Murder at Homecoming Theory Page



Welcome to the Murder at Homecoming Theory Page. This is a place where you can discuss confirmed, debunked, and unconfirmed theories from the Murder at Homecoming series.

Unresolved Theories

 * Mentioned in the blog: Given the title, it is believed that this is the untitled mystery book mentioned in PB's 2022 new year blog post. This is weakened in the October 2022 Choices newsletter when "mystery" is included in a list of future themes but strengthened when no other book with a similar premise is announced for 2022.
 * Perdita's fate: There are several theories regarding Perdita's fate:
 * Kidnapped: One possibility is that she was kidnapped and is either still held hostage, or either died or was killed later.
 * Immediate Death: Another is that she was killed immediately and the killer made sure the body was never found.
 * Witness Protection: A third theory suggests that she faked her death and is in the Witness Protection Program.
 * Became a secret agent: Another possibility could be that she became part of some spy agency.

Confirmed Theories

 * Meaning of the title: Players believe the murder will take place at a high school during Homecoming, or it could mean the MC returns home just in time to witness the murder. The cover reveals that "Homecoming" refers to Homecoming in a high school.
 * Teen detective: There's a theory that if this story turns out to be a high school story, the MC will be a teen detective solving the murder mystery. The theory is confirmed via the trailer and the first two chapters.
 * Clues: Given the murder mystery and previous series with similar premises and the overall trend towards collections, it is theorized that we may get collectable clues and / or a score system similar to Crimes of Passion, Veil of Secrets or Most Wanted. While the first part of the theory is true as clues are collected, it is not clear whether or not these clues lead to scoring or alternate endings.
 * Homecoming king/queen: There's a theory that one of the love interests is the homecoming king or queen, depending on who we choose to be the love interest, and whoever we don't choose becomes the victim. Half of this is confirmed when one of the love interests is revealed to be the homecoming king.
 * Gabbie and Mr. Lewis are gay: Based on various signs throughout the Book, many players theorise that Gabbie and Mr. Lewis were both in the closet. They also believe that Gabbie and Mr. Lewis weren't romantically involved, but rather close friends who helped each other come to terms with their sexuality. This would also mean that someone else asked Mr. Lewis to buy the necklace for Gabbie, and that "J" wasn't him. One potential suspect is Joanna Morgan. In Chapter 10, it is confirmed that Mr. Lewis is gay, and Gabbie was bisexual and engaged to Joanna Morgan.
 * RC & MB: In a pre-release picture, those pair of initials appear in what seems to be a broken heart. One potential interpretation is that they were a couple that broke up or that they are a couple that will break up.
 * Brett Morris & Claudia Rhodes: One such couple that matches with those initials (Backwards) is Brett Morris and Claudia Rhodes, which makes players believe that the aforementioned picture corresponds to them, as it was stated that they broke up before the events of the book. This is confirmed during a premium scene in Chapter 9 when same design appears.
 * The identity of "J": It is believed that "J" is either Jeremy Walters or Joanna Morgan. Chapter 7 reveals Mr Lewis' first name to be Joshua, and also reveals that he is the one that bought her the necklace, meaning he is most likely "J" and the one who has an affair with Gabbie. Joshua Lewis as J is strengthened in Chapter 8 when Gabbie's letter to him includes a thank you about the necklace. In Chapter 10, it is revealed that J is actually Joanna, and Mr Lewis bought the necklace for Gabbie on her behalf.
 * Millie Pereira: Given that she seems to have a crush on Toby Meyers, there is a theory that we might be able to pair her with him at some point in the Book. This is confirmed in Chapter 13 where we can choose to matchmake the two through a diamond scene.
 * Killer: There are already suspects in players' eyes as to who Gabbie's killer could be.
 * April Morris: Tying into this is a theory that April Morris was somehow involved, because April has legitimate reasons to hate Tyler for hospitalizing her. If April found out that Gabbie erased evidence showing Tyler triggered her epilepsy, she could've wanted revenge on both of them. In Chapter 15, it is confirmed that the killer is April, and the reason she killed Gabbie was because she destroyed Brett's life.

