Sumith Prasad
In Apple TV+’s legal thriller series ‘Presumed Innocent,’ the revelation that Carolyn Polhemus was pregnant at the time of her death stuns the officials headed by Raymond Horgan. The discovery not only makes the murder investigation intricate but also increases the impact of the crime among the colleagues of the late prosecutor. When Raymond leaves his office for Nico Della Guardia, Rusty Sabich gets forced to hand the case over to his competitor, Tommy Molto. While Rusty focuses on the similarities between Carolyn and Bunny Davis’ murders, Tommy tries to make progress in the case by unveiling the identity of the father of Carolyn’s baby! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Rebirth of an Affair
Rusty Sabich is the father of Carolyn Polhemus’ baby. Rusty had an intense extramarital relationship with Carolyn that started around a year ago. After getting close while working on cases together, both of them were conquered by the sexual tension that existed between them. Carolyn’s uninhibited way of expressing her desires captivated Rusty enough to nurture the togetherness they had despite him being married to Barbara Sabich. Eventually, Barbara not only learned about the affair but also made it clear to her husband that it had to end for their marriage to survive the betrayal. Since Carolyn initiated the breakup, Rusty was forced to accept the separation and return to his family emotionally.
However, Rusty and Carolyn continued to work together. The closeness they shared while delving into intricate cases brought them back to their once-expired relationship. Even though the rejuvenated togetherness didn’t last more than around a week, it was long enough for Rusty and Carolyn to reignite the intensity they had nearly a year ago, which paved the way for her pregnancy. The enigmatic prosecutor became pregnant with Rusty’s baby, and most likely, she chose to hide it from her partner. Even though they shared a passionate companionship, Carolyn was never ready to open her life to Rusty. That was the reason why she didn’t even inform him that she had a son.
Carolyn might have been convinced that she could not end up together with Rusty for good. If she had learned about her pregnancy, she must have chosen to hide it from her on-and-off partner, fearing his unceasing presence in her personal life. After their second breakup, Rusty confesses to stalking Carolyn as he couldn’t accept the separation. His obsession with her must have convinced her to keep her pregnancy a secret to ensure that Rusty kept a distance from her. If he had known about their baby, considering his love for her, he must have sabotaged his relationship with Barbara and gone after Carolyn to get back together with her.
The Consequences of the Fatherhood
Carolyn’s possible decision to hide her pregnancy leads Rusty to the accused’s chair. When Tommy starts to investigate the murder case, he realizes that the father of her baby may have a strong motive to kill her. He connects the pregnancy with Rusty’s fingerprints that were found in Carolyn’s bedroom to theorize that they had a sexual relationship. His doubts are confirmed when Rusty becomes defensive about the nature of his relationship with the late prosecutor. Tommy then moves forward with the paternity test, only for a police officer to take Rusty’s samples during the raid in his house. The test’s result confirms that he is indeed the father of Carolyn’s baby.
Rusty’s fatherhood of Carolyn’s baby makes it easier for Tommy to build a case against him. When the murder trial begins, we may see the attorney trying to establish that Rusty killed the late prosecutor because she rejected him despite him being the father of her baby. The accused’s devices, filled with photos and emails concerning Carolyn, may help the prosecutor as well.
Read More: Is Harrison Ford in Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent?
