Every Death In Cross Season 1 Explained

There are a lot of deaths in Season 1 of Cross on Prime Video, and each one serves a crucial function in the plot and character development. The Amazon Prime Video series centers on Alex Cross, a detective and forensic psychologist who is grieving the loss of his wife, Maria Cross, while working to solve murder cases.

In the first season, The Fanboy, a serial murderer who idolizes and obsesses over deceased serial killers, is found by the title detective. It is not surprising that there are a lot of deaths because The Fanboy and his aides are the story's adversaries. In the end, every death in the first season of Cross is essential to the plot and shapes the protagonists' decisions and thoughts.

Episode 8 of Miss Nancy in Cross

Death By Suicide

Miss Nancy's suicide at the end of Cross season 1 is the last death. Her son, Peter Lenox, finds out before this decision that she is the reason Dierdre was ever imprisoned. Using the argument that Dierdre would not face charges for more than a brief time because she was a young, attractive, white woman with no criminal record, she persuaded the woman to confess to Peter's crime.

But she never brought this up to Peter, allowing him to assume that Dierdre made that choice on her own initiative during Cross. He begins scolding her for choosing for him and bringing about Dierdre's demise. Seeing the children of Alex Cross as innocent, he declines to assist her in harming them, just as Dierdre did. In the end, she believes that her only option is to commit suicide since she cannot accept her choice or the knowledge that Peter is aware of her deception.

Jim Farley, an officer in Cross Episode 7

Killer: Ed Ramsey/The Fanboy

Ed Ramsey awakens in the hospital morgue after injecting himself with pills that stop his heart in Cross. He snatches the coroner's clothes and renders him unconscious. After that, Ramsey approaches Shannon's hospital room and informs Officer Jim Farley that he must visit her. The officer stops Ed to check his badge, though, as part of his duties. After making a gesture as though he is reaching for his badge, Ed Ramsey repeatedly stabs Officer Farley with a scalpel, putting him back in a seated position.

Since Officer Farley isn't on screen before that sequence, his death ultimately has no emotional impact. It does, however, highlight the reality that Ed Ramsey is not the morally upright murderer he thinks he is. When the going becomes tough, he turns to murder instead of attempting any other means of entering the room.

Michael Grisham in the 6 episode of Cross

Killer: Lt. Oracene Massey

Michael Grisham confesses to Ed Ramsey's previous murder of Rodney, despite his reluctance and dread of being implicated in the crime. When he gets to Washington, DC, the police department places him in a safe house until the next day, when he may address the grand jury. But in one of the most startling scenes, Michael is shot in the head by Lt. Massey as he speaks to her unborn child.

Although the topic of police corruption has been discussed in the series before, this is one of the most significant since Massey comes off as a sincere and compassionate character in Cross season 1. Later on, she tells John that Ed is the cause of her pregnancy. In return for her assistance in concealing his misdeeds, he paid for her appointments to a fertility specialist. He pushed her boundaries to the brink of murder while he chipped away at them.

Rodney in the 6 episode of Cross

Killer: Michael Grisham (Involuntarily) And Ed Ramsey

The titular police detective visits a person who knew Ed Ramsey as a youngster in another state in Cross episode 6, revealing long-kept mysteries. Ed was enamored with Michael Grisham, a former singer in a gothic band. They would mimic ceremonial sacrifices on stage. Michael admits to Alex Cross that he had witnessed Ed's murder of someone years prior, therefore he had known for years that Ed was deadly.

Michael plays a video clip in which Ed coerces Michael and a man named Rodney—both intoxicated—into taking part in a fictitious ritual sacrifice. Michael holds a knife over Rodney's heart as they pose for pictures. Ed approaches, takes Michael's hands, and drives the knife into Rodney's heart while pretending to be adjusting the stance. This scene is essential to comprehending Ed's history and murderous impulse.

Chris Wu in the 4 episode of Cross

Killer: Bobby Trey

Chris Wu was formerly Bobby Trey's coworker and Alex Cross's police officer colleague. He is the one who takes the book to Bobby Trey after stealing it from the cops. It's unknown if Cross placed a tracker on the book or if he was aware of Chris' betrayal. In any case, Bobby Trey shoots Chris Wu to get away when the first police officer arrives at the drop site.

However, since Cross brought John Sampson in as a backup, Bobby Trey's plan doesn't pan out. As Alex Cross seeks the culprit, John remains with Chris in an attempt to save his life. In the end, this murder in season one of Cross demonstrates two points. First of all, it foreshadows Lt. Massey's defection by indicating that police corruption is a problem in the department. Second, it confirms Bobby Trey's unreserved willingness to kill anyone, even someone he likes, if it suits him.

Stan Cikola in the 4 episode of Cross

Killer: Ed Ramsey/The Fanboy

Many Cross supporting characters fail Shannon Witmer in her captivity by knowing where she is and being able to assist, but instead caving in to the demands of a powerful, wealthy guy. Because they think it would help them advance, they constantly compromise their ideals and values. The only character that acts morally, though, is Stan Cikola, who tries to assist Shannon after discovering where she is.

