their prime suspect.

[cooksdelight]

I so agree, poor Asher doesn't know what's coming down the road at high speed, heading straight for him.

[helenamonster]

Wow, I like that Asher theory a lot. I mean, I'd hate if he went down for this because he's one of my favorite characters (last night's douchiness not withstanding), but I think it would make for some good television.

[Lady Calypso]

You know, as much as I love Asher and would prefer if he stayed far, far, far away from Keating and Her Band of Misfits (although I guess Asher's the TRUE Misfit Toy in this scenario), I think this would be the best possible outcome for the show's finale. He's not involved right now in anything; he's an outsider while still being on the inside. Frank's aware of what's going on, Bonnie's kind of like Asher but she's also connected with Annalise and Sam, and everyone else had a hand in Sam's murder and cover up. With everything he told the police, I wouldn't be surprised if the police aren't suspicious of him anyway. And imagine if the Keating 4 didn't do that great of a job covering it up, evidence is found (blood on the statue?) but it somehow points to Asher and gets him arrested. It would get Asher immediately involved with this lot of people and it would make for an interesting season 2, with them not only defending Asher but trying to find a way to keep their secret and maybe pin it on someone else. 

 

Personally, it would be in Asher's best interests to stay out of all of this and run, but obviously that won't happen. It would be nice to have one person blissfully out of the loop on the murder, but I don't think that'll happen and Asher will find out anyway. But when he does, I have no doubt he'll tell the police about what happened and either Annalise is going to find a way to silence him (*gulp*) or he's going to not be believed because of whatever reasons. Ok, maybe that last part won't happen. He'll probably be silenced by either being framed, blackmailed, or worse. 

 

Either way, Asher's definitely screwed but I think him being arrested would be best, because it might show the gang's true loyalties and whether they'd let everyone believe an innocent man, their own friend, is a murderer or if they risk being caught themselves. Plus, in a way, it would parallel Rebecca's own trial, but this time they know for sure he's innocent and will have to defend him while defending themselves. 

Edited February 7, 2015 by jessied112

[cooksdelight]

If/when Asher is arrested, Michaela will have a total nervous breakdown. I see her doing something really cray-cray in the process. Wes will never sleep again.

[helenamonster]

Only thing is that Asher isn't really their friend. I mean, I could definitely see the rest of them having internal conflicts over letting him take the blame, but at the end of the day I wouldn't be surprised if they let him swing.

[cooksdelight]

My theory of Frank being the baby's daddy got shot all to hell last night, when they said that the way they ID'd Sam's body was with the DNA from Lila's case. But I still think Frank killed her, at Annalise's bidding, and somehow got Sam's cell phone to plant the trail of him going back to the apartment. How in the hell she's going to get Nate off is beyond me.

[Chairperson Meow]

As calm as Nate was about being arrested last night, I'm holding to my theory that Wes is Nate's secret son. Annaliese told Nate everything and they came up with the plan together. Nate told her to protect his kid first and throw him under the bus. It explains imo why Wes got into law school so late. And why he is in the Keating 5. Annaliese actually does love Nate and this is their plan.

[pennben]

That is an awesome theory! It did look like Nate knew it was coming.

 

As for Lila, I would just laugh and laugh and laugh if nobody we know has anything to do with her murder.

 

Whoopsie! 

[TyranAmiros]

My question is does the Rudy plot thread lead anywhere or is it just a red herring? My thought is that Rudy, in a shocking twist, is the one who actually killed Lila, which comes out at the 11th hour (because Wes just won't let it go), and Wes ends up confessing to killing Sam and getting arrested as the cliffhanger for the end of Season 1

[Eolivet]

My question is does the Rudy plot thread lead anywhere or is it just a red herring? My thought is that Rudy, in a shocking twist, is the one who actually killed Lila, which comes out at the 11th hour (because Wes just won't let it go), and Wes ends up confessing to killing Sam and getting arrested as the cliffhanger for the end of Season 1

 

That is a great theory. I was just coming here to speculate that perhaps Rebecca killed Rudy, Annalise finds out about it and sets it up so Rebecca takes the fall for Sam's murder. I could see this show subscribing to that kind of justice: framed for a murder one didn't commit, to make up for the murder for which one was not convicted.

 

But I like your theory better -- it's less convoluted and a lot more dramatic!

