Only Murders in the Building season 5 episode 9 ending explained: What did Randall reveal to the trio?

Created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, Only Murders in the Building is a Hulu mystery comedy drama that centers on three amateur detectives, Charles Haden-Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez),  who investigate murders in their Manhattan apartment building, the Arconia through their true crime podcast.

Season 5, which premiered on September 9, 2025 with 10 episodes, dives into the murders of doorman Lester and Nicky Caccimelio. Episode 9 “LESTR,” aired on October 21, 2025 reveals a critical twist. Randall (Jermaine Fowler), the new doorman confesses he hid the bloody elevator crank in Nicky’s office from Lester’s death scene to protect Lester’s reputation, not to cover his own guilt. This clears Randall as a suspect and points the trio toward a new lead.

Episode 8 set the stage with bird cam footage showing Randall taking the crank the night Lester was killed. He was found dead in the Arconia’s fountain. The building faces demolition as Camila White (Renée Zellweger), a hotelier, buys 51% of its apartments to turn it into a casino. Mabel, Charles and Oliver, aided by neighbor Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) and Detective Donna Williams (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), struggle to solve the case as their home and podcast face an end.

Only Murders in the Building season 5 episode 9 ending explained: Randall’s confession and the stolen finger

Episode 9 begins with Mabel, Charles and Oliver confronting Randall in the Arconia’s lobby about the bird cam footage from Episode 8, which showed him fleeing with the elevator crank on the night of Lester’s murder. Randall denies killing Lester but panics and runs through a service door. The trio—two seniors and Mabel in heels—can’t catch him, a first for their investigations.

With the Arconia’s demolition looming, morale is low. Oliver refuses to pack, clinging to his apartment. Charles mistakenly browses senior care homes online, thinking they’re condos, while Mabel considers a Maldives trip with pharmaceutical heir Jay Pflug (Logan Lerman). Howard is devastated when Camila revokes his access to L.E.S.T.R. (Logic Engineered Secure Tenant Robot), the robo-doorman replacing Lester, making him feel sidelined.

Mabel meets Detective Williams in the Arconia’s secret casino room for drinks. A footprint on the carpet leads them to a hidden passageway connecting to the Caccimelio family’s dry cleaner, where Nicky’s body was found in Episode 1. They discover a framed photo Randall used to fake being in Cuba, proving he’s still in the building. Meanwhile, in the lobby, the trio spots Teddy (Nathan Lane), a past suspect, saying goodbye to the Arconia. L.E.S.T.R. mentions a delivery for apartment 6C, which is vacant, revealing Randall has been squatting there. When confronted, Randall tries to flee but is stopped by Teddy’s son, Theo.

Randall’s confession is the episode’s crux. He says he didn’t kill Lester. On the night of the murder, he found Lester in the lobby, bloodied and holding the crank, instructing him to deliver Oliver’s wedding shrimp. Randall followed orders, but when he returned, Lester was dead in the fountain. To prevent anyone suspecting Lester of being a murderer, Randall took the crank and hid it in Nicky’s office at the dry cleaner.

 L.E.S.T.R. corroborates this by projecting a recording from the original robot doorman, destroyed after Lester’s death, showing Lester’s final moments, urging Randall to “be a good doorman” and deliver the shrimp to Oliver. This clears Randall of murder but reveals his cover-up was to protect Lester’s legacy.

Reinvigorated, the trio retrieves their murder board from the trash. Howard notices a scuff mark near Mabel’s fridge, initially blamed on L.E.S.T.R. He identifies it as coming from a specific mobility scooter model, not the robot. This points to the Caccimelio grandmother, who stole Nicky’s severed finger in Episode 1. The episode ends with the trio confronting her at the dry cleaner, where she curses in Italian through L.E.S.T.R.’s camera feed. Her involvement suggests a deeper motive tied to the finger and Nicky’s death, possibly linked to the casino scheme.

What to expect in the finale of Only Murders in the Building season 5:

Episode 10 "The House Always" airs October 28, 2025 promising major twists and high stakes. The Caccimelio grandmother's confrontation could expose why she took the finger. Maybe to hide Nicky's gambling debts, sabotage the casino deal or cover a family secret. Demolition crews arrive forcing a race to link her to both murders.

Expect Sofia or Nicky's sons to return possibly clashing with Camila's casino push. Mabel might ditch the Maldives for good, while Charles and Oliver's bond gets tested in a life or death gag. A twist could involve L.E.S.T.R. glitching to reveal the real killer blending laughs with peril.

Only Murders in the Building Season 5 streams exclusively on Hulu and Disney +.

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