The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 killed off Sam Scales (played by Christopher Thornton) in a shocking turn of events.
Based on the Michael Connelly book series of the same name, Season 3 of the hit Netflix drama has been an exciting ride for fans.
The Lincoln Lawyer saw the return of characters like Manuel Garcia-Rulfo's Mickey Haller, this time following the series' central attorney as he seek justice for the death of his friend and former client Glory Days from the end of Season 2.
Why Did Sam Scales Die in Lincoln Lawyer?
Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 ended with a bang, with Christopher Thornton's Sam Scales at the other end of the smoking gun.
Thorton's Lincoln Lawyer was revealed to have been killed in the Season 3 finale; his body was discovered in the trunk of Mickey Haller's car.
This shocking discovery comes as the show's central 'works out of his car' defense attorney is pulled over while cruising down the freeway. As the police take his information, they open his trunk to find Scales dead and bleeding out.
Scales appears in several episodes throughout the series as a fraudster and former client of Jerry Vincent (aka the murdered lawyer whose practice Haller took over).
The actual cause of Scales' death, and what it means for Haller, is not explored in the Season 3 finale, leaving the killer's identity a secret that likely will be saved for a potential Season 4.
However, Michael Connelly's Lincoln Lawyer books explore the death of Sam Scales. Scales was murdered in the books, with his killer finally being revealed in Connelly's fifth novel, The Law of Innocence.
Scales is eventually revealed to have been a well-known con man who got in too deep with some powerful people in the books, ultimately leading to his death.
It turns out that Scales was, at least in the books, killed by mobster Louis Opparizio as he attempts to frame Haller for murder. Haller previously wronged Opparizio, causing him to suffer a tremendous financial loss, which is why the criminal kingpin is seeking revenge against the Lincoln Lawyer.
Seeing as Scales was found dead in the back of Haller's car as police pulled him over in Season 3 of the Netflix adaptation, one can assume the series is lining a similar storyline from the books.
This would see Opparizio being responsible for Scales' killing and him and Haller butting heads over their falling out.
It would make sense for a potential The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 to explore the cause of Scales' death, as the series has developed a habit of major deaths ending one season and setting the story in motion for the next.
The Season 2 finale saw Fiona Rene's Glory Days killed off (read more about Glory Days from Lincoln Lawyer here), opening the door for the investigation to bring her killer to justice by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo's Mickey Haller in Season 3.
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3 is streaming on Netflix.
