List of ''How to Get Away with Murder'' characters

Annalise Keating

Viola Davis

Professor Annalise Keating (portrayed by Viola Davis) is a hard-hitting, renowned, ambitious, empowered defense lawyer who also teaches classes for students of the exclusive Middleton University.^[1] Keating is a woman of many faces; in public, she is a tough, fierce, successful woman; in private, she struggles with her own setbacks. She is married to psychologist Sam Keating and maintains a stable relationship until she discovers that Sam was having an affair with Lila Stangard, a Middleton sorority girl who had vanished and later her body had been found dead in a water tank. Annalise suspects that Sam is somehow involved in Lila's death, but he denies it, although Annalise continues with her own suspicions. Annalise selects five of her best students to help her with cases in her firm along with her associates Frank Delfino and Bonnie Winterbottom, who are equally audacious. After a fight with Sam during one night, Annalise leaves the house and, while outside, Sam is accidentally killed by four of her students and she subsequently helps them cut and burn Sam's body. Sam is then reported as missing and later as dead. Eventually, Annalise's lover Nate Lahey is pinned for Sam's murder. In the second season, it is revealed that Annalise was overprotective of Rose Edmond, the suicidal mother of Wes Gibbins, one of Annalise's students and probably her favorite due to that fact. Also, Annalise's students and associates get involved in another murder. In the third season, someone sets fire to her house; afterwards, two bodies are found inside the house. One of them is Laurel Castillo, her student, who had small burns, and the other is Wes, who was killed before the fire. Laurel—who was Wes' girlfriend before his death—was revealed to be pregnant with Wes' baby, while Annalise ends up in jail for crimes her fellows committed. She eventually manages to get out of jail and pins the murders on a deceased Wes thanks to a phone call he placed moments before his death. Days later, she writes recommendation letters to Bonnie, Laurel, Michaela, Connor and Asher in order to let them go from her and the law clinic. She gets her license back after being caught with alcohol in her blood and also starts visiting a therapist, Dr. Isaac.^[2]

Nate Lahey

Detective Nate Lahey (portrayed by Billy Brown) is a shrewd, fair and entitled police detective who gets sexually involved with Annalise.^[3] Nate is married to Nia, who was diagnosed with cancer prior to the show's beginning. In the first season, Nate serves as strength for Annalise when the latter is having a hard time. He investigates the night Sam Keating left town for a conference—the same night Lila died—and discovers he went to Yale University and returned to Philadelphia during exactly the same time Lila was killed. Nate omits that fact from Annalise, but eventually reveals to her when they have a fight. By the end of the first season, Nate is charged for Sam's murder. In the second season, Annalise arranges lawyer and her ex-lover Eve Rothlo to take Nate's case. Nia passes away, not before having an awkward conversation with Annalise. Nate is released from his charges; however, he is accused of giving Nia pills so she can die the way she wanted to. He is once again represented by Rothlo. He is eventually released and helps Annalise with the murder of Emily Sinclair. In the third season, Nate and Annalise have another vicious fight and he ends up sleeping with A.D.A. Renee Atwood, the one who was mounting a case against Annalise. However, Nate, realizing that Atwood only hired him to gain intel on Annalise, ends their relationship. Events lead to Nate and Laurel arriving in Annalise's house minutes before a bomb blazes the house down while someone is inside. They go to the hospital, where Nate identifies the one who was inside the house as Wes. Nate and Laurel get close since Nate always liked Wes. He helps her in gathering info about the house fire. Nate also discovers that his signature is on the papers instructing Wes' body be moved, a falsification made by Atwood in order to win the case against Annalise. It is revealed that Atwood not only moved Wes' body and tried to frame Nate and Annalise for it, but also had his body cremated, making it impossible for a second autopsy to clear Annalise. In the fourth season, Lahey starts working with Bonnie against Annalise, which also includes try to ruin one of her cases.

