Defending Jacob ending explained: Did Jacob Barber murder Ben Rifkin?

Defending Jacob is a limited series made for Apple TV. The show stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel, Sakina Jaffrey and J.K. Simmons. It is based on a book with the same name by William Landay. Defending Jacob ending has posed a lot of questions about the show and the plot in the minds of the audience. 

ALSO READ | Disappearance At Clifton Hill Ending Explained: How Does Abby Solve The Kidnapping Case?

Defending Jacob ending explained

The last episode of Defending Jacob starts with the Assistant District Attorney and Jacob’s father Andy Barber getting a phone call from their family lawyer, Joanna Klein, that Leonard Patz had left a note moments before he had committed suicide. He confessed that he was the one who killed Ben. Andy had always suspected Patz, and after the police get the note confirmed to be that of Patz, Jacob is acquitted.

Ben’s father Dan, however, meets the Barbers in a car park but is stopped by a henchman who was stalking the Barbers. Father O’Leary, the henchman, was asked to protect the family by Andy’s father and convicted murderer Billy. The suicide, confession and photographs that were deleted by Leonard from his phone point at the fact that he murdered Ben. While it seems that they met their happy ending, there is yet another piece of information revealed.

ALSO READ | The Vast Of Night Ending Explained: What Happens To Everett And Fay At The End?

Did Jacob Do It?

Andy comes to know from Lynn Canavan that some eyewitnesses had seen an old blue Lincoln car outside Leonard’s home the night he had died. This Lincoln car is similar to the one Father O’Leary drives. Andy then confronts his father Billy about this. Flashbacks are shown where he can be seen involved in this, but he refuses it in front of Andy. Billy had asked Father O’Leary to go to Patz and ask him to take the charge upon him, strangling him to death later.

Andy storms away and decides to not tell anything to Laurie. He tries to forget about this, but the truth comes out. The Barbers were on a holiday when Jacob meets Hope Connors. They go out on a romantic meal together, but Andy and Laurie see Jacob back home earlier than expected and not in the same white shirt that he had worn.

Hope cannot be found the next day and the Mexico police think of Jacob as the prime suspect. Andy gets drunk and reveals his father’s involvement with Laurie. Laurie is now convinced that Jacob had killed Ben and possibly Hope as well. Laurie gets distant from Andy and Jacob and goes to Rifkin's' to confess about Jacob. But Ben’s mother Joan was struggling to cope. Laurie decides to take matters in her own hands. She takes Jacob with her for a haircut but confronts him, to tell the truth. Jacob refuses again and again. Laurie drives in full speed, crashing the car into a tunnel wall, possibly killing them both.

ALSO READ | 'Raktanchal' ending explained: A final face off between Waseem Khan and Vijay Singh

Did Jacob Barber kill Ben?

In the end, it is shown that Jacob is in a coma. Their car incident is deemed as an accident and Laurie is also hurt gravely. Andy sits in Jacob’s room quietly as the show ends.

The Defending Jacob ending does not unveil whether Jacob did kill Ben. Although everything points out the fact that he committed the murder. Jacob’s behaviour and Hope’s disappearance convinces Laurie. The open-ended show leaves it to the viewers to decide on it. Defending Jacob book ending is also open-ended, with Laurie driving Jacob and crashing the car. Jacob, in the book, dies.

ALSO READ | Homecoming Season 2 Ending Explained | How does Walter gets his final revenge?