Summary
- Murder victims in YOU didn't deserve their fates. The show thrives on moral ambiguity, with deaths reflecting Joe's twisted morality.
- Deaths on the show range from karmic to unjust. Each death reshapes the moral compass, setting up ruthless stakes.
- Deaths like Benji, Peach, James, Delilah, and Candace showcase the toxic duo of Joe and Love. Their victims pay the ultimate price.
Netflix’s YOU thrives on delivering jaw-dropping twists, but nothing stings quite like watching a character meet an untimely death that they didn’t deserve. Joe Goldberg’s obsessive spiral and Love Quinn’s equally unhinged chaos leave a trail of bodies that keeps fans hooked to the show. From collateral damage in Joe's romantic pursuits to victims caught in Love’s crossfire, each death reshaped the show’s moral compass.
To be clear: No one in YOU deserved to be murdered. Maybe a few deserve to be locked up, but murder is another story. That’s where the show gets dark, twisted, and messy. The show thrives on moral ambiguity, dangling characters in that gray area between flawed and unforgivable. Some deaths feel almost karmic, while others are so brutally unjust that they leave fans reeling.
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9 Benji Ashby
A Rival Boyfriend Out Of The Picture
Benji, Guinevere Beck’s privileged on-and-off boyfriend from Season 1, was hardly likable. He was entitled, shallow, and had a frat-boy past that included him hazing someone to death, but that still doesn’t justify Joe killing Benji.
Joe, fueled by jealousy, traps Benji in the bookstore basement and uncovers that damning hazing video. Then, in an unexpected move, he spikes Benji’s coffee with peanut oil, exploiting his deadly allergy for a slow, suffocating death. The scene of Benji in the infamous glass cage, begging for his life and losing his mind, sets the tone for YOU’s ruthless stakes and Joe’s twisted morality.
8 Peach Salinger
The Whip-Smart Best Friend
Peach Salinger, Beck’s possessive bestie in Season 1, is a force — wealthy, sharp, and onto Joe from day one. Beneath her privileged exterior lay sincere concern for Beck, which unfortunately pitted her directly against Joe.
After a failed jogging attack, Joe tracks Peach to her Connecticut estate, shoots her, and stages it as a suicide. Peach’s cunning nearly exposes Joe for who he is, but her fatal mistake was underestimating his willingness to “protect” Beck at any cost. The tragedy is that Joe didn’t kill her for her sins, but because she became a threat to their relationship.
7 James
The Husband Who Wanted Out
Love Quinn’s first husband, James, never even appeared alive on screen, yet his death was disturbingly unjust. Viewers don’t know much about James, but that’s the point— it was the perfect way to set up Love's obsessive and dangerous tendencies and how they mirror Joe’s twisted psyche.
At first, Love claims that her husband’s “illness” took his life, but the truth slips out in Season 3’s finale: she poisoned him with aconite after he pushed for divorce. Love claims she only meant to paralyze him for a chat, but fans know how that conversation would’ve gone with James’ inability to sign. His off-screen death established Love as Joe’s equal when it came to being murderously toxic.
6 Natalie Engler
Wrong Place, Wrong Gaze
Natalie’s abrupt death in Season 3 hit like a wrecking ball. Love Quinn murdered her out of jealousy and rage over Joe's obsession. Natalie was simply in the wrong place, under the wrong gaze, at the worst possible time. It’s the murder equivalent of a quickie that sparked the season’s chaos, leaving Joe scrubbing the floor to clean up Love’s mess.
Natlie’s death was purely collateral damage, killed not for her actions but because of Love’s insecurity. Her death set the tone for Season 3’s nightmare, proving that Joe and Love’s toxic duo couldn’t be contained by white picket fences.
5 Forty Quinn
The Twin That Didn't Survive
Love’s twin brother, Forty, started as a chaotic mess but evolved into Season 2’s tragic hero. His addiction struggles and cringey screenplay rants didn’t undermine his determination to save his sister. After piecing together Joe's murderous history, Forty was shot dead by an officer who misread the scene, thinking Joe was in danger.
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Forty’s death was such an irony. He died as he lived: misunderstood. His death painfully demonstrated the tragic cost of getting too close to Joe’s truths. Fans adored his chaotic charm, and losing him carved a void in the seasons that came after.
4 Delilah Alves
Too Smart for Her Own Good
Delilah was the no-nonsense building manager who saw through Joe’s “nice guy” act. She was a rock — independent, protective, and morally solid. However, her suspicious mind led her to uncover Joe’s terrifying secret cage, sealing her tragic fate.
Joe locks her up, but Love Quinn delivers the final cut, slashing her throat to shield her man. Delilah’s death wasn’t just shocking, but also reinforced the show’s chilling message: sometimes, being right is the worst possible outcome. It was a blindsiding killing that left Ellie orphaned and fans reeling.
3 Edward
Framed For The Murders
Edward was Nadia’s ride-or-die boyfriend, helping her expose Joe’s dark secrets. He’s a straight arrow — supportive, brave, and now, dead for it. This off-screen murder highlighted Joe’s evolution from impulsive killer to calculated puppeteer. Unlike earlier victims, Edward wasn’t entangled in Joe’s romances — he was purely collateral.
Joe kills him and frames Nadia for it, pinning the “Eat the Rich” murders on him, too. It’s a cold, calculated play that lets Joe walk free. Joe proves yet again that nobody’s relationship is safe if he’s in the picture.
2 Candace Stone
The Ghost Of Joe's Buried Ex
Candace Stone’s shocking return raised the stakes in season 2; she’d survived Joe’s violence once and aimed to finally expose him. Being one of his first victims, Candace crawled out of her grave to put an end to Joe’s killing spree. She managed to trap Joe in his own cage, but in one of the biggest twists in TV history, Love Quinn stabbed her in the neck to save her man.
Candace’s death was a gut punch, since she was one of the very few people who escaped Joe’s clutches. Candace deserved justice and closure, yet her efforts ended tragically at the hands of another obsessive person.
1 Guinevere Beck
Killing His Darling
Guinevere Beck is Joe’s first obsession — an aspiring writer full of hope. While navigating New York’s literary scene, she makes one bad choice after the other: bad boyfriends, career doubts, and finally, the infamous psychopath.
Beck is oblivious to Joe's stalking until she finds his trophy stash, and soon finds herself trapped in the glass cage. She fights to escape, but Joe strangles her, framing it as suicide. Though heartbreaking, it’s the death that cemented the show's raw and twisted tone, revealing that her only crime was being the target of Joe’s warped idea of love and affection.
- Release Date
- 2018 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Lifetime, Netflix
- Showrunner
- Sera Gamble, Greg Berlanti
- Directors
- Marcos Siega, Lee Toland Krieger, Cherie Nowlan, DeMane Davis, Kellie Cyrus, Marta Cunningham, Martha Mitchell, Victoria Mahoney, Erin Feeley
- Writers
- Justin W. Lo
Cast
-
Penn BadgleyJoe Goldberg -
Elizabeth LailGuinevere Beck -
Annie AldingtonPauline -
Nicole KangLynn Lieser
