Wes Gibbons (Alfred Enoch) was a kind-hearted law student in How to Get Away with Murder, but who killed Wes Gibbins? When he was introduced as an aspiring lawyer in Annalise Keating's (Viola Davis) class, Wes seemed softer and more nervous than the others, and he became part of the Keating Five when covering up the death of Annalise's husband, Sam (Tom Verica). Wes and Laurel bonded, and after an intimate moment in season 3, Laurel ends up pregnant with their son, Christopher. Wes is who killed Sam, adding to his guilt and self-reflection.

Wes's death in season 3 is disturbing as it proves that none of the Keating 5 are safe. Wes and Annalise had a connection revealed in season 2, as Wes's mother, Rose (Kelsey Scott), was scared to testify against the son of Wallace Mahoney (Adam Arkin), a wealthy man who assaulted Rose, resulting in her pregnancy with Wes. After Rose took her own life, Annalise was determined to keep Wes safe. This backstory became even more tragic in season 3 when Laurel Castillo's (Karla Souza) father, Jorge (Esai Morales), tells Dominick Flores (Nicholas Gonzalez) to murder Wes.

Why Was Wes Killed In HTGAWM Season 3?

Wes's Death Only Made Sense For The Story

Why did Wes leave HTGAWM? Alfred Enoch explained that his character was killed because it felt like the next step for the story, not because he wanted to leave or because he had a conflicting movie or TV show to shoot. Enoch told Entertainment Weekly, "The decision was creative." Before showrunner Peter Nowalk told him, he felt that Wes would be the character who would die. The actor also accepted this was a practical conclusion for his character:

"We’ve done so much Wes story. It’ll be interesting, it’ll be good, they’ll be able to do something else."

While it's difficult for the of the Keating Five to lose Wes, it doesn't seem like any other character could've died at this moment in the story. Wes's death was shocking and frightening, which proved there were dark consequences of being part of both Annalise and Laurel's worlds, as both of them have made wealthy and well-connected people very angry.

When an FBI agent murdered Asher Millstone in HTGAWM season 6, this felt like the right story decision as well. Because Wes and Asher come from opposite backgrounds but are both murdered, these storylines exposed the danger the characters were always facing.

Alfred Enoch Appeared At Annalise's Funeral In Season 6

He Played Wes & Laurel's son, Christopher

While it appeared that Wes attended Annalise's funeral in the series finale of How to Get Away with Murder along with Laurel, Oliver Hampton (Conrad Ricamora), and Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee), Alfred Enoch did return to the show, but not as Wes. The actor played Wes and Laurel's son, Christopher, who wanted to pay his respects and be a source of .

Christopher and Laurel wonder what would have happened if Wes had lived.

The How to Get Away with Murder ending was a melancholy affair. The characters ed the intense experiences they had together, and Christopher and Laurel wonder what would have happened if Wes had lived. Annalise's natural death at an elderly age was a logical and sad conclusion.

Did Wes' Death Hurt The Series?

Reviews Were Up, Ratings Were Down

Wes's death in How to Get Away with Murder season 3 shocked fans. When a beloved character dies, it can hurt a TV series. However, there are also moments where fans understand the death and, while sad, stick around to see how the other characters deal with the tragic loss. Interestingly, for critics, HTGAWM enjoyed its first and only 100% fresh approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes the season after Wes died. The season he died had a 90% fresh rating, and the number jumped to 100% the next season.

How to Get Away With Murder executive producer Pete Nowalk explained how Wes's death helped the series fourth season (via Cinema Blend):

"Laurel being pregnant and deciding to have the baby is a huge emotional thing for our show. That's Baby Wes. Wes was the heart and soul of our show, and I still miss him. So I'm really attached to that baby, so from there, what I loved instinctively about this image was just the horror of putting yourself in Laurel's shoes. To wake up and not know what's happened to you is really terrifying and gave me the chills."

However, the show did take a hit in the ratings. Losing Wes might have marked the start of the end of HTGAWM when it came to its spot in the ratings. The third season averaged 7.91 million viewers, down from the first two seasons. However, the season after his death saw the viewership drop to 6.42 million and then down in each of the show's last two seasons. How To Get Away With Murder became better after Wes died, but not as many fans stuck around to see it.

What Alfred Enoch Has Done Since How To Get Away With Murder

Enoch Became A Major Part Of The Foundation

How to Get Away With Murder is the series that made Alfred Enoch a star, but it wasn't where his story ended. While Enoch had a pretty significant role in the Harry Potter franchise as Dean Thomas, appearing in every movie in the series, he wasn't one of the key players, so he mostly slipped by with little fanfare. The role as Wes Gibbons, coming three years after his Harry Potter tenure ended, changed all that.

Enoch enjoyed some movie roles with parts in Executive Order, Tigers, and This is Christmas. However, his biggest post-How to Get Away With Murder role put him back on television again. In 2019, he picked up the main role of Jamie McCain in Trust Me, a BBC medical drama.

More significantly, he signed on to play Raych in Foundation. That is the Apple TV sci-fi series from David Goyer based on the Isaac Asimov novels about a group of exiles attempting to save the Galactic Empire by defying it. Enoch is the adopted son of one of the exiles, Jared Harri's Hari Seldon. He also has a lead role in the Starz thriller series The Couple Next Door.