Sumith Prasad
The sixth episode of Paramount+’s teen series ‘School Spirits’ follows Maddie and Simon’s efforts to find out whether Claire killed the former. The two best friends consider the possibility of Claire believing that Maddie shot the video of her arguing with Mr. Anderson concerning their secrets and her killing her former best friend to prevent the video from getting leaked. They seek the help of Xavier to “crack” Claire and elicit a confession from her. Meanwhile, police officers arrest Roger South AKA Mr. South for Maddie’s murder, astounding the late girl’s mother Sandra. So, did the school janitor kill Maddie? Let’s find out! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Real Culprit Behind Maddie’s Death
In the fifth episode of the series, the police officers find Maddie’s backpack in an abandoned house owned by Claire’s stepfather. Since the house and surroundings become a subject of interest, the officers continue searching in and around the property, only to discover the possible murder weapon. The same belonged to Split River High School, only for the police to conclude that the school janitor Mr. South is Maddie’s possible killer, especially since he is the only one who has access to the toolbox where the discovered “weapon” was kept. Mr. Anderson informs the police that South might have come to know about the enormous amount Maddie had gotten from him for the janitor to possibly kill her to lay his hands on the same.
First of all, there isn’t any proof that Maddie received any money from Anderson. Even though the late girl isn’t able to remember anything concerning her death, she remembers everything concerning her life until the events that led to her murder. When Maddie listens to her teacher telling Claire about him giving her money, in return for her silence, the former tells her best friend Simon that she didn’t receive any such amount. If Maddie didn’t ever possess an enormous amount of money, Mr. South didn’t have any reason to kill her. If that’s the case, Anderson can be Maddie’s killer and he must be framing the school janitor to safeguard himself.
Anderson might have been blackmailed not by Maddie but by someone who used her name. The person must have sent Anderson and Claire’s video to them pretending to be Maddie to gain money from them without revealing his/hers/their real identity. The teacher must have given the money to the same person thinking the latter is Maddie, which explains why the former is convinced that he “settled” the late girl when she is convinced about not receiving any such money from her teacher. Anderson, under the impression that Maddie blackmailed him, must have confronted and impulsively killed her to protect his and Claire’s secrets.
The sixth episode of the series makes it clear that Maddie’s close friend Nicole is involved in the predicament in one way or another. She can be the person who shot Anderson and Claire’s video and received the money from the teacher using Maddie’s identity. If Anderson isn’t the killer, it can be Nicole. When Simon asks Nicole about the person behind Anderson and Claire’s video, she tries her best to deviate from the topic, which further supports the theory that she is the one behind the video. She must have sent the same to the duo to extort money from them, possibly to set up a new life in Chicago, where she wants to pursue higher studies.
Maddie might have come to know about Nicole possibly receiving money from their teacher, leading to a confrontation. Nicole must have killed her friend on an impulse to hide her secret and buried her, possibly with the murder weapon, in the woods where she digs at the end of the sixth episode. Nicole digs at the place frantically after Sheriff Baxter lets her and Sandra know about the murder weapon. Since the news terrifies Nicole and leads her to dig at the place, it is safe to assume that she most likely knows about the murder weapon beforehand. If she is the real killer, somebody must have unearthed the murder weapon to frighten her.
Mr. South can be the victim of a frame-up. Although only he has the access to the toolbox where the murder weapon was kept, the killer must have stolen the keys to the box to take the weapon. Considering all these factors, South may not be the murderer.
Read More: What Happened to Maddie’s Body in School Spirits? Where is it?
