Season 1 question - D'Angelo (spoilers)

Chumpski

Hi,

I have just finished rewatching season 1 lately. I have a question about D'Angelo Barksdale. Obviously don't read any further anybody who has not yet seen season 1.

Early on in season 1, D'Angelo tells his crew that he killed a girl for his uncle. That girl was the victim in the famous "****ity **** ****" scene with Bunk and McNulty. He tells Bodie and Wallace that he tapped on the window and killed her when she looked out which is only something the killer would know.

At the end of the season, in episode 13, when he is being questioned he denies the murder and instead says that Wee-Bey and his uncle played him to distract her and WeeBay was the one who tapped on the window and killed her.

The first time i saw it i thought that he was lying here to protect himself or to make his case for the witness protection program better. It always stuck at me that he didn't come 100% clean at this point!

Second time around i wasn't so sure, i thought he lied when he told Bodie and Wallace that he killed her so as to impress or take 100% control of his group. What do you all think?

Its just that its an important moment for D'Angelos character in episode 13 where for the first time he wants to get out. It would kill his progression If he lied at this point. I can't decide when he was lying!

Johnny Storm

In the police file there is a record of a phone message from a friend of the dead girl which says something like "she was out with a guy called Dee" on the night of the murder. Which does seem to back up the idea that Dee distracted her rather than killed her. Maybe.

TarfHead

Chumpski wrote: »

Second time around i wasn't so sure, i thought he lied when he told Bodie and Wallace that he killed her so as to impress or take 100% control of his group. What do you all think?

+1

D wasn't a soldier like Bird or WeeBay or Stinkum, so wouldn't have been the one to pull the trigger that time.

Hitman Actual

Chumpski wrote: »

At the end of the season, in episode 13, when he is being questioned he denies the murder and instead says that Wee-Bey and his uncle played him to distract her and WeeBay was the one who tapped on the window and killed her.

I always thought he was telling the truth in the interview room (as in, WeeBey had been the killer). I thought he was very convincing anyway (although maybe I just got played as well :pac:). Also, as Tarfhead alludes to, D'Angelo always came across as one of the good guys throughout his time in the series, or at least someone with a conscience. There were a few times where he got upset over someone being killed or dying (Gant at the start, the stripper that WeeBey dumped in the dumpster, and of course Wallace at the end). So no, I don't believe he was the killing type.

Dan Dare

Agreed.

Chumpski

Cheers everyone. Yeah having read all your points i'd be inclined to agree with you that he was lying to his crew and telling the truth in the interview.

Starting on season 2 now!

Das Kitty

Also he never said that he killed her, he let them draw the conclusion. Which would lead me to believe that he didn't actually do it.

event

yeah id be the same, he wanted to seem to the young uns that he was harder than he was

markfla

D'angelo was a "weak ass n*gger"

yabadabado

i would say he was there but weebay killed her.he was just kicked back to the low rises when he told the young uns the story probably to get them to look up to him.

cjt156

Doesn't this beg the question about the murder that he was originally on trial for though, Episode 1. Why wouldn't he brag about that killing; which he stood trial for? I always thought that was a weak point. We were supposed to sympathise with D'Angelo but none of the cops reference the fact he got away with murder through witness intimidation - and eventually more murders.

Sorry; hazy on the details, its a long time since I watched season 1.

tvnutz

cjt156 wrote: »

Doesn't this beg the question about the murder that he was originally on trial for though, Episode 1. Why wouldn't he brag about that killing; which he stood trial for? I always thought that was a weak point. We were supposed to sympathise with D'Angelo but none of the cops reference the fact he got away with murder through witness intimidation - and eventually more murders.

Sorry; hazy on the details, its a long time since I watched season 1.

The first murder he was on trial for wasn't premeditated. We saw D'Angelo wasn't really like that. Some guy attacked him and D just went for the gun and shot the guy. Avon was telling him after about how he needs to think a bit more and not just go straight for the gun. D was saying "it was him or me".

Dob74

D'angelo was just trying to impress his crew.

Wee-Bay did the shooting

raindog.promo

Would Weebay have not admitted to the murder though when he was admitting to all the others when he knew he was getting the life sentence, no parole.

I don't think he mentioned it. Seeing as he was copping to other peoples murders (birds on the state witness).

Hitman Actual

raindog.promo wrote: »

Would Weebay have not admitted to the murder though when he was admitting to all the others when he knew he was getting the life sentence, no parole.

I don't think he mentioned it. Seeing as he was copping to other peoples murders (birds on the state witness).

He did admit to that murder as well. In one of the final scenes of Season 1, Bunk comes into the courthouse and tells McNulty all the murders WeeBey took, and that was one of them. Also, there is a gun match between WeeBey's other murders and this one. Of course, he could have given his gun to DeAngelo for the Kresson murder, but there's no indication of that at all.

As regards trying to take birds murder of William Gant, he clearly lied about that one, as the way he told it didn't match with the evidence that homicide already had.