Wes Gibbins

Alfred Enoch

Wes Gibbins (portrayed by Alfred Enoch) is a sweet, eager-to-help and smart student who was in the wait list for Middleton and is later selected to be part of Annalise's class.^[4] In the first episode, Wes finds out that Annalise is cheating on her husband and this makes him and his professor closer. Wes is dogged by his neighbor, Rebecca Sutter, who was Lila's friend before her death. One night, after Rebecca was arrested for Lila's murder, Wes finds in his bathroom Lila's cell phone which Rebecca had left there the night before. In the first season, Wes helps in Rebecca's case in court along with Annalise. She is eventually released and she, Wes and the other Annalise students get involved in Sam's murder. Wes gets overprotective of Rebecca in the meantime. Rebecca is eventually killed by Bonnie in order to protect Annalise. In the second season, Wes gets shocked after he discovers that his mother Rose was Annalise's client. He also is involved in Emily Sinclair's murder. He begins a relationship with fellow student Laurel. In the third season, Wes is killed while Annalise's house burns down. It is revealed that Dominic, Laurel's ex-boyfriend and good friends with Laurel's snooty father, is responsible for Wes' death following orders he received from Laurel's father.

Connor Walsh

Jack Falahee

Connor Walsh (portrayed by Jack Falahee) is a clever, whimsical, and manipulative student who is selected to work for Annalise and uses his sexuality to reach his goals.^[4] He meets Oliver, a hacker, while trying to find information for a case; the two have sex and Connor gets the data he needed. Connor, who has had sex with countless men, ends up clinging to Oliver, but Oliver rejects him after Connor himself kept Oliver away at the beginning. They eventually start dating. In the first season, Connor gets involved in Sam's murder. In the second season, he is half responsible for other murders. He and Oliver take HIV test and find out that Oliver is HIV-positive. In the third season, Connor tries to deviate from Annalise and the others after Annalise is arrested. However, he creates a plan to frame Annalise on all crimes and go unpunished. His friend does not allow it. In the fourth season, Connor accepts Oliver's marriage proposal and applies for an internship.^[2] He is turned down by the law companies, just like Asher. As a consequence, Connor begins facing an identity crisis, triggering him to drop out of college.

Rebecca Sutter

Katie Findlay

Rebecca Sutter (portrayed by Katie Findlay) is a drugs inclined social outcast who was once the best friend of Lila, who is still dealing with Lila's death.^[5][6] She befriends and eventually starts to date the boy-next-door Wes, who helps her when she is arrested for Lila's murder. Rebecca is killed by Bonnie via suffocation in the first-season finale.

Michaela Pratt

Aja Naomi King

Michaela Pratt (portrayed by Aja Naomi King) is a sophisticated, confident, silver-tongued woman who aims to be as successful as Annalise is.^[7] In the first season, she is engaged to Aiden Walker; however, she finds out that her fiancé had a relationship with Connor years ago in boarding school. Michaela and Aiden have a long discussion about their engagement. Michaela finds that she has an interview at a law firm, only to discover that it's her future in-laws who have called the meeting for a prenuptial agreement. Michaela meets with her future mother-in-law to discuss the pre-nup agreement she is refusing to sign. She is involved in Sam's murder. In the second season, Michaela has sex with a man named Levi Wescott, who is revealed to be "EGGS911," a unknown messenger who tried to contact Rebecca before her death (disappearance for Michaela and the others) and Rebecca's foster brother. She also gets romantically involved with Caleb Hapstall, one of Annalise's clients. By the end of the season, Michaela and Asher share an unexpected moment together which lead, in the following season, to a relationship. In the third season, Michaela's foster mother Trishelle lives with her in her apartment for a while, but she leaves after uninterrupted fights with Michaela. In the fourth season, she continues her relationship with Asher, and after she is dispensed by Annalise she applies for internships.^[8] She accepts a job at Caplan & Gold and teams up with Laurel to investigate Laurel's father and Wes' death.

