‘I Am a Killer’ Season 4 Ending Explained: Why Did TJ Shoot Jimmy?

Welcome to the Ending Explained for the fourth season of I Am a Killer. The popular series reaches its fourth season on Netflix, and with it, more stories regarding people who have broken the ultimate of taboos, the killing of another human being. The series has become famous for being the window to the stories of people who don’t believe they are murderers. Or admit they are murderers but have taken a turn in the way they see their crimes, and so on. This is a very bleak show but also an interesting one.

The end of the season brings us an episode titled “Friendly Fire,” and it could be one of the saddest in the show. It is always sad to see good people die, and the victim, in this case, a man named Jimmy, seems to have been loved by everyone who knew him. To make matters worse, it seems the perpetrator was none other than his best friend, or so he says. The case is a complicated one as the motivations behind the crime are not clear, but the facts speak of what happened very clearly.

The following paragraphs contain spoilers for I Am a Killer, Season 4. Read at your own risk.

What Happened The Day Jimmy Died?

The episode begins by introducing us to 37-year-old TJ. He begins to tell us his life story. We learn that he was born in California, and then, when his father remarried, they moved to Red Lodge, Montana. The town is a ski resort, with very rich people going around, and at the same time, a lot of poor people are not able to make ends meet. The contrast between those who have and those who don’t is pretty staggering. TJ explains how his stepmother didn’t like him at all and basically threw him out of the house.

Later, JT explains how he went to prison the first time. This would be incredibly important because it would change TJ’s life from here on out. Because he was a convict, he didn’t get hired by anyone in town, and so coming by with money became more and more difficult. However, good things did start to happen, including TJ managing to meet a woman named Shilo. For the first time in his life, TJ felt like he could be loved, and he was improving in many ways, both mentally and physically.

It was around this time that he also met Jimmy. Jimmy was an old man with a white beard who was a very well-known figure in town, despite being quite poor. TJ describes Jimmy as the first friend he ever had, and he describes Jimmy as a very influential and positive figure in his life. He says he never meant to hurt him. TJ describes how one day they went fishing together, how they drank and such, and how they started shooting things. Some things they usually did. TJ explains that the shot that killed Jimmy was accidental, even if he admits he was the one with the gun at the time.

Why Did TJ Shoot Jimmy?

In order to avoid a death sentence, TJ declares himself guilty. However, he maintains that he never meant to kill Jimmy. He explains how the police tried to construct a narrative in which he basically executed Jimmy after making him fall to his knees. The difference between the story told by the police and TJ’s version of the story is quite big, and it is basically impossible to just get a clear picture of what happened. The police are trying to depict TJ as a monster a bit too hard, while TJ’s story feels too vague and inconsistent.

Some new details about the nature of the crime start coming to light when we get interviews with other people who knew Jimmy around town. Jimmy is very much described as a kind soul and one that had a very harsh life. He was penniless most of the time, but the people around town revealed that a woman managed to help Jimmy get his social security number active. Which gave Jimmy the right to have a constant income that would help him survive through the years.

It is revealed that the people in town saw that it was around this time when JT and Jimmy became friends. It is revealed that Jimmy started to make weird expenses, a truck, for example, that feels weird because he didn’t have a driver’s license, so the people believe those expenses were done in Jimmy’s favor. Jimmy also moved with TJ and his girlfriend, Shilo, and people started to think that the couple was taking advantage of the old man and his money. It is revealed that TJ sometimes wasn’t able to pay the rent, and it was Jimmy who saved him on more than one occasion.

It is really hard to find an answer, as both sides offer compelling but very inconsistent tales. The truth is probably found somewhere in the middle. We can only hope that, whatever the truth is, we hope TJ can find the peace he needs to confront the things he has done in his life.