It was truly heartbreaking, but newcomer Eddie Rojás unexpectedly died in Season 3 of the must-see Netflix series, The Lincoln Lawyer. Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) suffered a devastating personal loss when he and his driver, Eddie (Allyn Moriyon), were maliciously run off the road by a tow truck at the conclusion of the Season 3 episode titled “What Happens in Victorville.” And while co-showrunner Ted Humphrey once entertained thoughts of not killing off Eddie, in the end it was curtains for the fitness-obsessed crochet lover. Humphrey said in an interview with Screen Rant:

“We love the character, and we love the performance, but, you know, in part, that was why it made sense to do what we did. I think it was John Wells [executive producer] who used to talk about audience testing of shows, and he was like you know, the studio would complain that all the dials went down when the kid died.

And it’s like, well, yeah, they’re supposed to go down. You’re supposed to feel sad when the kid dies. That’s how you know that it worked, right? So, yeah, I love that you loved him, and I love in a weird, twisted way, that you were devastated. That means it worked.”

Meanwhile, it was even more emotional for the young actor who portrayed Eddie in The Lincoln Lawyer. In a recent interview with Tudum, Moriyon expressed how “heartbroken” he was once the performer read the script, which included his character’s untimely demise. However, Moriyon does admit in separate interviews that he figured out early on that Eddie was likely a goner — given the number of episodes the actor was hired to appear in. Moriyon continued by speaking with Tudum about Eddie’s sudden death:

“I hope everybody falls in love with Eddie the same way I did. He’s written in such a lovable and easy-to-care-for way. As a fan and an actor, I was like, ‘No!’ But I understand how important it is, and I think it’s going to be powerful. So, it’s like, ‘How dare you!’ But also, ‘Thank you.’”

Eddie’s Death Left Mickey With a ‘Huge Scar’

The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3’s cliffhanger of an ending certainly set up the future for more of author Michael Connelly’s novels to be adapted by Netflix. Unfortunately, though, Eddie Rojas won’t be returning after his tragic demise. And the actor who brought Eddie to life on the small screen knew just how devastating his character’s death would be for his friend and employer, Mickey Haller (Garcia-Rulfo). Moriyon said during his same sit-down with Tudum:

“I think Eddie’s death is a huge, huge scar on Mickey. We were able to accomplish this wonderful connection between them, and for Mickey to feel so blatantly responsible after feeling responsible for another death. All of that is starting to pile up. He has so much going on, but at some point it’s going to hit him hard because you’ve got to grieve it. I think it’s going to stay with him for quite some time. And it’s going to stay with the audience for quite some time, I hope, as they reflect on it.”

Moriyon, who was a newcomer to The Lincoln Lawyer this season, appeared as Eddie Rojas in a total of seven of Season 3’s 10 episodes. Following Eddie’s death at the conclusion of “What Happens in Victorville,” the character also shows up in “Ghosts” and “The Gods of Guilt.” But as far as dying went, Moriyon had mixed feelings about watching Eddie go out the way he did. When asked if Eddie’s death was satisfying, Moriyon told Tudum:

“Yes and no. I do because I understand structurally how it does pay off, but I don’t think you’re ever going to feel fully satisfied. You see endless possibilities for Eddie, and it’s the same with Glory Days — for anyone who Mickey feels responsible for having lost. A big question is if Mickey hadn’t made certain choices, if people would still be alive. I don’t know if he could get over that. I’m not over it.”

While Season 4 of the show is still up in the air, The Lincoln Lawyer’s showrunners are already brainstorming what happens next to Mickey Haller and his legal crew following Season 3’s harrowing cliffhanger. For now, though, fans can stream and/or binge-watch all three seasons of the hit legal drama on Netflix.