Who was Chase killed in Where The Crawdads sing?

It’s always interesting to note which movies began as books.

Some of the most acclaimed and respected filmmakers of all time have drawn inspiration from the novels they’ve read, compelled to bring them to screens. Indeed, a number of the biggest movie franchises of all time – from The Lord Of The Rings to Harry Potter – have come from the page.

One of the latest movies to demand widespread attention is Where The Crawdads Sing, an American mystery drama based on Delia Owens’ 2018 novel of the same name.

Olivia Newman directs and Reese Witherspoon produces. Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Catherine “Kya”Clark, a young woman growing up in North Carolina’s marshlands. After being long removed from her family, Clark begins a relationship Chase Andrews, a quarterback, who promises her a happy marriage. In the aftermath of their breakup, he attempts to rape them. After that, she’s arrested and charged with murder.

You will find yourselves hounded by a pressing question as the narrative propels forward… Who killed Chase in Where The Crawdads Sing?

***WARNING: MAJOR WHERE CRAWDADS SING SPOILERS Ahead***

Who was Chase killed in Where The Crawdads sing?

It’s eventually revealed Kya is responsible for the death of Chase Andrews.

She is the murderer in both the book and new movie but let’s focus on the events of the film and explain what happens in the ending.

After a lengthy and tension-fuelled trial, the jury rules Kya is innocent and she is ruled out as a suspect in Chase’s death, concluding it must have been an accident. Kya, Tate and her first love are now free to enjoy a happy marriage. They remain together in the marsh for many more years, until Kya passes away on a boat floating on the marsh, where she had lived her whole life.

An aged Tate and the audience then find a secret notebook that contains the piece of evidence that connects her to Chase’s murder: the shell necklace officials couldn’t locate.

It was still on his body at the time of his passing and was a gift from Kya right before his death. The authorities never found it in Kya’s home despite turning it upside down in the search for anything incriminating.

How did she manage it?

Although the movie doesn’t contain a flashback scene of the murder, Cinemablend notes it’s suggested she asked him to meet her at the top of a lookout before pushing him off.

Kya had a conference with publishers when he died, which gave her an alibi, but there’s definitely a short amount of time where she may have rushed to murder Chase. The bus stop was close by, so she had enough time to travel home fast.

After killing Chase, she probably jumped back on the bus to go after having destroyed any evidence. She was able to meet the publishers, creating the illusion that she was actually in her motel during the entire time.

She kept it secret from everyone to make sure she was allowed to continue with her trial. Not even Tate.

‘The book moved me deeply’

Olivia Newman, the director of The Novel, spoke candidly about bringing it to screen during a chat with Refinery29:

“Making this movie has been one of the greatest creative gifts I’ve ever been given. The book moved me deeply, and I really wanted to do justice to Delia’s gorgeous novel. And the wonderful thing about working with all these amazing female department heads was that they all came in equally passionate about the novel, and they all felt very connected to Kya and her story.”

She also added: “So we shared that drive to do justice to Delia’s book, recreate Kya’s world as best we could, and bring it to life on the big screen in a way that really captured the heart and soul of the novel.”

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