Why were Jeff and Lizzie at Spiderhead? What crimes had they committed?

Spiderhead is a sci-fi thriller surrounding a research facility on an isolated island where convicts are subjected to mood-altering drugs in exchange for a reduction in their sentences. The film is streaming on Netflix.

Jeff (Miles Teller) and Lizzie (Jurnee Smollett) are two of the inmates at the Spiderhead penitentiary who get close to each other, eventually sharing why they were incarcerated.

Why did Jeff go to prison?

Jeff is constantly haunted by his past and the reason behind his prison sentence and Steve even uses this fact to manipulate Jeff many times.

Jeff was enjoying himself at a party along with his girlfriend when a friend asks him if they can head out somewhere to which Jeff agrees. When they get in, Jeff is asked if he’s good to drive as he had been drinking and he says he’s good.

Jeff loses control along the way and crashes into a tree and gets thrown out of the car while his friend dies on the spot.

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Why were Jeff and Lizzie at Spiderhead? What crimes had they committed? 1
Jeff got into the car with her friend and girlfriend

Later on, when he tells the story to Lizzie, it is revealed that his girlfriend had come along with them and was alive and stuck in the back when the car crashed. Jeff tried pulling her out but he wasn’t able to in time as the car blows up in flames.

He was charged with 2 counts of voluntary manslaughter.

Why did Lizzie go to prison?

Earlier on, Lizzie tells Jeff a story about how she was in a group home and that she and the other children there would regularly steal scratch cards from the local convenience store. One Christmas, they even stole presents from other families’ homes while those families were at church.

Towards the end, when Steve is trying to convince Jeff to give Lizzie Darkenfloxx, he tries to make it easier for him by reading her file and telling him about her crimes. Jeff says that he knows it was a simple burglary but that’s not the real truth.

Why were Jeff and Lizzie at Spiderhead? What crimes had they committed? 2
Lizzie confesses to her crimes

Before Steve can read out the file, Lizzie tells the truth herself. One afternoon in the middle of July, Lizzie left her 9-month-old daughter in her car and forgot her there for 3 hours while she went to work.

She was charged with 1 count of reckless endangerment and 1 count of manslaughter.


Also Read: What are the different drugs tested in Spiderhead?