When a Killer Calls (2006) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The killer, Richard Hewitt, was obsessed with Trisha because he had previously raped her one night. This prior assault explains his twisted fixation on her and why he claimed the murders he committed were 'for her.' The revelation adds a deeply disturbing personal dimension to his violence, as he saw himself as doing this for someone he considered connected to him through that crime.

Foreshadowing: Earlier threats hint at this connection when the caller sends photos of the murders and claims he did it for Trisha.

• richard hewitt
• trisha
• obsession
• motive
• rape
• sexual assault
• killer motive

The threatening calls and texts originated from inside the house because Richard Hewitt had broken into Molly's residence and was hiding there the entire time. He had been inside since before Trisha arrived, using a hidden camera to monitor her movements. The police confirmed the calls came from within the home, which is why Trisha's suspicion that her boyfriend Matt was behind the harassment was proven wrong.

Foreshadowing: Trisha discovers a hidden camera in the living room, revealing the killer's presence.

• threatening calls
• caller inside house
• hidden camera
• phone calls
• tracking
• killer location

Richard Hewitt, the son of the family, was the psychopath who murdered his own mother Linda Hewitt and his two siblings, Ryan and Holly. He photographed the killings on his cellphone, turning the crimes into twisted keepsakes. This opening massacre sets the stage for the night's terror and reveals the killer's disturbed mindset from the very start.

• hewitt family
• murder
• richard hewitt
• family killed
• opening scene

Molly's parents were murdered en route to a dinner party where her father was supposed to deliver a speech. The attacker appeared to be someone they knew, which added to the sense of betrayal and danger. Their deaths occur early in the film, creating the circumstances that leave Molly in Trisha's care for the night and triggering the chain of events in the house.

• molly parents
• dinner party
• murdered on way
• father speech

Despite Richard's obsession with Trisha, he killed Molly in her bedroom alongside him. This appears to be part of Richard's twisted logic, he wanted to eliminate anyone who stood between him and Trisha, or perhaps to punish Trisha through loss. When Trisha discovers Molly's body, it represents the final breaking point of the night and fuels her determination to survive and confront the killer.

Foreshadowing: The caller repeatedly threatened Molly's safety, suggesting she was always a target.

• molly walker
• killed
• body found
• why she died
• tragedy

All three of Trisha's friends were killed by Richard. Matt was ambushed in the basement and tied up before being killed while trying to free Trisha. Frank was killed during the chaos of the intrusion. Chrissy was attacked when she investigated strange noises, taken to the living room, bound, and later murdered in the basement after being tortured. Their deaths leave Trisha completely alone to face the killer.

• matt
• frank
• chrissy
• killed
• death
• basement
• murdered

Trisha escaped by finding Frank's gun in Matt's car, which the group had left outside. While Richard was distracted, she made a break for the doors and fired several shots at him, ultimately killing Richard and ending the massacre. She then walked out of the house into the street, physically and emotionally battered but alive, leaving the horror behind as sirens approached.

• trisha escapes
• kills killer
• gun
• shoots richard
• survival
• final fight

Richard Hewitt hid inside Molly's house to get closer to Trisha. Since he was obsessed with her after previously assaulting her, he chose her current babysitting job as the location to enact his plan. He had been inside since before Trisha arrived, using the hidden camera to watch her and orchestrating the entire night of terror from within the house itself.

• richard hewitt
• hiding inside house
• stalking
• obsession
• surveillance

Charlie, the neighbor who warned Trisha about the town being on edge, was killed by Richard shortly after Matt, Frank, and Chrissy arrived at the house. Charlie witnessed the uninvited guests entering and was murdered by the intruder soon after, his death occurring off-screen but confirmed as part of the escalating violence of the night.

• charlie
• neighbor
• killed
• murdered
• death

Richard killed two state troopers who came to check on the disturbance because they represented any authority figure trying to stop him. He showed no hesitation in eliminating anyone who entered the house, demonstrating his complete disregard for life and his willingness to do whatever it took to continue his reign of terror until he could be with Trisha.

• state troopers
• killed
• policemen
• murdered
• authority