Only Murders in the Building S5E9: Why Lester Really Killed Nicky
Only Murders in the Building is primed for a bombshell: Camila now controls the Arconia, Loretta uncovers Lester’s bloodied elevator crank in Nicky’s office, and a bird-whistle alert may have caught the killer on camera.
We pick up right where the last one left off: a dead doorman, a bloody elevator crank, a robot trying to replace a human being, and a bird cam that somehow knows more than most detectives. Welcome back to Only Murders in the Building season 5, episode 9, aka the one where the robot takes the wheel.
Quick recap of where we were
- Camila (Renee Zellweger) won controlling power over The Arconia, which is now on a fast track to become a casino.
- Loretta found the murder weapon in Nicky’s office: Lester’s cherished elevator crank, covered in blood.
- Lorraine blew Lester’s bird whistle, pinging Vince’s phone and activating a bird camera pointed at the courtyard the night Lester died.
- That video shows Lester intentionally blowing the whistle to trigger the camera and capture his own murder. Moments later, a familiar face scoops up the bloody crank and pockets it.
So, who is Randall?
Randall (Jermaine Fowler) is the doorman Lester was training to replace him. After watching the footage, Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin), and Oliver (Martin Short) confront Randall. He bolts. Not a great look.
Which leaves the gang with Lester’s replacement holding down the lobby: a robot named LESTR. Yes, really.
The 18-day countdown to a casino
The episode’s first half winds back through the final 18 days before The Arconia flips into a gambling palace. Charles tries reconnecting with people from way back (including someone he knows from the Hands Across America days). Oliver is getting ready to head to New Zealand to be with Loretta. And Mabel seems to be quietly plotting a getaway to the Maldives with her new boyfriend, played by Logan Lerman.
Detective Donna Williams (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) swings back in and refuses to drop the case, even as our podcasters lose steam. Meanwhile, Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) tries to poke around the robot’s settings and logs, and LESTR shuts him down hard — anything that might implicate the billionaire overlords is off limits. Subtle.
LESTR: the doorman is now a camera with an attitude
This chapter unfolds through the robot’s POV. It’s a clever swing, but I’ll be honest: living through a doorman’s optics wears thin fast.
We watch LESTR run errands, including picking up items at the Caccimelio family dry cleaner. The Caccimelios say they haven’t seen Randall in a week. That matters, because Detective Williams and Mabel literally follow footprints to a painting that hides a passage straight to the Caccimelio laundromat — where they find Nicky’s body. Mabel also clocks a photo of Cuba there, matching the background of Randall’s recent social media post. Hm.
Where Randall’s been, and how they catch him
Turns out Randall has been bouncing between abandoned apartments inside The Arconia. How do they figure that out? Food deliveries. LESTR announces in the lobby that Randall placed an order; when Randall comes down to grab the bag, the team tackles him. He swears he didn’t kill Lester.
The video that clears Randall — and nails the real story
LESTR actually helps here. The robot surfaces footage from that night showing Lester confessing to Randall: Lester killed Nicky. Why? Because the mob’s plan was to convert The Arconia into a casino, and Lester thought this was the only way to save the building.
Lester gives Randall the murder weapon to hide and sends shrimp to Oliver as a coded nudge, assuming Oliver would know what move to make next. It’s messy and tragic, but the motive is crystal: Lester killed Nicky to protect everyone’s home.
So who killed Lester?
Howard ends up tripping over the answer. The final moments point to the Caccimelio family’s matriarch — their Nonna — as the person who ran down Lester. The giveaway? The track marks aren’t from a car; they match a mobility scooter. It’s darkly funny that Howard solves it by accident, but the implication is blunt: Lester took out Nicky, and Nonna took out Lester.
Odds and ends
Camila’s in charge, LESTR is permanently parked in the lobby, and the clock is ticking on those 18 days. Also, yes, the robot POV is an ambitious choice that gets a little exhausting.
When and where to watch
Only Murders in the Building season 5 is streaming on Hulu now. It started September 9, with new episodes dropping weekly through October 30.