Warning: Major spoilers for Only Murders in the Building season 5 ahead.
Only Murders in the Building closes out season 5 with a signature Arconia cocktail of twists, heartbreak, and one jaw-dropping killer reveal. After a season of mob intrigue and meticulously planted red herrings, the Hulu hit finally unmasks the person behind Lester the Doorman’s tragic death — and sets the stage for the trio’s next case right at their front door.
Who Killed Lester The Doorman?
The finale confirms that Mayor Beau Tillman, played by Keegan-Michael Key, is the one who killed Lester (Teddy Coluca). It’s a reveal that reframes the season’s mob storyline and draws a direct line from a messy affair to a deadly cover-up.
Beau’s affair with Sofia (Téa Leoni), the wife of feared mobster Nicky (Bobby Cannavale), lights the fuse. After discovering the betrayal, Nicky exacts a chilling piece of revenge by cutting off his own finger — the very same mystery finger that turned up in Oliver’s apartment at the tail end of last season. That grotesque calling card isn’t just shock value; it’s the connective tissue that binds the season’s seemingly disparate threads.
When Lester realizes the Arconia is in the crosshairs, he makes a desperate move to protect the building by killing Nicky before the mob can seize control. That act paints a target on his back. For Beau, who’s juggling a clandestine casino deal with Camila White (Renée Zellweger), Sebastian ‘Bash’ Steed (Christoph Waltz), and Jay Pflug (Logan Lerman), the fallout threatens to expose everything — the affair, the severed finger, and the payouts that could compromise his office.
In a harrowing confrontation, Beau shoves Lester into the Arconia’s courtyard fountain. Lester strikes his head and dies instantly. The crime is intimate and shockingly cruel, carried out in the very space Lester watched over for years. It’s a devastating twist for a character who quietly served as the building’s steadfast guardian.
How Mabel, Oliver, And Charles Cracked The Case
The trio’s breakthrough hinges on the series’ signature blend of morbid humor and meticulous sleuthing. Lester tried to text Mabel (Selena Gomez), Oliver (Martin Short), and Charles (Steve Martin) the name of his killer in his final moments, but a mangled autocorrect renders the message nearly useless. Once the team reframes the typo and retraces their steps, Beau’s motive, timeline, and connections click into place.
Realizing he’s cornered, Beau locks Mabel, Oliver, and Charles inside a hidden room as the Arconia’s demolition countdown ticks away. It’s a ticking-clock set piece that doubles as a meta nod to the show’s love of theatrical flourishes and tight third-act staging. The trio’s escape is classic Only Murders: resourceful, dryly funny, and rooted in their unshakable bond.
With minutes to spare, they expose Beau’s scheme and the cover-up surrounding Nicky, the casino money, and the severed finger. The truth, once public, leads to Beau’s arrest and spares the Arconia — for now. The building lives to see another day, thanks once again to its resident amateur podcasters.
The Final Twist Brings The Case Full Circle
Only Murders rarely ends a season without a stinger, and the season 5 finale delivers a doozy. In a reflective moment, Mabel, Oliver, and Charles queue up Cinda Canning’s (Tina Fey) first-season podcast about a notorious case involving a red-haired British woman accused of killing a royal heir. The cold open-style revisit seems like a nostalgic detour — until it isn’t.
The twist is that Cinda’s sensational story tracks back to herself. In the closing moments, Cinda stumbles through the streets with bloodied hands before collapsing near the Arconia, where she’s found dead. It’s a shocking reversal that flips the true-crime podcaster back into a true-crime subject — and drops the next mystery literally on the trio’s doorstep.
The imagery is pointed. Cinda, once the slick narrative puppet master, ends up as a tragic cliffhanger. Her death doesn’t just promise another case; it also interrogates the ethics of the show-within-the-show ecosystem that Only Murders loves to poke at — who tells the story, who profits, and who pays the price.
Why The Season 5 Ending Works
The finale ties together the season’s wildest elements — mob reprisals, political corruption, and a severed finger — with character-driven stakes. Lester’s death lands because of the show’s long-running affection for the Arconia’s staff and eccentrics. Making the mayor the killer allows the series to skewer power and image while maintaining its playful tone.
It also showcases the series’ precision with clues. From the finger in Oliver’s apartment to the casino partners circling the neighborhood, the breadcrumbs feel cleverly placed without undercutting the surprise. Even the autocorrect gag doubles as a puzzle-box mechanic that keeps the reveal on-brand.
Guest stars add juice without overwhelming the core trio. Key brings a polished menace to Beau; Leoni and Cannavale embody combustible chaos; and the likes of Renée Zellweger, Christoph Waltz, and Logan Lerman deepen the season’s money-and-influence web. The Arconia remains the beating heart, as charmingly unsafe as ever.
By the end, Only Murders in the Building season 5 balances resolution with momentum. Beau is in handcuffs, the Arconia is saved, and a new corpse resets the board. Mabel, Oliver, and Charles sit exactly where fans want them: together, curious, and one play button away from their next chapter.