Asher Millstone

Asher Millstone (portrayed by Matt McGorry) is a privileged, jokester who comes from a law-based background.^[9] Initially, Asher is rejected by his fellows because of his childish and irresponsible behavior. He is even excluded from Sam's murder. Over time, Asher begins a casual relationship with Bonnie. In the second season, he becomes embroiled in the murder of Emily Sinclair after her actions caused his father, William Millstone, to commit suicide. After his father's death, he's excluded from his family, leaving him with no money and gets closer to the others, becoming aware of their criminal past and starts a sexual relationship with Michaela, that leads to a serious relationship. In the third season, he tries to glue the group together after opinions begin to diverge and Annalise is distant. In the fourth season, he applies for internships but is turned down.

Laurel Castillo

Karla Souza

Laurel Castillo (portrayed by Karla Souza) is a quiet, sensitive and ambitious idealistic who enrolled in law school to learn how to help the less fortunate.^[4][10] She manages to stay under the radar, making it easy for her classmates to underestimate her. With a profound attention to detail and inventive mind, she is talented and darker than expected. In the first season, Laurel gets sexually involved with Frank Delfino as the two help each other with their struggles. In the second season, Laurel and Wes investigate on Annalise's involvement with Wes' mother. They get romantically involved while Frank is away. In the third season, Frank disappears and Laurel enters in the dilemma between Frank and Wes. Eventually Wes is killed and she discovers she is carrying his child. Laurel, wanting to honour him, does everything to find out what happened to him and gets resentful after Annalise pins all the murders on a deceased Wes. In the fourth season, Laurel starts to suspect on her father, believing he is somehow guilty of Wes' death.^[2] She applies for internships and initiates an investigation on her father's company and himself.^[8] She does not show up for an interview for Caplan & Gold, where Michaela accepts a job, and the two women team up to investigate Laurel's father, whose company is represented by Caplan & Gold and who Laurel is sure to be responsible for Wes' death.

Frank Delfino

Frank Delfino (portrayed by Charlie Weber) is a reckless employee of Annalise's firm who is not a lawyer but handles special duties requiring discretion.^[11][6] In the first season, Frank initiates a brash relationship with Laurel and continues to help Annalise with criminal and arcane tasks. In the second season, he helps them with Sinclair's murder. In the third season, Frank disappears after Annalise discovers that, years ago, Frank was responsible for the driver who hit in her car and made her lose her baby. He slowly returns in order to protect Annalise, Bonnie and Laurel and even lies to the police saying he killed Wes.

Bonnie Winterbottom

Liza Weil

Bonnie Winterbottom (portrayed by Liza Weil) is an indescribable and odd associate attorney in Annalise's firm.^[12] Described as a "peacemaker" by show's creator Peter Nowalk,^[13] Bonnie is always trying to pull the right strings to make everything right and shipshape for Annalise. In her childhood, Bonnie was sexually abused multiple times by her mad father. In the first season, she serves as Annalise's right-hand woman while assisting her in court. She kills Rebecca in order to protect Annalise. In the second season, she embroils in Sinclair's murder and psychologically helps the involved. She covers up their tracks with the help of Nate, Annalise and Frank. She discovers that Frank was responsible for the death of Annalise's baby and eventually tells it to Annalise, culminating in Frank's disappearance. In the third season, Bonnie secretly meets with Frank to talk and keep him updated. During one of these encounters, they have awkward sex. Along with Asher, she works to keep everyone united while Annalise is in jail. In Coalport, PA, Frank kills Bonnie's father at the prison in which he was serving time, avenging her mistreatment as a child. Later, Frank, trying to fix everything bad he caused to Annalise, is prepared to shoot himself in the head in front of her and Bonnie, leading to the duo's heated argumentation. Later, Bonnie convinces Frank to spare his own life for her sake, revealing their love affair to Annalise and encouraging him to turn himself over to the DA's office to save them all from being arrested. In the fourth season, Annalise gives Bonnie and the Keating Four recommendation letters and Bonnie uses it to become state prosecutor.^[2][8] She then begins working with Nate against Annalise.

