How many people has Joe Goldberg killed? Full list of Joe's murders in You

30 April 2025, 09:23 | Updated: 30 April 2025, 09:24

By Katie Louise Smith

What is Joe Goldberg's kill count? Here's the complete list of people Joe has murdered in You seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Finally, after five seasons and countless murders, Joe Goldberg’s story has come to an end. You season 5 wraps up serial killer Joe’s (played by Penn Badgley) string of brutal murders with a bang… but just how many people has he actually killed?

Throughout the last 5 seasons, Joe has murdered, tortured and, at one point, dismembered, a whole bunch of people. In season 1, we lost the iconic Peach. In season 2, we said goodbye to Love Quinn’s brother Forty. In season 3, we said goodbye to Love herself. And in season 4, Joe adds to his body count with a fresh string of murders under his new identity in London.

With You season 5 now finally here, here’s a full recap on exactly how many people Joe has killed since the show started.

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for You season 5! If you haven't finished all 10 episodes, bookmark this page and come back later!

• Read more: Does Joe Goldberg die or get caught? You season 5 ending explained
• Read more: You season 5 ending: Here's what happens to every character

Here's every person Joe Goldberg has killed in You...

What is Joe Goldberg's kill count? How many people has he killed?

Joe has killed a whopping 22 people across five seasons.

If we're going by timeline, the first person he killed was his mother's abusive boyfriend (who may or may not have been his own father) when he was just a child. However, if we're going by the first character we see him kill on screen? That would be Benji, Beck's ex-boyfriend.

Joe killed five people in season 1, three people in season 2, two people in season 3, a massive eight people in season 4 and a further 3 people in season 5.

Of course, several other major characters have also been killed in You, but Joe did not kill them. Candace? He did bury her alive, but she was actually killed by Love Quinn in season 2. Love also killed Delilah in season 2 and Natalie in season 3. (She also tried to kill Joe, too.)

Scroll down for the full list of everyone Joe Goldberg has killed.

1) Benji Ashby

Benji, the ex-boyfriend of Beck who she kept going back to, was Joe’s first victim way back in season 1. Believing him to be a threat to his relationship with Beck, Joe knowingly gives him a cup of coffee containing peanut oil and he suffers a fatal allergic reaction. (Season 1, episode 2)

2) Peach Salinger

Poor old Peach, iconic queen Peach, was the next to be killed by Joe. Beck’s bestie took an instant disliking to Joe and ended up in firing line… literally. Joe broke in to Peach’s house, peed in a jar, chased her, shot her and then staged her death and faked a suicide note to make it look like she took her own life. (Season 1, episode 6)

3) Elijah Thornton

Next up on Joe’s hit list? Elijah, who was the guy that Candace cheated on Joe with. Joe killed Elijah prior to the show’s timeline. In a flashback, we see a furious Joe push Elijah off the top of a building. RIP! (Season 1, episode 9)

4) Ron

Ron is the fourth character killed by Joe Goldberg in season 1. After Joe befriends his young neighbour Paco, he notices that the boy lives in fear of Ron, who is his physically abusive stepdad. When Paco tries and fails to knock Ron out, Joe steps in and stabs Ron in the neck. (Season 1, episode 10)

5) Guinevere Beck

The final murder of season 1 was the icon, the legend, and the one person who truly continues to haunt Joe Goldberg to this day… Guinevere Beck. Joe’s girlfriend ends up locked in his glass cage after she discovers his dark truth. Beck is actually killed off-screen at the end of season 1 but her death is revealed in season 2 when we find out that Joe strangled her. To make the whole thing even more twisted, he finishes writing her book and publishes it posthumously. (Season 1, episode 10)

6) Jasper

Joe’s penchant for murder continued after he moved from New York City to Los Angeles. In season 2, Joe assumed the identity of Will Bettelheim and ended up being pursued by Jasper who was after the OG Will to pay him money. Jasper attempts to kill Joe, and Joe stabs him in self defence. He dismembers him and feeds his body through a meat grinder. (Season 2, episode 2)

7) Henderson

Joe kills Henderson next, after finding out he had been taking advantage of his young neighbour Ellie (played by Jenna Ortega). After sneaking into Henderson’s house and finding extremely disturbing evidence, Joe traps Henderson into a confession and then “accidentally” pushes him down the stairs, killing him. Joe frames his death as a suicide. (Season 2, episode 4)

8) Joe’s mother’s abusive boyfriend

In season 2’s penultimate episode, we see Joe’s first murder. In an act of protection, Joe shoots his mother’s boyfriend in the chest in order to save her from being violently abused. It’s possible that the man was Joe’s real father, but that has not yet been confirmed. (Season 2, episode 9)

9) Ryan

For the first 8 episodes of season 3, Joe doesn’t actually kill anyone. Then, in the penultimate episode, he kills Marianne’s ex-husband Ryan. Marianne is struggling to get custody of her daughter so he takes matters into his own hands. Joe tries to drug Ryan but fails, so he then pushes him off a parking garage. When that doesn’t work, he stabs him and stages the scene to look like Ryan was mugged. (Season 3, episode 9)

