As he visits a hospital after the hearing, its revealed Jacob is in a coma and on life support. I dont think that our ending is any less bleak than the ending of the book, Bomback added. Jacob is initially surprised, and then frightened as his mother drives erratically. However, the tight focus of the shot means that its not possible to see if anyone else is in the room coercing him. Defending Jacob: The 10 Best Characters, Ranked - Screen Rant When they find Jacob's fingerprint on Ben and other kids start talking on social media about how Barber owned a knife he liked to show off . Laurie remembers an incident from Jacobs childhood when Jacob had nearly hit another kid on the head with a bowling ball. I felt bad for the mom, and Andy, besides being a stick in the mud, had his head buried in the sand at anything to do with his family. Andy threw away Jacobs knife so it was never tested for Bens DNA. Later when the family are in Mexico Andy drunkenly tells Laurie he thinks his dad was responsible. Jacob's parents defend him but struggle to ascertain whether their son is actually guilty. The story follows an assistant district attorney named Andy Barber, whos investigating the murder of 14-year-old Ben Rifkin. The finale of the Apple TV+ declines to answer that question, instead leaving viewers just as in the dark as Andy and Laurie Barber, the parents of the titular character who spend the series defending their eighth-grader against charges that he murdered a classmate. Patz because of some pedo infatuation. Apple TV+'s Defending Jacob miniseries ends with some closure, but not everything is resolved. All in all, we dont know if Jacob did it. It ends up destroying their family, subverting the very central premise as a form of a slow-burn twist. Defending Jacob Ending Explained | Who killed Ben Rifkin The body rolls down the hill and she goes to see if he is dead. As Laurie begs Jacob to tell her the truth, she pushes the car to go faster and faster, ultimately crashing and seriously injuring them both. Retiring to their room after a romantic meal, Andy and Laurie find Jacob back earlier than expected - without Hope or the white shirt hed worn. Jacob told his parents that Ben bullied him, and he did own a knife that he took to school. An alum of the Eugene ONeill Theater Centers National Critics Institute and Poynters Power of Diverse Voices, she leads workshops on arts journalism at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.