The Shocking Truth: 5 Key Reasons Why Margo Killed Abby In 'The Hunting Wives'

The mystery that captivated fans of the dark, suburban thriller The Hunting Wives is officially solved. The central question of "Who Killed Abby?" kept viewers guessing until the final moments of the first season, and the answer was a stunning twist that implicated one of the show's most prominent characters. The series, which premiered in 2024, centers on the return of Sophie O'Neil to her old stomping grounds in East Texas and her entanglement with a group of elite, power-hungry women, whose secrets are as dark as the woods where the victim was found.

The murder of high school student Abby Jackson quickly becomes the core of the show's drama, turning every member of the titular group into a potential suspect. As of today, December 11, 2025, the final episodes have confirmed that the killer is none other than the group's charismatic, manipulative leader, Margo Banks. The motive was not random violence, but a desperate act to protect a devastating secret that would have shattered her perfect life and exposed a shocking, illicit affair. This definitive guide breaks down the killer, the motive, and the explosive plot points that led to the tragic death.

The Key Players: A Character and Cast Guide to the Murder Mystery

The intricate plot of The Hunting Wives revolves around a small circle of wealthy, interconnected individuals in the fictional town of East Texas. Understanding the relationships between these characters is crucial to grasping the killer's motive and the subsequent cover-up. The cast brought these complex, morally ambiguous figures to life, making the mystery all the more compelling.

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• Abby Jackson (Played by Madison Wolfe): The victim. A high school student and girlfriend of Brad, she was found dead in the woods early in the season. Her death is the catalyst for the entire series.
• Margo Banks (Played by Malin Åkerman): The Killer. The wealthy, magnetic, and controlling leader of The Hunting Wives. Her carefully constructed life is what she fought desperately to protect.
• Sophie O’Neil (Played by Brittany Snow): The Protagonist. She returns to East Texas and is drawn into Margo's orbit and the murder investigation. Her gun is the one identified as the murder weapon, making her a prime suspect.
• Brad (Played by George Ferrier): The Teenage Boyfriend. Abby's boyfriend, and the son of Jill. He was secretly having an affair with Margo, which is the central secret leading to the murder.
• Jill (Played by Katie Lowes): Brad’s Mother. Initially a suspect, her character is fiercely protective of her son, and in the original novel, she is the killer, adding a layer of misdirection to the series.

The Shocking Truth: Margo Banks is Abby Jackson's Killer

The revelation that Margo Banks was the person who killed Abby Jackson was a major twist, primarily because she had a seemingly "rock-solid alibi" throughout the investigation. Margo, played with chilling precision by Malin Åkerman, was the least likely suspect in the eyes of many viewers, but the final episodes confirmed her guilt. She was the one who pulled the trigger, shooting Abby to silence her and ensure her own secrets remained buried.

The series masterfully built up a list of suspects, including Sophie, Jill, and even Pastor Pete, Brad’s youth pastor. The trail of evidence was intentionally confusing. Sophie O'Neil's gun was found to be the murder weapon, which led to her being the primary focus of the investigation for a significant portion of the season. This misdirection allowed Margo to operate in the shadows, maintaining her facade of innocence and control over the group.

Margo's Twisted Motive: The Affair, The Abortion, and The Threat

Margo’s reason for murdering a teenage girl was not borne out of a sudden fit of rage, but a cold, calculated decision to protect her entire life from public scrutiny. The motive is a complex web of deceit and desperation, making the final confession all the more disturbing. The core of her motive can be broken down into three shocking elements:

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1. The Illicit Affair with Brad

The most immediate and damning secret Margo was hiding was her sexual relationship with Brad, the son of fellow Hunting Wife, Jill, and Abby's boyfriend. Margo, a married woman and a pillar of the community, was having an affair with a literal teenage boy. Abby, who was dating Brad, discovered the truth about the affair. This discovery gave Abby immense leverage over Margo.

2. The Threat of Exposure

Abby was not just a passive victim; she was a threat. She confronted Margo and intended to expose the affair to the entire community. In the insular, judgmental world of East Texas high society, the revelation of Margo's affair with a minor would have meant instant social ruin, the destruction of her marriage, and potential legal consequences. Margo saw Abby not as a person, but as a ticking time bomb that had to be defused.

3. The Cover-Up of an Abortion

The motive was further complicated by a second, equally devastating secret: Margo had recently had an abortion. The show strongly implies that the pregnancy was a result of her affair with Brad. Abby was threatening to expose both the affair and the abortion. In a conservative Texas town, the exposure of an affair, especially one involving a teenage boy, coupled with the news of an abortion, would have been catastrophic for Margo’s image and social standing. Margo's decision to shoot Abby was the ultimate act of self-preservation to keep these two explosive secrets hidden forever.

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The Finale Explained: The Confession and The Smoking Gun

The season finale is where all the threads of the mystery come together. The confrontation between Sophie and Margo is the climax, leading to Margo's confession. The final revelation connects back to the beginning of the series, where Sophie’s gun was established as the murder weapon. Margo had used Sophie's gun to frame her, further complicating the investigation and keeping the heat off herself.

Margo relied on her brother, Kyle, to dispose of the actual murder weapon, but even this part of the cover-up went sideways when Kyle sold the gun, and the new owner was immediately arrested. This chain of events eventually led the evidence back to the Banks family and, ultimately, to Margo.

The Book vs. Series Twist

An interesting point for fans of the source material is the significant change between the novel, also titled The Hunting Wives by May Cobb, and the TV series. In the original book, the killer is actually Jill, Brad's mother, who is arrested by the end of the story. By changing the killer to Margo Banks, the showrunners delivered a true surprise to book readers and elevated the stakes of the central friendship/rivalry between Sophie and Margo, making the TV adaptation a unique and fresh experience.

The murder of Abby Jackson was the dark heart of The Hunting Wives season one. It was a story about the lengths a powerful person will go to preserve their perfect, yet utterly corrupt, life. Margo Banks, the show's ultimate villain, committed the heinous act, not out of passion, but out of a cold, calculated desire to protect her carefully constructed image from the explosive secrets of her affair with Brad and the subsequent abortion. The shocking ending leaves the door open for a second season to explore the aftermath of this devastating confession and the collapse of the East Texas elite's social structure.