Oliver Hampton

Oliver Hampton (portrayed by Conrad Ricamora) is a shy, delicate, soulful I.T. specialist and hacker who gets infatuated by Connor. Connor first approaches him in the first season, needing info a company to help one of Annalise's cases. They have sex several times until Oliver finds out that Connor is using him. However, Connor comes back and tells Oliver that he really likes him and that he never felt this way towards anyone before. Connor moves into Oliver's apartment and they begin a relationship. In the third season, Oliver proposes to Connor, but gets no answer. In the fourth season, Oliver continues to ask Connor to marry, to which Connor eventually says yes.^[2] After being fired by Annalise, Oliver builds up his own I.T. company.

Gabriel Maddox

In "Nobody Else Is Dying", Frank learns that a man named Gabriel Maddox (portrayed by Rome Flynn) is enrolling at Middleton University and he quickly calls someone warning that "her kid is here."^[14]

After appearing in a guest capacity in the fourth-season finale, Flynn was promoted to series regular for the fifth season.^[15]

Tegan Price

Tegan Price (portrayed by Amirah Vann) is a sophisticated, intelligent lawyer at Caplan & Gold who believes in Michaela's professionalism and future. She, Michaela and Annalise team up to help Soraya Hargrove's negotiation with her ex-husband regarding their children's custody.^[16]

After recurring in the fourth season, Vann was promoted to series regular for the fifth season.^[17]

Introduced in season one

• Professor Sam Keating (Tom Verica): A professor of psychology and the husband of Annalise Keating for over 20 years until his death. Sam was involved in a sexual relationship with Lila Stangard, that eventually led to her death. He is the one who released Frank from jail and made Annalise hire him as her assistant. He also sent Frank to kill Lila after she threatened to expose their affair and her pregnancy to Sam's wife. During the first season, flash forwards show that a fight led to Sam being killed and buried by Annalise's students.^[18]
• Lila Stangard (Megan West): A sorority girl, girlfriend of Griffin O'Reilly and a friend of Rebecca Sutter.^[19] She was having an affair with Sam Keating and was killed at his command. Lila was born to Stuart and Miranda Stangard. She wasn't raised for a religious life, so her family was shocked when she started dating O'Reilly and took a virginity pact with him. However, Lila lost her virginity to Sam and had sex with him multiple times. She ended up getting pregnant. When Sam found out about her pregnancy, he took her to an abortion clinic and wanted her to terminate it. Lila didn't want to, and their argument is captured on the surveillance camera that eventually helps convict Sam. After, she tries to sleep with Griffin so he would believe the baby was his, but he refused to. Sam went to Yale for a lecture, and Lila suspected that he wanted to get a job at Yale so he could move away and escape her, so she decided to visit his wife, Annalise, and tell her the truth. However, at that time, Sam was calling Annalise, so Bonnie Winterbottom answered the door and sent her away. In the night of her death, Sam skips his lecture at Yale and drives back to Philadelphia to see Lila. They meet on the rooftop of her sorority, and he tells her that he loves her and that he is going to leave Annalise for her. He slips away under the guise of going to tell Annalise immediately and calls Frank with a payphone. Frank later shows up at the rooftop and strangles her, dumping her body in the water tank.
• Griffin O'Reilly (Lenny Platt): Lila Stangard's former boyfriend and a primary suspect in Lila's murder case. He made Lila take a virginity pact with him. The night Lila died, he had a fight with her and eventually ended up in Rebecca's apartment, where he and Rebecca made out. Lila showed up and the three of them had a fight. Lila disappeared that night and, after her body was found in a water tank of her sorority building, both Griffin and Rebecca became suspects in Lila's death. It was later revealed that Griffin did not kill Lila, Frank did.
• Aiden Walker (Elliot Knight): Michaela's former fiancée. Michaela discovers that previous to knowing her, Aiden slept with Connor and begins to question his sexuality, eventually, along with other issues, resulting in their break-up.
• Kan (Arjun Gupta): Laurel's ex-boyfriend. They first met during a bar party and caused jealousy on Frank. As a way to flirt with Laurel, he gives her important notes to study for a test. He helped Laurel and the others to gather money for Rebecca's bail. After a while, Laurel forgets to break up with Kan or even talk to him and he notices. One night, she turns up outside of the Legal Aid building. Kan commends her on having a lot to talk to him after blowing him off for so long. She tries to explain that she was buried in work for school and that she does not want their relationship to end. The two get back together but their relationship does not last long as their relationship was a method for Laurel to get over Frank. The two have a fight over the constant excuses Laurel makes for blowing him off and they break up.
• Wendy Parks (Alysia Reiner): A district attorney who goes up against Annalise.^[20] Despite the feud between the women, Parks once gave Annalise the key to win a case in which Parks was against Annalise's client.
• William Millstone (John Posey): Asher's father who commits suicide after Asher discovers a corruption case with which he was involved.
• Dr. Hannah Keating (Marcia Gay Harden): Sam Keating's sister who hates Annalise and suspects that Annalise is somehow involved in Sam's murder.^[21] She grew up in the Keating house with Sam and their parents and hated when Annalise and Sam moved together to the house and Hannah was expelled off.
• Jorge Castillo (Esai Morales): The millionaire owner of Antares Technologies^[8] and Laurel's ruthless father. He ordered Wes' murder. He meets Laurel at the university campus weeks after Wes' death and she tells him that she was pregnant and that she had an abortion. They take a photograph and he later sends the picture to her. She prepares to write "Why did you kill Wes?" to him, but deletes the text.^[2]
• Ophelia Harkness (Cicely Tyson): Annalise's overprotective mother. During Annalise's childhood, she was raped by her uncle Clyde and Ophelia saw it happening. Angry, Ophelia burned down the house her family lived together with Clyde inside and, years later, still hallucinates about what she did. In the third season, she goes to visit Annalise in prison and confuses the fact that Annalise's house burned down with what happened years ago. That way, Annalise learns her mother is suffering from dementia. In the fourth season, Annalise goes to Memphis to visit her family and tries to hospitalize her mother in a nursing home.
• Emily Sinclair (Sarah Burns): An assistant district attorney who was run over by Asher after she provoked him by diabolically speaking of his father. Immediately after, he put her body inside his car trunk and drove to the Hapstall house, where he, Bonnie and the other associates manipulated a fake crime scene and threw Emily's body off the second floor to make it look like she committed suicide.

