Every Death In Cross Season 1 Explained

This article includes mentions of death by suicide and police brutality.

MAJOR SPOILERS for Cross season 1 are ahead!

Season 1 of Prime Video’s Cross includes a high body count, with each death having a significant purpose in the overall story and character arcs. The Amazon Prime Video show follows a forensic psychologist and detective named Alex Cross, who tries to solve murder cases while grieving the loss of his wife, Maria Cross.

In the first season, the titular detective tracks down a serial killer called The Fanboy, who obsesses over and idolizes dead serial killers. With The Fanboy and his helpers as the antagonists of the story, it’s no surprise that a high number of deaths occur. Ultimately, each death in Cross season 1 of the series is narratively necessary and influences the thoughts and actions of the main characters.

11 Maria Cross in Cross Episode 1

Killer: Miss Nancy (Conspirator) And Peter Lenox

The first scene in Cross is the murder of Maria, Alex Cross’ wife, and it sets the tone for his entire character arc in the show. He isn’t willing to address his grief at losing his wife, refusing to attend therapy until the end of Cross season 1. Alex emotionally distances himself from his kids and gets mad whenever they bring her up. Almost all of his impulsive and reckless decisions are rooted in his loss and his desire to find her killer.

In the last two episodes of Cross season 1, Alex finally learns who killed Maria Cross and why they’ve been tormenting his family. Miss Nancy conspired with her son Peter Lenox to murder Maria Cross in revenge because Alex told the courts that Dierdre Nolan couldn’t be rehabilitated for re-entry into society. Nancy blames Alex for her death behind bars, ignoring her culpability in what happened to Dierdre. Unfortunately, Maria Cross was simply collateral damage in a grudge against the detective.

10 Emir Goodspeed in Cross Episode 1

Killer: Ed Ramsey/The Fanboy

The murder case that brings The Fanboy to the attention of the police department is that of a political activist named Emir Goodspeed. While they initially think he died from an accidental drug overdose, Alex Cross notices elements out of place, like the fact that his locs were shaven off, he was sober leading up to his death, and they found pork in his stomach. The detective’s forensic psychology background allows him to view the death in a different way, and it is eventually revealed that he is right about someone murdering Emir.

The Fanboy, aka Ed Ramsey, chose Emir as his eleventh victim because the young man looked nearly identical to Maurice Freeman Jr., a real-life serial killer nicknamed The Sandman. He shaved Emir’s locs because the serial killer was bald. Ramsey force-fed his victim pork chops, mashed potatoes, and a chocolate cupcake to match the killer’s last meal.

9 Tavio Lemmons in Cross episode 1

Killer: A Sniper, At The Orders Of Ed Ramsey

Though the police captain wants to spin the story of Tavio’s murder as a gang-related killing, Cross knows this isn’t true, and he refuses to go along with this narrative. The Prime Video original later reveals that Tavio was killed by a sniper – presumed but not confirmed to be Bobby Trey – at the order of Ed Ramsey because Emir called Tavio the day of his death. Tavio had a message on his phone that identified the location where Emir went for a date.

If the police got ahold of this information, they would have reason to suspect Ed Ramsey as the killer. Ultimately, Vanessa sends this voicemail to her own phone so that she will have a record of what happened to Emir Goodspeed. Luckily, the police get a copy of this information, cluing them in to the fact that Tavio was most likely killed by whoever killed Emir.

8 Vanessa Norris in Cross episode 2

Killer: Bobby Trey

After Tavio was murdered, Vanessa stole his phone and hid away with Bobby Trey. It’s unclear what exactly she wanted to achieve. While Bobby Trey mostly killed at the order of Ed Ramsey, he broke rank by killing Vanessa of his own volition. He’d tried many times to get her to unlock Tavio’s phone, threatening to kill her if she didn’t. After she finally unlocks the phone and sends herself a text of the voicemail, Bobby Trey slits her throat, takes Tavio’s phone, and runs.

This moment shows the difference between Ed Ramsey and his minion. Ed thinks of himself as a moral and righteous killer, only killing when necessary. However, Bobby Trey could have easily just taken the phone and left. There was no reason to kill Vanessa since he had gotten what he wanted, but he did it anyway. In reality, Ed is fooling himself by thinking himself above frivolous murder; Bobby Trey and Ed Ramsey are equally bad.

7 Brenda Leeland in Cross episode 3

Killer: Alex Cross In Self-Defense

Early in Cross episode 3, a former incarcerated person named Brenda Leeland receives a box with a gun and the instructions “Kill Alex Cross.” While the show doesn’t directly show the person who gave her this, Peter Lenox most likely left the box. When Brenda goes after Alex Cross with the gun, he shoots her in self-defense, killing her. Unfortunately, nobody was around to verify that he was truly acting in self-defense because John Sampson was in a different area at the time of the shooting.

Ultimately, Alex Cross is cleared of the killing because they found the note with instructions. However, the Brenda Leeland incident feeds into the later perception that Alex Cross is a dirty cop. Once the video comes out of him beating up and pointing a gun at a Black man, there’s an unspoken implication that Cross engages in police brutality. They never directly bring up the Brenda Leeland case, but it could have been an influencing factor.