[Miles]

There was some speculation here that Wes might be Nate's son, but today while watching the episode, I had an epiphany and now I'm 99% sure that he is actually Annalise's son, whom she gave up for adoption, at a point in time before she got rich. That's just the kind of show this is and it explains why he got into school with sub-par grades, why Annalise put him into the inner circle despite his bad performance and why she would cover up him killing her husband.

 

My question is does the Rudy plot thread lead anywhere or is it just a red herring? My thought is that Rudy, in a shocking twist, is the one who actually killed Lila

I actually figured the same in one of the episode threads (after you but I got there before reading your post). I think the chances that he killed her and Rebecca somehow got him to do it are very good. Edited February 20, 2015 by Miles

[Anela]

I wonder if someone else dies next week. I suppose that's the most obvious guess as to what would have them look so surprised, and worried. 

[kikaha]

I actually figured the same in one of the episode threads (after you but I got there before reading your post). I think the chances that he killed her and Rebecca somehow got him to do it are very good.

 

Yes, Rebecca is looking more and more like the secret, hidden mastermind behind one plot after another.  Including Lila's murder.  She gets others to do what she wants, without them realizing she's pulling the strings. 

 

Early in the season, wasn't she described as extremely high IQ?  We may be seeing it at work, in its evil/manipulative way. 

[cooksdelight]

Why would Rebecca want Lila dead?

[kikaha]

Cooksdelight, all I can do is speculate.  One possibility: she was in love with Lila, and got enraged with jealousy when Lila fell so hard for Sam.  Maybe they fought, and Rebecca accidentally killed Lila.  

 

Rebecca seems sociopathic to me.  She is totally amoral: she instantly suggested framing Asher for Sam's death.  She lied to her boyfriend about a crucial item, and is tracking his every movement.  Also, her picture is the one thing that drew out Rudy from a near catatonic state.

 

She's bad news.  Only question is, how bad?  

[Neurochick]

I wouldn't be surprised if it comes out that Lila, Rebecca and Rudy were all doing drugs, drugs that Lila sold them and those drugs caused Lila to climb up to the water tower (Look at meeee, I can fly!) and fell into the tower.  Rebecca tried to get her out, (which is why she's wet) and Rudy freaked out. Lila feels responsible because she sold the drugs so that's why she wants to take the suspicion off her.

 

And Wes is probably Sam's son, but not Annalese's.  

[morgankobi]

I go back and forth on Wes's parentage, but I do think that the way the show keeps bringing up Wes's nightmares is how they are trying to partially keep it in our minds (even though they haven't "reminded" the audience of why he has nightmares in a while, I think). No need to keep bringing it up if it's not one of Chekov's guns, right?

[Neurochick]

Here's my speculation:  Rebecca will be killed in the season finale.  

[cooksdelight]

Ooooh, I kinda hope so. I want Wes to get her out of his system.

[Chrissytd]

Here's my speculation:  Rebecca will be killed in the season finale.  

Now that you mention it, I wouldn't mind that.

[Happytobehere]

Here's my speculation:  Rebecca will be killed in the season finale.

If she is discovered dead after Wes and Company realize she either killed or had a hand in killing Lila, the season can end on Lila's killer getting away with it (for the time being) and Wes as Sam's killer getting away with it. A double examp,e of How to Get Away with Murder if you will.

[morgankobi]

Wes and the gang can't get away with it until someone else is convicted, though. And even then, it could still come out (waaaay too many people in on this secret).

In general, unless the victim's death is ruled an accident or suicide, the only way to truly get away with it is for the murderer to be dead before being caught.

[PrincessTT]

In general, unless the victim's death is ruled an accident or suicide, the only way to truly get away with it is for the murderer to be dead before being caught.

 

Or for the murderer to actually stand trial for the murder and be acquitted.  

[morgankobi]

Or for the murderer to actually stand trial for the murder and be acquitted.

But with so many witnesses to the actual murder, I'd still be hesitant to say they're totally in the clear. If the suspect is acquitted, the case isn't closed.  Any one of them could get in a jam and offer up information as a trade, and they all know plenty of details that probably aren't in the public record.

[PrincessTT]

But with so many witnesses to the actual murder, I'd still be hesitant to say they're totally in the clear. If the suspect is acquitted, the case isn't closed.  Any one of them could get in a jam and offer up information as a trade, and they all know plenty of details that probably aren't in the public record.

 

But if the murderer has already been acquitted of the crime, it wouldn't matter what other information comes up would it? Wouldn't double jeopardy apply once they've been acquitted? 

