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Do We Know the 'True Detective' Killer?

Running down the main suspects

by Matthew Strauss
HBO

By this time last season, we had a pretty clear picture of who the killer in True Detective might be. There were specific names and motives and connections, even if the suspects turned out to be smaller cogs in a larger picture. Revered Billy Tuttle, for example, was not the killer, but was a legitimate suspect and someone about whom the viewers could get heated in debate. So far, Season 2 has offered us little beyond the fact that someone was killed and it was the killer who killed him. Still, we should take a moment and consider who could be the unknown murderer of some boring city official.

Masked Person

The person who shot Ray, and then the (possibly same) person who lit the Cadillac on fire is our best bet. But who is it?

Ray Velcoro

You know who was curiously present when Ray got shot by another person? Ray. I suspect that Ray dreamt the entirety of the second and third episodes (covered in piss, of course), and the shooter is a manifestation of his fear of losing his child. All the side stories, like Frank Semyon’s impotence and Paul Woodrugh’s self-hating homophobic homosexuality, are just elaborate figments of Ray’s imagination.

Katherine Davis

You might be thinking now, “Ah, you’re totally right!” and definitely not, “Who?” Katherine Davis is the state attorney who always seems kinda conniving when telling Bezzerides and Woodrugh their respective roles in the investigation. More importantly, Michael Hyatt (Brianna Barksdale in The Wire) plays Davis. My theory is that True Detective is the true sequel to The Wire, and Davis is really Barksdale undercover seeking out revenge for (spoiler!) her son’s untimely death. (R.I.P. D.) She might not have the same body type as the masked shooter or the arsonist, but Davis stops at nothing to avenge D.

Cary Fukunaga

Everyone is talking about how that alcoholic movie director looks a whole lot like Fukunaga, the director of Season 1 who shot the iconic long-take scene.

Paste Magazine

I’m not suggesting he’s that director. I’m saying Fukunaga has broken the ultimate fourth wall and literally killed the actor who played Ben Caspere. If true (more likely than not) True D is on some other other shit.

Dr. Pitlor

Played by Rick Springfield, Dr. Pitlor was Caspere’s psychiatrist. Mostly, he just seems like a huge fucking creep. He reminds me of that dentist in Inherent Vice who turned Alison from Pretty Little Liars into a heroin addict. I hope this guy did it so we can throw his sick face in jail.