Top 10 Shocking Deaths in Sons of Anarchy

Top 10 Death in Sons of Anarchy

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 deaths in Sons of Anarchy.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most shocking and stunning deaths that occurred on “Sons of Anarchy.”

Which death did you find the most memorable? Let us know in the comments below!

#10: Half-Sack Epps
“Na Trioblóidí”

Poor Half-Sack. As a prospective member of the Sons of Anarchy, Half-Sack was often the target of playful hazing. It helped make him one of the more sympathetic characters, and it only served to deepen the tragedy of his death. Wishing to protect Jax’s son Abel, Half-Sack confronts a gun-wielding Cameron Hayes. He gets a knife to the gut in return. Ironically enough, despite being the only main character to not commit a killing, Half-Sack was the first main character to die. It only went to show that the show wasn’t bowing to character likability. The show is ultimately a tragedy, and what better way to show that than the death of the lovable Half-Sack?

#9: Wayne Unser
“Red Rose”

Despite being a dirty cop, Unser was also one of the series’ most likable characters. Throughout much of the show, Unser was the corrupt chief of the Charming Police Department, who worked with the Sons to keep further criminal action out of his quiet hometown. Unser nearly makes it to the end, but his loyalty to Gemma ends up costing him. Unser attempts to arrest Gemma and send her to jail, thereby saving her life from a vengeful Jax. Unfortunately, Jax gets to Gemma’s location first and shoots Unser in the chest. It was only a matter of time before Unser died, and watching him remain so loyal to Gemma was a great, and ultimately tragic, way for the character to go.

#8: Bobby Munson
“What a Piece of Work Is Man”

Poor Bobby went out in a really brutal fashion, showcasing “Sons of Anarchy” at its most ruthless. Throughout much of the show, Bobby remained one of the most loyal members of the club, and he backed Jax’s plan against the Lin Triad and August Marks. Instead, the latter ends up kidnapping Bobby and forces him to endure some horrific treatment. And just when it seems like Bobby will be rescued by the Sons, August shoots him in the head right in front of Jax. Bobby’s character arc came to a terribly distressing end, making for the most gut-wrenching string of episodes in the show’s history.

#7: Piney Winston
“Family Recipe”

One of the older members of the Sons, Piney was the father of Opie, and one of the founding First 9. As such, he generally held a take-no-nonsense approach to the club’s actions and wasn't afraid of voicing his displeasure at some of its decisions. Unfortunately, this personality trait came back to haunt him, as his vocal discontent with Clay's leadership results in his death. It’s quite a distressing demise, as he dies knowing that Clay will be going after Tara. He is shot in the chest with his own shotgun, making him another victim of Clay’s increased instability and hunger for control.

#6: June Stahl
“NS”

It’s quite impressive that on a show filled with murderous criminals, an ATF agent somehow comes across as one of its biggest monsters. One of the primary antagonists of the first three seasons, June Stahl was an arrogant agent whose wild approach to law enforcement often resulted in needless tragedy. For example, she attempts to flip Opie against the club, which results in his wife’s accidental death. Fortunately, Opie gets his revenge in the third season finale, referencing Donna’s death right before shooting Stahl in the back of the head. There was a certain narrative satisfaction watching the otherwise haughty June Stahl crying and begging for her life, knowing that consequences were finally being paid.

#5: Clay Morrow
“Aon Rud Persanta”

The entire series was building up to Clay’s death. “Sons of Anarchy” is largely modeled after “Hamlet”, and like “Hamlet”, it contains a vengeful son vying to kill the man who violently usurped his father. It took until season six, but Clay’s death proved one of the show’s most memorable moments. Clay goes out like the tough man he is, accepting his death and facing it with dignity. Unfortunately, he suffers quite a violent and prolonged demise, as Jax shoots him in the throat. In some ways, it turned Clay into a sympathetic character, and Jax an unlikable one. It was a fun trick that the writers pulled on the audience, and it worked flawlessly.

#4: Tara Knowles
“A Mother’s Work”

Proving one of the show’s most tragic characters, Tara should not have been mixed up with the Sons. She showed great skill as a doctor, and she was absent from Charming for eleven years while working in Chicago. Unfortunately, she returned to Charming, got back with her high school boyfriend Jax, and fell in with SAMCRO. Marrying Jax and having children with him means dealing with his unbalanced mother, and said mother ends up killing Tara in a gruesome fashion. It’s easily one of the show’s most grotesque moments, dispatching of a major character in shocking fashion, and turning one of its antagonists even more despicable.

#3: Opie Winston
“Laying Pipe”

This young man was literally born into the club, being the son of a founding member. He remains fiercely loyal to it as a consequence, despite the fact that he’s not really made for that kind of life. Opie is a good man, and violence is not in his blood. He’s one of the most pure and innocent characters, and his brutal death is easily the show’s saddest. Opie’s downfall comes in season five, when he sacrifices himself for the club. He is forced to fight Damon Pope’s men in prison, and they beat him to death with a pipe. Both the show and Jax were never the same after this, with both turning significantly darker and more violent.

#2: Gemma Teller Morrow
“Red Rose”

“Sons of Anarchy” is not a happy show, and it ends with a son committing matricide. Gemma usually had the best interests of the club in mind, but many of her actions only made things worse. For example, she killed her son’s wife and the mother of her grandchildren, which only resulted in a vengeful son. Once Jax learns the truth about Tara’s death, he hunts down his own mother and ends up shooting her in the back of the head. Her death was quite narratively satisfying, especially after the troubles she had caused Jax and the club. But there’s definitely a strong undercurrent of tragedy, and her death signals the beginning of the end.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

David Hale, “So”
Quite a Surprising Death in the Third Season Premiere

Dawn Trager, “Sovereign”
Burned in Front of Her Father

A.J. Weston, “Na Trioblóidí”
A Death on the Toilet

Eli Roosevelt, “A Mother’s Work”
Killed by Juice After Walking in on Tara’s Murder

Donna, “The Sleep of Babies”
Accidentally Killed by Tig While Driving Opie’s Truck

#1: Jax Teller
“Papa’s Goods”

Of course, the most memorable death has to be that of the main character. Jax goes through quite a degrading character arc, beginning as a well-meaning thug intent on avenging his father, and finishing as a career criminal who resorted to the same violent extremes he so hated as a young member. After promoting Chibs to club president, Jax heads out on his father’s motorcycle, intent on leaving the life of crime and sparing his sons from an equally destructive future. He rides his father’s bike into a semi truck, dying in the same manner, on the same road, and riding the same bike as his father before him. It's a tragically poetic way for the story to conclude.