Jaden Sabich: Presumed Innocent character explained 

In Presumed Innocent, Jaden, Rusty’s daughter, makes a huge mistake when she discovers her father’s affair. Chase Infiniti plays Jaden Sabich.

Rusty and Barbara have two children—Kyle and Jaden. When Carolyn is murdered and Rusty is accused of the crime, Barbara insists that Rusty tell their children about his affair with Carolyn.

Both Kyle and Jaden are upset with Rusty. Later, it’s revealed that Kyle already knew about the affair; he even rode by Carolyn’s house on the night of the murder. 

Jaden, on the other hand, appears to know nothing. However, Rusty and Barbara later discover that Jaden was also aware, though she never discussed it with anyone.

A moment of anger

When Jaden learns about the affair, she takes her mother’s car and goes to Carolyn’s house to confront her. She arrives there after Rusty leaves.

Jaden asks Carolyn to quit her job and stay away from her father, only for Carolyn to reveal that her and Rusty’s lives will remain intertwined because she is pregnant with Rusty’s child. 

Carolyn’s insensitivity enrages Jaden. In a fit of anger, Jaden strikes Carolyn with a fire poker, which results in Carolyn’s death. 

Terrified of her own actions, Jaden runs away. Initially, she convinces herself that Carolyn’s murder was just a dream but later realizes that it was real.

Presumed Innocent Jaden
Jaden returns home after killing Carolyn

The next day, Jaden makes an excuse to stay home while her family goes out for breakfast. She then cleans her mother’s car and buries the murder weapon in the yard. 

Rusty, believing Barbara to be the murderer, tries to cover for her. He ties up Carolyn’s body to mimic the MO of a convict he and Carolyn had put away and plans to obtain a false confession from him. 

However, before Rusty can execute this plan, Nico becomes the district attorney. The case is transferred to Tommy, and Rusty becomes the prime suspect.

Struggling with guilt

As Carolyn’s murder case goes to trial, Jaden inquires about the evidence the prosecution has against Rusty, seeming merely curious.

Jaden is still struggling to come to terms with her actions. After witnessing Rusty beat up Brian Ratzer, she begins to question whether Rusty might have killed Carolyn. 

She even suggests that Rusty could have committed the murder but dissociated from the act, though this explanation applies more to her own feelings than to her father’s actions.

She fears for her father, who is clearly losing control. Then, when Rusty’s testimony damages his case, Jaden decides to help him. 

To protect him from being punished for a crime he did not commit, Jaden breaks into Tommy’s house and leaves the murder weapon there, hoping to divert suspicion away from Rusty. 

Although Jaden’s actions do not help Rusty’s case, they lead Rusty, who had placed a tracker in Barbara’s car, to suspect Barbara of being the killer and planting the poker.

Rusty is found not guilty in court. After the trial, he confronts Barbara, leading to Jaden confessing to her parents that she took her mother’s car and that she is the killer. 

Rusty reassures Jaden that she acted in self-defense, trying to protect her family, and that his own mistakes pushed her to commit the crime. 

He decides that they will never discuss the matter again, believing that they will move on as a family, which they do. Furthermore, Jaden is never caught by the police.


Also Read: Presumed Innocent (2024) summary and ending explained 

Muskan Chhatwani
Muskan Chhatwani
Muskan is an editor at The Envoy Web. Her name translates to smile in English, but she likes shows and films that do anything but make you smile. She believes that analyzing and interpreting the tiny little things on-screen can reveal a story that is not visible to everyone, a story of your own.

More from The Envoy Web