The third element is the reason for our meeting today. Those of you who need to read the back of a book before buying it, we’re here to help. Use this as a roadmap to the dizzying climax of the book and the movie adaptation.
Did the Court Find Kya Guilty in Chase’s Death?
The citizens of Kya’s (Daisy Edgar-Jones) town may have despised her, but she had competent legal representation. Tom Milton (David Strathairn) maintained during Kya’s trial that she had been the target of prejudice for her entire life. Additionally, Kya was absent the single night prior to the murder of Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson). She would have had to take a bus back to his house in the dead of night if she wanted to kill him. This seemed highly unlikely, as neither of the bus drivers could recall ever seeing anyone who looked like Kya.
After her court appearance, Kya practically skipped out of there and into the waiting arms of her true love, Tate (Taylor John Smith). After clearing her name, Tate expressed regret for ever abandoning her. He went on to say that he had initially believed he had to pick between his future and her, but that after nearly losing her, he had come to reject this false dichotomy. Kya and Tate became a couple by the end of Where the Crawdads Sing. Together, they spent decades in their marsh house collecting data on local wildlife. Kya (Leslie France) died of old age after having a final hallucination of her mother.
Is it possible that Kya was responsible for Chase’s death?
I guess I exaggerated a little bit there. In Where the Crawdads Sing, Kya dies, but it isn’t the final scene. Upon Kyas’s death when she was in her 70s, an older Tate (Sam Anderson) sorted through her diaries. The shell necklace belonging to Chase Andrews was located there.
The prosecution’s case against Kya relied heavily on the shell necklace. They knew it was a gift from the marsh girl because Chase wore it so frequently, and they knew it was a special item to him because of the girl. Simply put, take a look at it. A shell is attached to some leather. It’s very reminiscent of a present Kya might give. However, the necklace was nowhere to be found when Chase’s body was discovered. Those who didn’t believe Kya said she stole it from the crime scene while she was cleaning it up.