[pennben]

 

In general, unless the victim's death is ruled an accident or suicide, the only way to truly get away with it is for the murderer to be dead before being caught.

 

But if you are killed by someone else because you committed a murder, are you really getting away with it? Or are you paying the ultimate price for committing the murder?

[morgankobi]

I think Double Jeopardy can be skirted if there's enough evidence...maybe? Any one of those who were there could likely be tried. So, if next season (or next week) has 5 trials that all end in acquittal, they've gotten away with it ;)

 

But if you are killed by someone else because you committed a murder, are you really getting away with it? Or are you paying the ultimate price for committing the murder?

 

Well, legally, they would get away with it. Sam wasn't killed in revenge, though. I doubt anyone will kill Lila's killer because of Lila. It will likely be in self-defense.

They're way more worried about getting caught than being dead at this point. Except dead they couldn't practice law, and that does seem most important to a few of them. 

Edited February 23, 2015 by morgankobi

[fivestone]

If she is discovered dead after Wes and Company realize she either killed or had a hand in killing Lila, the season can end on Lila's killer getting away with it (for the time being) and Wes as Sam's killer getting away with it. A double example of How to Get Away with Murder if you will.

 

Wes and the gang can't get away with it until someone else is convicted, though. And even then, it could still come out (waaaay too many people in on this secret).

In general, unless the victim's death is ruled an accident or suicide, the only way to truly get away with it is for the murderer to be dead before being caught.

 

If Rebecca gets killed, I can't speak to her killer, but if she dies, they could easily make her the scapegoat for Sam's death. If so, Nate goes free, and suspicion about Annalise putting Nate up to kill her husband fly out of the window.

 

As far as who actually killed Lila? I don't seem why he would have any reason to, but with Frank being so quick to do illegal dirty work that needs to get done, I could see him being the killer.

[pennben]

 

I think Double Jeopardy can be skirted if there's enough evidence...maybe?

 

No.  Not to the person on trial to whom double jeopardy applies. 

[Eolivet]

Just wanted to congratulate cooksdelight for her flawless spec! I didn't believe it until the last minute -- kudos to you for guessing! Got any thoughts about tonight's lottery numbers?

 

Let the "Who killed Rebecca" spec begin (hat tip to Neurochick for that one!) Great detectives on this forum!

[Lady Calypso]

I probably should have suspected Frank, but honestly, he wasn't really on the top of my list. Maybe more in the middle of the pack, just above Asher and Nate, but still. Although, I guess I should have seen it coming, with all the not-so-subtle anvils being dropped as Frank is apparently the 'go to' guy when things need to be taken care of. Frank's literally a hit man. Wow. 

 

Oooo, ok, speculation on Rebecca's killer! Obviously it's way too soon to tell, but I guess I'll run through all the candidate and rate how likely.

 

Annalise: the most logical choice. She went downstairs to talk to Rebecca to 'ask her nicely' to not say anything. She could have killed her to shut her up. She told Wes to keep repeating that Sam killed Lila instead of Rebecca to convince him that it happened like that. She would want to protect her students and herself, and she would know if Rebecca would keep her mouth shut or not. It would end the 'who actually killed Lila' theory within the show and put Sam's death behind her. I don't actually THINK this is what will happen, but it's a strong possibility.

Wes: probably the most likely for me at the moment. He was downstairs, staring at Rebecca's empty chair when she went missing but he was acting really odd. He already killed Sam to protect Rebecca; why not kill Rebecca to protect everyone else? She was clearly going to find that campus cop and it was possible they would all be arrested for lying about their cover story. Why take that chance? Besides, Rebecca's lied to Wes anyway. It would make things interesting

Laurel: something I could get behind is Laurel being Rebecca's killer. She, at first, seemed most adamant about shutting Wes' theory down but then she was all for it. She's kind of crazy and I think, with enough evidence, it would be easy enough to explain why Laurel would kill Rebecca. 

Frank: They already showed him killing Lila, so I don't think he'll be the killer of Rebecca, just because it would be too easy. However, it's still a possibility. Since he has experience with killing before, presumably without anyone besides Sam knowing, he is capable of doing it again.

Connor: Ok, this is my crazy theory that doesn't really have much substantial evidence. Rebecca and Connor did get their own one-on-one'ish scene this episode, and Connor is fairly unpredictable. I don't know, I'd have to think more on why this could be a possibility.

