Only Murders in the Building exclusive: Killer speaks out after big reveal

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The Only Murders in the Building killer has spoken out for the first time since the big reveal.

In the second season of Hulu’s comedy-crime series, the trio of amateur sleuths, Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez), find themselves trying to solve Bunny’s (Jane Houdyshell) murder in order to prove their innocence.

After 10 episodes of dead ends, the three true-crime podcasters settled on the correct identity of the murderer in the season finale, which premiered on Tuesday (23 August).

Beware, major spoilers to follow for the ‘Only Murders in the Building’ finale.

In a new interview with The Independent, actor Adina Verson offered an exclusive take on her character Poppy White’s trajectory from innocent podcast assistant to murderous jailbird.

“I was so excited. And then, like a little weirded out that I was so excited,” Verson said of finding out she was the killer. She revealed that the writers filled her in before they began shooting season two.

“I think it's just such an honour to have the writers and John Hoffman, the showrunner, trust me enough to have such an integral piece in this story this season.”

Adina Verson as Poppy White on ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (HULU)
Adina Verson as Poppy White on ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (HULU)

Audiences first met Poppy in the fourth episode of season one, as the silenced and overshadowed assistant to Tina Fey’s Cinda Canning – the face of Only Murders in the Building’s competing podcast, All is Not OK in Oklahoma.

It’s later revealed in season two’s finale that Poppy is actually Becky Butler, the young Oklahoma girl whose 2015 disappearance was “solved” by Cinda.

“I think the writers did a really great job at dropping tiny, tiny, tiny clues,” Verson added. Keen-eyed viewers may have picked up on some of the hints that alluded to Poppy’s true identity, including her perfect pronunciation of Chickasha, Oklahoma “something obviously a native would know”. And an even subtler visual cue of Poppy, featured on the podcast’s poster, underneath the question, “Where is Becky Butler?”

“They've done such a good job of weaving her through in such a subtle way. And the twists and turns are things that I don't think anybody could anticipate,” Verson said.

When Cinda becomes worried that her competition will supersede her, she becomes desperate for another murder case to investigate. So, in hopes of being seen as more than the errand-runner, Poppy takes matters into her own hands and kills Bunny for their next big story.

“They've done such a good job humanising Poppy,” Verson said. “I see Becky as being this little wounded creature. And I think that underneath every villain is a sort of wounded creature.”

Martin Short, Selena Gomez, and Steve Martin on ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (Barbara Nitke/Hulu)
Martin Short, Selena Gomez, and Steve Martin on ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (Barbara Nitke/Hulu)

As for what’s next for Becky/Poppy, Verson isn’t sure whether or not audiences can expect to see her in the upcoming third season although she’s “really hoping so”.

“With this show, if you’re in prison, it does not mean you’re gone.”

Only Murders in the Building is available to stream on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in the UK.