Introduced in season two

• Eve Rothlo (Famke Janssen): A death row attorney and Annalise's college sweetheart.^[22] . During college, Eve and Annalise were lovers and Annalise left her when she decided to marry Sam Keating. She first appears after Annalise requests her help defending Nate for Sam's murder. The two share intimate moments and eventually sleep together again. Eve continues to show up to help Annalise in times of need throughout the series.
• Caleb Hapstall (Kendrick Sampson): Annalise's client who is accused of murdering his adoptive parents.^[23]
• Catherine Hapstall (Amy Okuda): Caleb's foster sister who is likewise being accused of murdering her adoptive parents.^[24]
• Levi Wescott (Matt Cohen): Rebecca's foster brother AKA Eggs 911. He was investigating Rebecca's disappearance and approached and slept with Michaela to gather info.
• Nia Lahey (Enuka Okuma): Nate's wife who died of cancer and was aware of Nate's affair with Annalise. Nate was accused of her murder and Sinclair prosecuted him in hopes of taking Annalise down.
• Philip Jessup (Jefferson White): A half-sibling to Caleb and Catherine Hapstall. He is the result of an incestuous affair between brothers Grant and Helena Hapstall. He was put up for adoption and later came back to get revenge for being rejected.
• A.D.A. Todd Denver (Benito Martinez): A prosecutor in charge of multiple cases. In the third season, he initiates a chase to Annalise, linking her to deaths of Sam, Sinclair and the Hapstall siblings. Annalise eventually gets rid of the accusations with a recording of Wes saying he killed Sam and the others. Later, Bonnie has a job interview with Denver and she eventually becomes a fellow prosecutor.
• Rose Edmond (Kelsey Scott): Wes' mother, who killed herself to protect her son.
• Wallace Mahoney (Adam Arkin): Sylvia's husband, Charles's father, and Wes' biological father. He blamed Annalise for not defending his son, Charles, well enough, and ordered a crash that led to the death of the baby Annalise was carrying. It is implied Wallace consecutively raped Wes' mother, Rose, resulting in her pregnancy with Wes. He was shot in the head right as Wes randomly approaches him to reveal he thinks he's his son.
• Sylvia Mahoney (Roxanne Hart): Wallace's wife and Charles' mother.
• Charles Mahoney (Wilson Bethel): A spoiled man, he is the son of Wallace and Sylvia. He was accused of murdering his fiancée, being defended by Annalise. Later he is charged with the murder of his own father, Wallace Mahoney, though it's known to the audience Frank actually murdered Wallace.
• Mac Harkness (Roger Robinson): Annalise's father with whom she has very strained relationship, mostly because of his knowledge of the abuse suffered by Annalise during her childhood and ignoring it. In the third season, Annalise flies to Memphis to visit her family and, while there, has several arguments with Mac regarding her mother's health and the fact that he abandoned them years prior.
• Celestine Harkness (Gwendolyn Mulamba): Annalise's sister, who is a nurse and has a lovely connection to her sister. In the second season, Celestine and Ophelia host a house party celebrating Annalise's home return.^[25] In the fourth season, Celestine and Annalise get together to try to hospitalize their mother in a nursing home, knowing that she is suffering from dementia.^[2]

