Chicago PD cliffhanger preview: Who killed Kelton?

Who killed Kelton on Chicago PD? Look back at the Chicago PD cliffhanger and ahead to possible resolutions in the Chicago PD season 7 premiere.

Every One Chicago series ended on a cliffhanger last season, including Chicago PD, which left the audience asking who murdered police superintendent turned future mayor Brian Kelton (recurring guest star John C. McGinley).

As we continue to count down the time to the show’s Sept. 25 return, we’re looking at each of the cliffhangers again—refreshing fans’ memory, sharing possible clues and newly emerged spoilers, and then making our final predictions as to what will happen.

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains speculation about this season’s upcoming premiere, and may include spoilers/potential spoilers from information that is currently available.

Take a look back at the final moments of Chicago PD season 6, before we try and figure out how the storyline will be wrapped up in the Chicago PD season 7 premiere.

The cliffhanger

If you want to refresh your memory, play the video below to see the Chicago PD cliffhanger from the end of last season:

What we’ve learned since

While Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) is the prime suspect in Kelton’s murder, Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) has been a popular choice amongst fans. Antonio will be missing when the season starts, which only adds fuel to that fan theory: is he going on the run after committing the crime?

The rest of Intelligence almost certainly aren’t suspects, since we know three of them—including the currently incarcerated Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger)—might be eligible for promotion this season. Murdering the former Superintendent is the kind of behavior that would immediately deter a promotion!

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So what happens next?

Chicago PD clearly wants Voight to appear as the prime suspect, and logically he would be to any viewer. He said he was going to see Kelton, and then was seen driving away in the final moments of last season’s finale. Oh, and Voight has killed people before, so this isn’t out of character for him either.

However, there’s one big off-screen hurdle: Jason Beghe is the star of the show. So if Voight did it, he’ll get off the hook somehow, because he has to go back to work. Or Chicago PD will pull a fake-out and reveal another suspect who’s easier to get rid of.

It could be Antonio, but fans would riot if that were the case; they’re already not happy he got hooked on drugs, they’ll be even less happy if the writers make him a killer, too. So another option is that it’s a guest or supporting character who’s not that important. What has Kate Brennan (Anne Heche) been up to since being fired? Was Voight leaving after finding her there? Could it be some other political character we haven’t even met yet?

This isn’t “Who Shot JR?” It’s not a situation where all the main characters have a reason to have Kelton killed. Only a few characters make sense, and even less when you consider Chicago PD‘s long-term future. Expect Voight to be a suspect, but he’ll either get away with it somehow or be a red herring by the end of the premiere.

For the latest Chicago PD season 7 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago PD category at One Chicago Center.