At this point, considering there have been no major breaks in this case after five episodes, anyone could be the killer in True Detective Season Three. And, if you look over at the True Detective subreddit, you'll see a lot of theories that Amelia—Wayne Hays's wife—is the real killer.
This theory first emerged early in the season when Amelia and Hays are on their first date back in 1980. During their dinner, she begins at one point to say: "The way they put Will... Like you said about the toys, it shows care." But she quickly changes the subject. As fans have pointed out, it appears that she stopped herself because Hays hadn't yet shared with her the information about how Will's body was placed when he was found.
As the season has progressed, fans have latched onto this theory, applying it to every other piece of evidence—no matter how small. Some fans think that Hays actually botched the case intentionally because he found evidence that implicated his wife. They argue that his knowledge of her involvement is what causes the tension in their marriage and explains her obsession with writing about the case—including how she has so many private details in the book. In Episode Five, Hays reads her book for the first time and finds a quote from Lucy Purcell that comes directly from the mysterious ransom note.
But, as passionate as the Amelia Truthers are, there's an opposite movement of fans online proving that it couldn't possibly be Hays's wife behind the murder. Take for example, this user, who put together a number of quotes about Season Three that seem to explain why they wouldn't possibly make Amelia the killer.
Another reading of the first five episodes goes as far to say that Amelia not only had no involvement with the murder, but she's in fact the real True Detective here:
Amelia seems to be the one shut down again and again when it comes to her ideas about the case. I know we take Wayne's side that she is voyeur and excited about something he wants to move on from. But she is the one who finds the little boy to recognize the dolls. She is the one who asks whether or not Julie's fingerprints were behind the counter. She is the one mentions the feeling of affection for Will in how he was laid to rest. She even says during dinner if they have looked for Julie at a women's shelter. Yet she is shut down and shut out. Wayne doesn't even read her book.
I feel like Amelia is NOT in on the murders or connected. I feel like she is the true detective in this story and we can't see it because we are so enamored with Wayne and Roland, so invested in them solving and figuring out this case. I even feel like the connection between Wayne and Amelia (and they are connected, holding hands, finding space to love each other despite the difficulties) is because they see this laser focus and this tracking ability in each other. Notice how she watches him, just as intensely as he initially watches her. And there's a parallel in how she mistakes and pushes too far with Lucy Purcell and how Wayne pushes too far with Tom.
I think its wrong to characterize her as suspicious. In Season 1, who ended up being the real catalyst between Marty and Rust? Maggie. And Maggie showed that she like Rust and Marty could refrain from telling the whole truth about what happened in the past. I think we are missing the subtlties of the story and unfairly casting Amelia in negative light. And wouldn't be deeply ironic if we found out the Wayne left the force to save his marriage because he couldn't solve the case, when what he needed (to work with Amelia) was right there all along?
That's a pretty cool reading of the story, one that really highlights what a jealous, incompetent asshole Hays has been through all of this.
But for anyone looking to really put this theory to bed, there's one quote from creator Nic Pizzolatto on Instagram that directly addresses Amelia's guilt. A fan asks how Amelia knew how Will's body was positioned when he was found. Pizzolatto responds:
He mentioned it broadly to her; that Will was laid in a cave and posed as if at peace. The exact line got cut for time. Not a slip up! She's a good person!
Seems pretty clear to me. But then again, this show is full of red herrings everywhere else.
Matt Miller is a Brooklyn-based culture/lifestyle writer and music critic whose work has appeared in Esquire, Forbes, The Denver Post, and documentaries.