Introduced in season three

• Soraya Hargrove (Lauren Vélez): the dean of Middleton University. At first, Soraya questions the methods Annalise uses in her class and her dislike of Annalise is obvious. After Annalise offered to help her out with her case to gain full custody of her children, she gradually suspends her feelings of dislike towards Annalise. She betrays Annalise, becoming an informant for A.D.A. Atwood in exchange for custody of her children.
• Simon Drake (Behzad Dabu): A student in Annalise's class that dislikes the Keating 5 from the beginning, saying they're benefited and eventually spreads posters with Annalise's face and the word "Killer".
• Meggy Travers (Corbin Reid): Wes' former girlfriend. She teams up with Laurel to grieve over Wes' death.
• A.D.A. Renee Atwood (Milauna Jackson): A disliked assistant district attorney who was gathering proof against Annalise and was briefly involved with Nate.
• Thomas (Matthew Risch): A guy Oliver met online and started dating, eventually breaking up because of Thomas' harsh reaction to finding out of Oliver's HIV status. Connor sleeps with him as a revenge for Oliver dumping him.
• Detective John Mumford (Dameon Clarke): An investigator who was in charge of Wes' murder's investigation.
• Detective Davis (Gloria Garayua): An investigator and Mumford's right-hand.
• Trishelle Pratt (Brett Butler): Michaela's estranged adoptive mother with whom she had a strained relationship.^[26] She stays for a while in Michaela's apartment during the third season.
• Dominic (Nicholas Gonzalez): Laurel's former boyfriend and the one who, sent by Laurel's father, killed Wes during the Keating residence fire.^[27]

Introduced in season four

• Dr. Isaac Roa (Jimmy Smits): Annalise's psychiatrist with whom she talks about her alcohol addiction.^[2] He was a heroin addict. During his sessions with Annalise, he tries hard to make her open up about what she is feeling and how she behaves.
• Jaqueline Roa (Kathryn Erbe): Isaac's ex-wife and therapist.
• Christopher Castillo (uncredited baby actors): Laurel Castillo and Wes Gibbins' son, born prematurely. He is named after his deceased father whose real name is "Christophe". Christopher is currently in the custody of his maternal grandfather, Jorge.
• Sandrine Castillo (Lolita Davidovich): Laurel's mother of French descent. She is divorced from Jorge and spent time in a mental institution. She also spoke to Wes for reasons that are unknown, shortly before his death.
• Nate Lahey, Sr. (Glynn Turman): Nate's father who's in prison for murder. Annalise decides to make him the face of her class action suit.
• Ronald Miller (John Hensley): An assistant district attorney who works alongside Bonnie Winterbottom at the District Attorney's Office.