Who Was The Killer In The Little Things? The Truth May Be The Real Tragedy

With "The Little Things" now on Netflix, folks are once again wondering who is behind the Los Angeles-based string of murders shown in director John Lee Hancock's 2021 crime picture. Hancock had originally come up with the story in the '90s before similar films, such as "Se7en" or "Primal Fear," found their way to theaters. Stuck in development hell for nearly 30 years, the project eventually found its legs when Denzel Washington signed on to star in 2019. Two years later, "The Little Things" was released, though due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it made its way to both theaters and streaming via HBO Max. Ever since, the film's strange ending has haunted those who made it to the credits.

"The Little Things" stars not just Washington but "Mr. Robot" star Rami Malek and "Suicide Squad" star Jared Leto — an inspired casting choice. With Hancock at the helm, the crime thriller plays in the spirit of the best psychological thrillers of the 1990s, making both the characters and the audience question all they thought they knew. It's because "The Little Things" keeps audiences on their toes that some still debate the identity of the killer. Did Jared Leto's Albert Sparma actually do it? Or was someone else behind these heinous crimes? We'll do everything we can to explain what we know of "The Little Things."

"The Little Things" starts with a young woman escaping a stalker. Sometime after that, former Los Angeles detective (and current Kern County deputy sheriff) Joe "Deke" Deacon (Denzel Washington) is asked to retrieve evidence from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that may be connected to a recent murder. While there, Deke meets Detective Jimmy Baxter (Rami Malek), who brings him along on a homicide investigation to pick his brain. 

When another body shows up, Deke and Jimmy continue to investigate, discovering that not only are all the victims sex workers, but the M.O. matches an unsolved case of Deke's from his troubled past. It was this very case that pushed Deke away from L.A. in the first place. The investigation eventually leads the two to Albert Sparma (Leto), who messes with the detectives during his interrogation. Because the FBI is set to step in, Deke and Jimmy are forced to move fast to solve the case before it's swept out from under them. 

Although Sparma confessed to a murder he did not commit years prior, the similarities in the fingerprint evidence push the pair to illegally search the suspect's apartment. Already a step ahead, Sparma reports that a police officer is injured at his apartment, prompting Deke to get out before the authorities can notice him. But that's where things get especially dangerous.

After Deke narrowly evades the police, Sparma tells Jimmy that he'll take him to where the bodies are buried. Jimmy goes with the suspect while Deke follows and watches from afar. Eventually, they arrive at an undisclosed spot in the desert, and Jimmy begins to dig for any hidden bodies. But Sparma never killed anyone, or, at least, that's what he says. Frustrated and enraged by this turn of events, Jimmy attacks and accidentally kills the suspect after hitting him in the face with a shovel. Deke arrives and helps Jimmy hide the body, and it's here that "The Little Things" offers us more insight into Deke's history. 

Through a flashback, we learn that Deke accidentally killed one of the survivors of his own unsolved case, and, with his partner's help, successfully covered it up. The guilt of this act pushed Deke into a depressive state, one where he continually sees the victims of the case he was unable to solve. Deke leaves Jimmy to bury Sparma's body while he collects all potential evidence against the deceased suspect. But when he returns, he finds that Jimmy has been digging all night, trying to find any victims to vindicate his action. Deke tries to talk some sense into the detective, hoping to convince him to leave this case behind forever.

It turns out, this entire case has been about Deke trying to come to terms with his personal demons. He's haunted by the cross he sees while driving throughout Los Angeles — a constant, godly reminder of his sins that have yet to be atoned for. Though he helps Jimmy cover up Sparma's murder, he only does so to convince the younger detective to move on from his own misdeeds. At the very end of "The Little Things," Deke sends Jimmy a red ribbon, not unlike the one the first victim, Ronda Rathbun (Maya Kazan), was wearing. That along with a note reading "no angels." This means that, to Jimmy, Sparma was the guy, and he must rest in that and move on.

But was Albert Sparma really the murderer? Well, it's hard to say. He's definitely a creep who's way too interested in these brutal abductions and killings. The way he messes with the detectives as if he enjoys it, is the clear work of a very disturbed individual. There's some evidence to suggest that he might be the killer, though. For starters, he worked at the same repair company hired to help one of the victims. The same wire the company uses was even used to tie up said victims, and one of the victims was said to have been fed roast beef (Sparma himself enters a shop advertising roast beef during the stakeout). Even the FBI's profile of the killer seems to fit Sparma's personality.

To further that idea, because the killer is said to experience sexual satisfaction at the murders, it should be noted that Sparma's clearly sensual response to the crime scene photos makes it seem as if he's at the very least connected to the killings. The only problem is, these coincidences are just that. Sparma leads Jimmy to the desert not because he's the killer, but because he loves the attention it brings. He's said earlier in the film to have previously confessed to a murder he did not commit, and so we see a pattern established in his behavior. 

However, it's entirely possible that Sparma — a character who Jared Leto took inspiration from an unlikely source to create — was still involved as a sort of accomplice. He may never have killed anyone himself, but if he knew who the killer was, he may have been able to live out his fantasies through said individual. This person could possibly be another employee at the repair shop, or someone unrelated entirely. Still, his history of involving himself in police investigations suggests he knows something, even if he's not the killer.

What makes "The Little Things" work so well is that we don't know who the real killer is, and that's a good thing. The mystery behind the killer is part of the film's allure, and Deke's own struggle with his own unsolved case, let alone this one, is central to the point of the story. Earlier in the picture, Deke tells Jimmy that cops aren't meant to be angels for their victims; they can't solve everything. Yet, the film ends with the former detective choosing to be an "angel" of sorts of the younger detective, helping him find closure the way he never had. With this, Deke removes the mystery of the killer from Jimmy and allows his ghosts to continue to haunt him.

But although Jimmy is free to move on, Deke never can. He, like the audience, will continue to wonder about the killer. He will continue to struggle with the crime he helped cover up, and the horror that lies in not knowing the full truth. The film is called "The Little Things" because those are the things that matter in such cases, but even the little things cannot always lead one to the truth. And sometimes, these are the things that haunt us the most.