Debunked Theories

 * Homecoming king/queen: There's a theory that one of the love interests is the homecoming king or queen, depending on who we choose to be the love interest, and whoever we don't choose becomes the victim. Half of this theory is debunked when the homecoming queen is revealed to be the victim, and we don't get to choose who lives or dies.
 * Tyler's Secret: After a premium scene in Chapter 4 showed photos of April Morris clutching her arm and the file indicating that Tyler was going to be expelled, it is believed that he either was, or still is, dealing drugs and Gabbie tampered with evidence to protect him. This is disproven as it had nothing to do with drugs, his trouble stems from a hazing incident with new teammates gone wrong because April was epileptic and had a seizure from the flash from the camera.
 * General release: It is theorized that due to it being a VIP 2.0 book, the general release will also be on the same day. This has been proven false as the general release airs on Wednesdays instead.
 * Killer: These characters were theorized by players to be the killer. All of these theories were eventually debunked when it was revealed April had killed Gabbie in Chapter 15.
 * Mr Lewis: The first is Mr. Lewis. Players are suspicious of him because he's portrayed as extremely kind and well-liked by the students, and it's a common trope in media for very kind characters to be revealed as criminals or other antagonists. This is weakened since the most likely time to kill her might have been when the homecoming votes were counted and he was one of the people counting along with us and Alicia Mosby.
 * Millie Pereira: The second is Millie Pereira. Players think it's a little too convenient that she was "out of town" around the time Gabbie was killed. The suspicion against her is raised in Chapter 4 due to her insistence that we stop investigating Gabbie's murder, with many believing that she has something to hide. This is weakened in Chapter 8. If we tell that we should never have looked into the case in choice 9, she tells that uncovering the truth is a good thing. If we ask about she being nice in choice 10, she tells that we were right about something being up and that we always are. In the same scene, she offers to provide a distraction so that we could sneak away to continue investigating.
 * Cops: Some players also suspect one or more of the cops on the case, as previous murder mystery stories such as Veil of Secrets and It Lives Beneath have the police refusing to investigate, then they turn out to be involved in the case in some way.
 * Brett Morris: Brett and Gabbie hated each other, because Gabbie made Claudia break up with him and then sent him to jail. Although Chapter 7 reveals that Brett was in jail during homecoming, he could've played a contributing factor prior to the murder being committed. Prior contribution by Brett is also weakened in Chapter 7 since he seemed to believe that Gabbie would be praised more after death; and potential comments after Dylan's party suggest that Brett seemed to have no contact with the outside world during his jail sentence.
 * Group effort: Another possibility could be that a group of people killed her since it would likely be that she resisted; two or three people held her while another person did the injecting before she was pushed or thrown into the pool.
 * The track team: They seemed to hate Tyler and Gabbie seemed to be the main person protecting him. It could be possible that they found out about those protective actions.
 * Joanna's parents: Given that Joanna is revealed to be J, some players have come to suspect her conservative parents, and that they killed Gabbie out of homophobia. This is strengthened in Chapter 12 when she reveals her father is a neurologist at Beachwood Hospital, which would give him access to the drug that was used on Gabbie, which is used to treat neurological disorders. In addition, Dr. Morgan chaperoned the Homecoming dance. Chapters 11-13 seem to weaken their motive; since there seems to be no indication that they knew about Gabbie & Joanna before kicking Joanna out. Chapter 14 seems to weaken Dr Morgan's involvement when it seems to be revealed that he was having an affair with Ruby Jones.
 * Connection between the murder and Perdita's disappearance: It is believed that Gabbie's killer is also behind Perdita's disappearance. This gains traction in Chapters 12 and 13, when we trace the killer's trail to the hospital, where Perdita was investigating a corruption case prior to her disappearance. However, this theory is eventually debunked, as the killer turns out to be April who has no relation to Perdita nor the hospital.
 * Note to Gabbie: In Chapter 1's premium scene, we notice a note that Gabbie dropped telling that she will regret an action she did. If that action is requesting the investigation on Homecoming votes (or removing the photo used to expel Tyler), one potential set of suspects could be Tyler's teammates. Alternatively if it was any of Gabbie's relationships (fake relationship with Tyler, supposed relationship with Mr Lewis, or real relationship with Joanna), it could be someone who thought the relationship wrong. This is debunked in Chapter 15, where it's revealed that the note was sent by April, Gabbie's killer.
 * Gabbie and Claudia: It is believed that Gabbie had a crush on Claudia, and her true motivation for getting Brett Morris arrested was to try to get closer to her. The theory of Gabbie's crush on Claudia is strengthened by the fact that Gabbie had photos of Claudia in her computer. This is debunked when Claudia reveals that Gabbie did what she did simply because she wanted the best for Claudia.
 * Potential reasons for Gabbie to want to arrest Brett:
 * Stevie: In Chapter 8, Stevie tells us how Brett attempted to sexually assault her. It could be likely that Gabbie found out about that.
 * Claudia and/or other exes: It could be likely that Gabbie found out how Brett treated his girlfriends and did not like it. It could also be likely that at least some of them were Gabbie's friends.
 * Gabbie in love: Like other theories seem to speculate, Gabbie might have had crushes on at least some of the people Brett dated; and getting him arrested might have been an opportunity for Gabbie to introduce herself to them.
 * All of these theories are debunked as the only thing that was stated through the story, is that Gabbie simply hated Brett for his behaviour and actions.
 * Police's investigation: Since the police specifically questioned Mr Lewis about the drug used to kill Gabbie, it is likely that they have been investigating Gabbie's death all along; even though they told that it was an accident in Chapter 1. There may also be a chance that they have not given up on Perdita's disappearance either. Both parts of this are debunked since continued investigation is not told.