They Only Kill Their Masters (1972) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The dog was trained to obey voice commands, which is why Kate demonstrated this to Abel early on. Someone, likely the killer, triggered Murphy into attack mode, possibly by tapping the dog's snout as Abel later tested. This same action caused Murphy to attack Abel during his own test, confirming the dog could be set off intentionally. The killer likely approached quietly or used a command to silence or trigger the dog, preventing any barking that would have alerted neighbors.

Foreshadowing: Kate's early demonstration of Murphy's obedience to voice commands foreshadows how the killer controlled the dog.

• murphy dog
• doberman
• quiet attack
• dog commands
• silent killer

Jenny Campbell drowned in freshwater laced with salt. The autopsy revealed she was pregnant at the time of death. The initial assumption that Murphy killed her was wrong, the Doberman likely dragged her body from the sea after she had already drowned, which explains why her injuries were on her extremities rather than her throat, where a dog attack would normally target.

Foreshadowing: The detail about dogs typically attacking the throat, which Kate mentioned early, directly contradicts where Jenny's injuries were found.

• jenny campbell death
• drowning
• autopsy
• pregnant
• freshwater salt

Murphy likely dragged Jenny's body from the water after she had already drowned. The dog, devoted to his owner, may have tried to pull her back to shore or was found beside her remains after the fact. This explains the dog's presence at the scene and why he was found standing over the body, leading initial investigators to mistakenly assume he was the killer.

• murphy doberman
• body found
• dog dragging
• scene investigation

Mrs. Watkins was Jenny Campbell's lover. When Jenny also seduced Dr. Watkins, Mrs. Watkins' own husband, jealousy and rage drove her to murder. She killed Jenny, then later killed Lee Campbell and set fire to his house to cover her tracks. The motive was passion, betrayal, and jealousy stemming from a complex love triangle.

Foreshadowing: Kate mentioning she knew Murphy's name because Watkins told her implies a longer familiarity between the vet and the victim than initially apparent.

• mrs watkins
• motive
• jealousy
• lesbian affair
• love triangle
• betrayal

Dr. Watkins was complicit because his wife had killed Jenny Campbell, and he chose to protect her rather than turn her in. When Jenny also pursued him romantically, his wife killed her in a jealous rage. Watkins helped stage the scene and assisted in the cover-up to shield his wife from consequences, though he did not commit the actual killings.

• dr watkins
• cover up
• complicity
• husband wife
• helping conceal

The freshwater laced with salt indicated Jenny drowned in a controlled environment, likely a bathtub or container, rather than in the ocean. This detail, combined with Abel's discovery that the bathtub had been cleaned with industrial disinfectant, revealed someone had deliberately staged the scene to make it appear the death occurred at the beach.

Foreshadowing: Kate noting the cleaned bathtub suggested a deliberate attempt to remove evidence before Abel even ordered the autopsy.

• autopsy
• freshwater
• salt
• drowning
• bathub
• staging evidence

Mrs. Watkins set fire to Lee Campbell's house to kill him and destroy evidence linking her to Jenny's murder. The fire spread quickly, and Lee died from stab wounds before the flames consumed the residence. A sports car blocking the tunnel delayed emergency crews, giving the fire more time to destroy critical evidence.

• lee campbell
• arson
• house fire
• stabbing
• evidence destruction

Abel's suspicion grew when Kate revealed that Watkins had known Murphy's name, a detail he shouldn't have known unless he'd been involved with Jenny beyond just treating her dog. This, combined with the staged evidence and the mounting circumstantial links, led Abel to arrest Watkins. When Watkins escaped by injecting Abel with animal euthanasia drugs, it confirmed his guilt and desperation.

Foreshadowing: The morning confrontation where Kate finally admitted Watkins told her the dog's name was the turning point that sealed his fate.

• abel marsh
• dr watkins
• suspect
• arrest
• investigation breakthrough

Mrs. Watkins and Jenny Campbell were lovers. However, Jenny also seduced Dr. Watkins, her own husband's wife. This created a twisted triangle where Mrs. Watkins was romantically involved with Jenny while sharing her husband with her. When Jenny pursued both members of the couple, it triggered Mrs. Watkins' murderous jealousy.

• love triangle
• jenny
• mrs watkins
• dr watkins
• affair
• relationship

When Jenny's body was found on the beach with her Doberman Murphy standing over her, investigators assumed the dog had attacked and killed her, this aligned with the initial reports and the unusual sight of a dog beside a corpse. The case was labeled a dog-killer case before Abel arrived and began questioning the inconsistencies that pointed to a human perpetrator.

• initial investigation
• dog killer
• murphy
• scene assumption
• police work