Shannon uses her foot to knock over a bottle while she is restrained and imprisoned in the cabinet. The victim begins to scream through her gag when Stan hears the noise and turns around. He approaches the cabinet and opens it, putting himself in risk. Unfortunately, Ed entered the room and struck Stan's head with the back of a hammer, splattering blood all over Shannon, suggesting that he heard the thump and screaming as well.

Brenda Leeland in the 3 episode of Cross

Killer: Alex Cross In Self-Defense

Brenda Leeland, a former prisoner, receives a parcel containing a rifle and the words "Kill Alex Cross" early in Cross episode 3. Peter Lenox probably left the box, even though the show doesn't indicate who handed her this. Brenda aims the gun at Alex Cross, who kills her by shooting her in self-defense. Unfortunately, John Sampson was somewhere else when the incident occurred, so no one was present to confirm that he was indeed acting in self-defense.

Because they discovered the note with instructions, Alex Cross is ultimately exonerated of the murder. But the eventual impression of Alex Cross as a corrupt police officer is reinforced by the Brenda Leeland affair. There is an implicit suggestion that Cross commits police brutality after the video shows him assaulting and pointing a gun at a Black man. The Brenda Leeland case is never specifically mentioned, but it might have had some bearing.

Vanessa Norris in the 2 episode of Cross

Killer: Bobby Trey

Vanessa took Tavio's phone after he was killed and fled with Bobby Trey. It's unclear exactly what she hoped to accomplish. Bobby Trey broke rank by killing Vanessa on his own initiative, even though he primarily carried out his murders under Ed Ramsey's command. Several times, he had threatened to murder her if she didn't unlock Tavio's phone. Bobby Trey cuts her throat, grabs Tavio's phone, and flees after she eventually unlocks the phone and texts herself the voicemail.

The distinction between Ed Ramsey and his minion is evident in this instance. Ed believes that he is a good and moral murderer who only takes lives when it is absolutely necessary. But Bobby Trey might have simply picked up the phone and walked away. He had obtained what he wanted, so there was no cause to kill Vanessa, but he did it nevertheless. Ed Ramsey is just as wicked as Bobby Trey, thus he is deluding himself by believing he is above pointless killing.

Tavio Lemmons in the 1 episode of Cross

Killer: A Sniper, At The Orders Of Ed Ramsey

Cross is aware that the police captain's attempt to portray Tavio's death as a gang-related killing is untrue, and he declines to support this claim. Because Emir called Tavio on the day of his death, the Prime Video original later reveals that Tavio was killed by a sniper, who is thought to be Bobby Trey but has not been confirmed. Ed Ramsey ordered the killing. There was a message on Tavio's phone that told him where Emir had gone on a date.

The police would have grounds to believe Ed Ramsey was the murderer if they were to obtain this information. In order to have a record of what transpired with Emir Goodspeed, Vanessa finally records this voicemail on her own phone. Fortunately, a duplicate of this material is obtained by the police, alerting them to the likelihood that the person who killed Emir also killed Tavio.

Emir Goodspeed in the first episode of Cross

Killer: Ed Ramsey/The Fanboy

The Fanboy is brought to the police department's notice by the murder case of Emir Goodspeed, a political activist. Alex Cross finds things that are out of place, such as the fact that his locs were shaved off, that he was sober prior to his death, and that they discovered pork in his stomach, even though they originally believe he died from an accidental drug overdose. Because of his training in forensic psychology, the detective is able to see the incident from a different angle, and it turns out that he is correct that someone killed Emir.

Emir was selected as the eleventh victim by The Fanboy, also known as Ed Ramsey, because the young man bore a striking resemblance to Maurice Freeman Jr., a real-life serial murderer known as The Sandman. Since the serial killer was bald, he shaved Emir's hair. To replicate the murderer's most recent dinner, Ramsey forced his victim to eat pork chops, mashed potatoes, and a chocolate cupcake.

Maria Cross in the 1 episode of Cross

Killer: Miss Nancy (Conspirator) And Peter Lenox

The murder of Alex Cross's wife, Maria, in the first scene of Cross establishes the tone for the rest of his character arc. He refuses to go to therapy until the end of Cross season 1 because he is unwilling to deal with his sadness about losing his wife. Alex withdraws emotionally from his children and becomes irate if they mention her. His bereavement and his desire to track down her perpetrator are the driving forces behind nearly all of his impetuous and careless actions.

Alex ultimately finds out who killed Maria Cross and why his family has been tormenting him in the final two episodes of Cross season 1. Alex persuaded the courts that Dierdre Nolan couldn't be rehabilitated for re-entry into society, therefore Miss Nancy and her son Peter Lenox planned to kill Maria Cross in retaliation. Nancy ignores her responsibility for what happened to Dierdre and accuses Alex of causing her death while incarcerated. Maria Cross, however, was only a byproduct of a resentment for the detective.