6 Stan Cikola in Cross episode 4

Killer: Ed Ramsey/The Fanboy

When it comes to Shannon Witmer’s kidnapping, many Cross supporting characters fail her by knowing where she is and having the ability to help but giving in to the demands of a wealthy, powerful man instead. They consistently bend their morals and values because they believe it will help them get ahead. However, Stan Cikola is the one character who does the right thing by trying to help Shannon after learning her location.

When she’s tied up and locked in the cabinet, Shannon knocks over a bottle with her foot. Stan hears the sound and turns around, so the captive starts screaming through her gag. He puts himself in danger by going over to the cabinet and opening it. Unfortunately, Ed presumably heard the thump and screams, too, because he comes into the room and takes the back of a hammer to Stan’s head, splattering the blood all over Shannon.

5 Chris Wu in Cross episode 4

Killer: Bobby Trey

Chris Wu is a police officer colleague of Alex Cross and a former coworker of Bobby Trey. He’s the one who steals the book back from the police and takes it to Bobby Trey. It’s unclear whether Cross knew about Chris’ betrayal or if he put a tracker on the book. Either way, the titular police officer shows up at the drop sight, so Bobby Trey shoots Chris Wu to escape.

This doesn’t work out for Bobby Trey, though, because Cross brought John Sampson as backup. As such, John stays with Chris, trying to save his life, while Alex Cross chases after the murderer. Ultimately, this murder in Cross season 1 proves two things. Firstly, it points to the idea that police corruption exists within the department, foreshadowing Lt. Massey’s betrayal. Secondly, it reaffirms that Bobby Trey has zero qualms about murdering anyone, even someone he likes, if it’s convenient for him.

4 Rodney in Cross episode 6

Killer: Michael Grisham (Involuntarily) And Ed Ramsey

In Cross episode 6, the eponymous police officer travels to another state to visit someone who knew Ed Ramsey in his childhood, uncovering long-buried secrets. Michael Grisham was a former singer in a macabre band with which Ed was obsessed. On stage, they would mime ritual sacrifices. When Alex Cross talks to Michael, the latter reveals that he knew for years that Ed was dangerous because he had seen him murder someone years earlier.

Michael pulls out a video recording where Ed convinces Michael and a man named Rodney – both of whom were drunk – to participate in a fake ritual sacrifice. They pose for photos with Michael holding a dagger over Rodney’s heart. Under the guise of fixing the pose, Ed comes over, grabs Michael’s hands, and forces the knife into Rodney’s heart. This scene is crucial to understanding Ed’s background and urge to kill.

3 Michael Grisham in Cross episode 6

Killer: Lt. Oracene Massey

Despite his hesitation and fear of being incriminated for the murder, Michael Grisham comes forward about Ed Ramsey killing Rodney in the past. He travels to DC, and the police department puts him in a safe house until he can speak to the grand jury the following day. However, in one of the most shocking moments, Lt. Massey shoots Michael in the head while he’s talking to her unborn fetus.

This isn’t the first time the show has brought up police corruption, but it is one of the most impactful because Massey seems like a genuine and kind person throughout Cross season 1. She later reveals to John that Ed is the reason she’s pregnant. He paid for her visits to a fertility doctor in exchange for her helping him hide his crimes. He chipped away at her boundaries, pushing the limit until it reached the point of murder.

2 Officer Jim Farley in Cross Episode 7

Killer: Ed Ramsey/The Fanboy

After Ed Ramsey injects himself with drugs that stop his heart in Cross, he wakes up in the hospital morgue. He makes the coroner lose consciousness and steals his clothing. Ramsey then goes up to Shannon’s hospital room and tells Officer Jim Farley that he needs to check on her. However, the officer does his job, stopping Ed to check his badge. Ed Ramsey motions like he’s grabbing his badge but then stabs Officer Farley repeatedly with a scalpel, placing him back in a seated position afterward.

Ultimately, Officer Farley’s death doesn’t have much emotional impact since he’s not shown on the screen prior to that scene. However, it does point to the fact that Ed Ramsey isn’t the wholesome, moral killer he believes himself to be. When push comes to shove, he jumps to murder rather than trying any other tactic to get inside the room.

1 Miss Nancy in Cross episode 8

Death By Suicide

The final death at the end of Cross season 1 occurs when Miss Nancy dies by suicide. Prior to this decision, her son, Peter Lenox, learns that she is the reason that Dierdre ever went to prison. She convinced the woman to admit to Peter’s crime, saying that Dierdre would never get charged for more than a short period because she was a pretty, young, white woman with no past history.

However, she never discussed this with Peter, letting him believe throughout Cross that Dierdre made that decision entirely of her own volition. He starts berating her about making the decision for him and causing Dierdre’s death. He refuses to help her hurt Alex Cross’ kids, seeing them as innocent parties like Dierdre was. Ultimately, she can’t face her decision and the fact that Peter knows about her lie, thinking that there’s no other choice but to die by suicide.

Suicide is never the answer. If you or someone you love is experiencing suicidal ideation, please call 988 or visit
988Lifeline.org
(US) or
FindAHelpline.com
(international) for help.