10) Love Quinn

The murderous diva herself, Love Quinn, eventually lost the battle against Joe in the final episode of season 3. Love attempts to kill Joe by poisoning him with aconite but Joe was several steps ahead of her. He gives himself the antidote he made earlier and then turns the tables by poisoning and paralysing her. He cuts his toes off, bakes them into a pie, sets the house on fire and stages the whole things to look like a murder-suicide. As Love is burned alive, Joe walks away with everyone believing he was killed by Love. (Season 3, episode 10)

11) Malcolm Harding

Joe’s killing spree really takes a turn in season 4 but we don’t find that out until later in the season. The first death in season 4 is Joe’s fellow lecturer Malcolm who is found dead on Joe’s kitchen table but he has no idea what happened. Joe disposes of his body and we later find out that Joe has been experiencing blackouts and hallucinations, in which he’s been killing people. (Season 4, episode 1)

12) Simon

Simon is revealed to have been killed by Joe during one of his blackout episodes. He’s stabbed in the chest by Joe and Joe even cut his ear off which, to be honest, is quite fitting for an artist. (Season 4, episode 2)

13) Vic the bodyguard

Adam's personal bodyguard Vic was killed by Joe in the crypts after Simon's funeral. After being attacked, Joe strangles Vic and buries him on top of Simon's grave. This is the first murder we actually see Joe commit in season 4 as the others are all shown via flashback. (Season 4, episode 3)

14) Gemma

In another flashback, we find out that Joe killed Gemma during one of his blackouts. Gemma was murdered during Lady Phoebe's luxury group trip weekend. Her body was discovered by Kate, but it turned out that Joe was the one who slashed her throat. (Season 4, episode 4)

15) Rhys Montrose

After being a key part of Joe’s storyline in season 4 part 1, we later find out that Rhys has been a figment of Joe’s imagination this entire time – the real Rhys has no idea who Joe is. However, Joe only comes to realise that after he kidnaps and kills the real Rhys Montrose on Tom Lockwood’s orders. Joe tortures Rhys for information on Marianne and ends up killing him. (Season 4, episode 7)

16) Hugo the bodyguard

Tom Lockwood’s bodyguard Hugo is the next to go after being stabbed by Joe after he entered Tom’s workshop. He attempts to free Tom who had been handcuffed to a chair and Joe ambushes him from the shadows. Joe later stages the scene to make it look like Hugo killed Tom and robbed him. Joe then buries Hugo’s body in a remote location to fake his disappearance. (Season 4, episode 10)

17) Tom

Kate’s father Tom is killed by Joe in the final episode of season 4 when he discovers that Tom has been dangerously controlling his daughter’s life. He arranges a fake meeting between Tom and Kate and goes through with his next murder, suffocating him and staging it to look like a robbery committed by Hugo. Kate later explains her dad was “murdered for money”, but we all know that isn't true! (Season 4, episode 10)

18) Eddie

Ohh, poor sweet Eddie! Joe’s final kill of season 4 is Eddie, Nadia’s boyfriend. After finding out that the two have clocked his murderous shenanigans, Joe brutally slits Eddie’s throat off-screen and leaves him for dead. He frames Nadia and she goes to jail for his death. (Season 4, episode 10)

19) Uncle Bob

Joe’s first season 5 murder – and his first murder in three years – is Kate’s uncle Bob. After discovering that he, Reagan and Maddie had been conspiring to remove Kate from her position as CEO, Joe immediately wants to kill him. At first, viewers only see Joe's fantasy – he now writes about his darkest desires instead of acting on his impulses. But later, when Kate suggests he should kill Bob, he follows through and strangles him before staging his death as a hanging. (Season 5, episode 1)

20) Clayton

Believing Clayton to be harassing Bronte, Joe confronts him at the beach house, gets into a fight and strangles him before bashing his head against the sharp edge of the fireplace surround. Clayton’s murder is the one that finally starts Joe’s downfall as Dominique catches the murder on TikTok livestream and exposes Joe in front of the entire world. Joe is finally arrested but later bailed out by Kate. (Season 5, episode 5)

21) Dane

Dane is a random guy who attempts to kidnap Bronte after Joe’s big interview. Joe tracks him down and smacks him over the head with a brick before he can get away with Bronte. We then find out that Joe has put him in his cage, but Bronte later sets him free. Later, however, Joe finds him on the street and brutally stabs him, leaving him for dead. Now, to be fair, we don't actually see Dane die, but we're still counting this one. (Season 5, episode 8)

22) Unnamed Police officer

Joe commits one final murder as he tries to catch Bronte and evade the police around the grounds of the house he's escaped to. When the police swarm the property, he uses Bronte's defence weapon to stab the officer in the neck. (Season 5, episode 10)

Read more about You here:

• Who is Bronte in You season 5? Her true identity and big twist explained
• You season 4's huge Joe plot twist was foreshadowed in season 1
• What did Joe say to Lady Phoebe in You season 4? Fans criticise plot hole
• You season 4's shock Joe twist called the "best plot twist ever" by fans
• Is Love in You season 4 and is she really dead? Here’s what Victoria Pedretti has said

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