Michaela: Yeah, I don't think she did it. It seems that once Rebecca went missing, Michaela booked it to see Aidan's mother. She might have done it to also keep Rebecca's mouth shut? I really have to rewatch the last couple of episodes, though.

Bonnie: I mean...I guess this could be a possibility? But I don't know how yet, so I'm keeping Bonnie way down. Plus, I would like if she wasn't.

Nate: I mean....I would laugh for days, but I don't see why he would.

Asher: I mean, I'd laugh if he did kill Rebecca, but there's no way he did. He's so far in the dark, it feels like the others will get him accidentally involved.

[cooksdelight]

Bonnie is my guess. She worships Annalise and would do anything to help her. Getting rid of Rebecca gets rid of someone who could blab about Sam's death, and could help put Nate in prison forever. She's feeling pretty confident now that she's got Asher in her bed, she's getting cocky where Frank is concerned. Add to that the fact that Rebecca could ruin it all for Annalise... I'd pick Bonnie.

It didn't seem like either Frank nor Annalise had a clue who killed her. Wes is a central character, we can't write him out. Bonnie is on the sidelines, she's cold and not very interesting. She could easily be sacrificed on this show.

[Eolivet]

I'm torn -- Bonnie makes sense, but taking away the "Frank with an ordered hit" part of Lila's murder, and the killers for both Lila and Sam were really obvious. Therefore, to me, it has to be someone who really does not like Rebecca and would have a compelling reason to see her dead. I'm ruling out Annalise and Frank, because the show has never (perhaps until now) done "Lie about taking a life." One would argue Sam was able to argue his innocence to Annalise because he didn't actually strangle Lila, and it made sense in his head that he "didn't kill her."

 

I'm thinking the Rebecca murder was of the Sam variety: crime of passion. Who was the angriest at Rebecca? Sam was killed to protect Rebecca -- who would kill Rebecca to protect...? There's your killer, if the writing is consistent. Bonnie does make the most sense, I suppose. Interesting if Annalise is employing two killers, unbeknownst to each other.

 

Sadly, I feel like Nate is going to be blamed for this one, too, though -- at some point.

[cooksdelight]

It could hinge on who Nate called. And how it affects his case with Rebecca gone. She was a key witness against him.

[kikaha]

If any of the people in the house (K4, Bonnie and Frank) killed Rebecca after Annalise left to meet with Nate, they took a huge risk.  Namely, that one of the others would notice they were missing. 

 

Wes could have killed her, before he rejoined the others upstairs.  I don't believe that though.  He, too, would have taken too big a risk: as soon as the others went downstairs, they could find her, and know he was the killer.  Also, he has not proven himself such a steely-eyed actor: he defended her to the best of his ability to the others, and fell apart with Annalise at the end. 

 

Annalise seems like a good candidate to me.  Possibly when she went downstairs to talk with Rebecca and release her.  Or maybe like Sam, she also made a call after she left to meet with Nate.  Not to Frank, but some other fixer she knows.  As soon as Wes left, she headed straight downstairs.  She knew exactly where Rebecca was then, and what happened to her. 

 

I thought the actress who plays Rebecca did a great job this episode.  Same with the actress who plays Lila.  Spectacular season finale, that did its job perfectly: leaving the audience gasping for more. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

Everyone of them has a motive. Rebecca rat the Murder 4 for the death of Sam and her kidnapping. She had proved herself to be untrustworthy in the extreme.

 

Wes has the extra motivation of feeling betrayed by her, and potentially if he was somehow culpable in the death of his mother, wanting to silence her.

 

Michaela said that she would make it her personal mission to destroy Rebecca, so maybe that became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

Laurel was already lobbying Frank to take care of the problem, and she is a budding sociopath, so maybe she just decided to do it herself. 

[Eolivet]

Michaela said that she would make it her personal mission to destroy Rebecca, so maybe that became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

 

Michaela is becoming my dark horse candidate, especially since she'd just gone through a "I will no longer pretend to be prim and proper" transformation, ditching the gay fiance and embracing who she really is. People say Laurel is the quiet one, but if Michaela is the "shooting star" candidate, maybe she took all that stress out on someone other than herself.

 

I also thought it looked like Rebecca wasn't strangled, but died from a head wound (the blood coming out of her mouth). Her method of death (as gruesome as it is) influences who I feel are likely murderer candidates. If it was a head wound, I also wouldn't rule out that it was an accident -- not in a Wes way, but in a true "we were fighting, I pushed her and she fell and hit her head" way.