EastEnders confirmed Craig Ingram was dead on the BBC soap on Thursday after Amy Mitchell accidentally killed him, but fans believe another character will be framed for the crime.
Craig's death and Amy's role
After grooming Amy and convincing her to run away with him, Craig turned violent with the teenager. As well as forcing himself on her, Craig hit her. Their final showdown saw Craig try to hurt Amy only for her to fight back. Amy hit him over the head and accidentally killed him, before fleeing the scene.
With Amy's crime not fully disclosed, fans are starting to suspect that this plot is what leads to Max Branning's arrest in upcoming scenes. In the flashforward, Max is accused of murdering or trying to murder someone.
Max Branning's possible framing
The unnamed person's fate is not disclosed, but armed police swoop in and take Max away. Jack Branning, Amy's dad, is asked to help out his brother Max, who he is not on good terms with at this point.
Fans wonder if this is because Jack finds out Max took a cut of Amy's inheritance and, as a result of his silence about Craig, gave her time to flee with Craig. This has all led to Amy killing him and the violence she has endured.
It's this ordeal that fans believe could suggest Max is about to be framed for Craig's demise. With Amy covering up what she did so far, it's only a matter of time before the truth comes out or is close to being revealed.
Fan reactions and speculation
So will Amy or Jack, or even Sean Slater, have Max framed for Craig's death? Fans certainly think so, with one writing online: "So they're gonna set max up for Amy killing Craig?"
Another fan posted: "I think it will be soon that Amy exposes Max cos of the trailer. But I also wonder if, after tonight's episode, Max is about to get framed for a certain death given what happened in the flashforward episode..."
One post read: "This sounds plausible!! Max is meant to be accused of murder at some point isn't he? I can't see them killing anyone else off between now and new year, so maybe it is Craig? Maybe Jack or Amy or Sean either set him up or allow him to be accused to protect Amy. It must be Craig who Max is questioned about!"
There's still weeks to go before the New Year scenes play out, so anything can change in that time. EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
