Black Snow season 2 finale ending explained: Who is Zoe Jacobs' killer?

The Black Snow season 2 finale episode, titled Sapphire, premiered on May 22, 2025, on AMC+ in the United States. The show's creator, Lucas Taylor, has written the episode, which brings the investigation into Zoe's murder to a conclusive end.

James and Samara start the episode by focusing on Julie and Sean Cosgrove. However, their investigation takes a turn when they discover that Zoe's uncle, Will Jacobs, is responsible for her death. Additionally, James goes on a quest to find his younger brother, Richie, which ends with Richie getting arrested for committing murder.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Black Snow season 2 finale episode.

Black Snow season 2 finale episode reveals why Will killed Zoe

James Cormack as seen in the Black Snow season 2 finale episode (Image via Instagram/@amcplus)

In the Black Snow season 2 finale, Sam focuses on the call records to find out if Julie was in Canberra on Zoe's death anniversary in 2019. James visits Julie and questions what she and Sean did after returning from Zoe’s birthday party. She claims that both of them were at home all night and offers Gita as her alibi, as she had turned up at her house at midnight to discuss her affair with Leo.

She adds that Gita and Leo spent the night together, but got into a fight after Zoe discovered their affair. But James clearly remembers Leo telling him that he was with Will at the office that night. Furthermore, he gets a call from Sam informing him that Julie did not visit Canberra that day, but Leo was listed as the keynote speaker at a conference in the capital city.

James asks Sam to speak to Will, while he goes to confront Leo himself. Leo accepts that he lied about that night to hide the affair but insists that he wasn’t in Canberra in 2019. He further says that he had sent Will to attend the conference on his behalf as he was unwell. James quickly drives to Will's house, fearing for Sam's safety.

Will Jacobs as seen in the Black Snow season 2 finale episode (Image via AMC+)

Consumed by guilt, Will opens up to Sam about the events of that fateful night. Flashback scenes show Zoe arriving at Will's house late at night and confronting him about his connections to Sapphire Futures. Will admits that he set up Sapphire Futures through Sean and bribed the councilors via Julie to rezone the land that Cody and his family resided in.

Zoe is livid as his actions rendered Cody homeless and forced him to end his life. But Will defends himself by saying that he saved the family business and improved their financial situation. She threatens to expose his illegal activities before storming out. Will tries to stop her and accidentally runs her over while backing up his car.

He then dumps her body in Xanadu, and purchases the property a few months later through Sapphire Futures. He explains to Sam that he felt everyone would be better off believing that Zoe was happily living her life far away.

He had called Sam the first time eight years ago to confess his crime. But when she assumed it was Zoe, Will could not muster the courage to tell the truth and crash her hopes. He then takes his rifle and shoots himself to death, just as James pulls in at the location.

After the case is closed, Leo, Nadja, and Seb scatter Zoe's ashes in the wilderness.

How does Zoe discover the truth about Will in the Black Snow season 2 finale episode?

An image of Zoe Jacobs from the Black Snow season 2 finale episode (Image via Instagram/@amcplus)

Zoe's flashback scenes from 2003 depict her getting ready for her 21st birthday party, while Nadja is busy with last-minute preparations. Will hands his niece her birthday present, and tells her to look forward to the fireworks display at the party. Zoe mentions Leo's affair, and Will laments that Nadja may have suspected something is going on between the two.

Leo gives a speech about the importance of family at the party, leaving Zoe angry. Sam and Zoe try to reconcile their differences before the latter spots her father sending Joseph away from the party. Leo reminds her that he’s 30 years old, but Zoe brings up his mistress in response.

Things get worse when Sean and Julie show up for the celebration. Zoe tells them they are not invited and calls Julie a criminal. She mentions how Julie bribed locals to rezone the Mont Vista land, and sold it for a huge profit, claiming that she is indirectly responsible for Cody’s death. But Leo wants to hear none of it.

Frustrated, she leaves with her backpack without saying goodbye to her family members. Zoe visits the convenience store before heading to the radio station. There, she opens Will's present and finds wads of cash for her trip. But something else catches her attention—the envelope is the same one that Julie had used to bribe the councilor.

She realizes that Will bribed the councilman through Julie and is behind Sapphire Futures. Hence, she goes to Will's house to confront him before driving to Brisbane.

Also read: Meet Jana McKinnon, star of Black Snow season 2 (Exclusive)

Does James find Richie in the Black Snow season 2 finale?

Richie Cormack as seen in the Black Snow season 2 finale episode (Image via Instagram/@amcplus)

After solving Zoe's murder case, James resigns from his job and tells his boss that he wanted to find missing people as a way to cope with his brother's death. But now that he knows Richie is alive, he wants to make things right with him. Before leaving to search for his younger brother, James tells Dr. Nina that he would like to pursue a relationship with her after he returns, which she seems open to do.

James visits Richie's motel and discovers a photograph of Richie and his fiancé, Jade. He also finds a receipt to The Railway Hotel, where the bartender tells him that Richie used to visit frequently but hasn't showed up in a while.

James learns that Richie owed $90,000 to some thugs and promises to pay them back the money. He steals the cash that belonged to Zoe from the evidence room and pays off his brother's debt. Next, he heads to meet Jade at the address given by the bartender. Jade tells James that Richie has a gambling problem and is used to disappearing for weeks on end when he gets overwhelmed.

She mentions a beach location that James and Richie used to visit as kids and, sure enough, James finds Richie there. He apologizes to his brother for locking him in the cupboard, telling Richie that he thought he was protecting him from their father's anger. But Richie seems reluctant to accept his apology.

At the end of the Black Snow season 2 finale, James's boss, Angie, arrives and arrests Richie for killing a child. Richie believes that James set him up, which he denies. Angie informs James that the DNA evidence he had added to Richie's file matched with one of the unsolved murder cases. James watches helplessly as Richie is taken away before his own eyes.

Viewers can watch Black Snow season 2 finale exclusively on AMC+.

About the author

Deepti is an entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. She comes with more than 6 years of experience in the creative writing field and has written extensively for the entertainment and travel domains.

She holds a degree in Chemistry, but her true interest always lay in the creative field. A passion for reading from a young age fueled her desire to make a career change later in life and take up writing as her profession.

Apart from reading, her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and going to the beach. In her free time, she can be found looking up reviews of new and old films to add to her watchlist. She also enjoys watching foreign language films that help expand her knowledge base regarding different cultures around the world.

Asked to describe herself, she would promptly mention that she is a die-hard Swiftie and enjoys nothing more than listening to Taylor Swift songs on loop while writing.

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Edited by DEEPALI