R.J. Decker's Real Killer Unpacks The Big Reveal: 'It Was Me, I Did It!' Plus, Have We Seen The Last Of [Spoiler]?

Emi may have been taken into custody on last week's "R.J. Decker," but Tuesday's episode revealed the identity of Victor Ochoa's actual killer, and it turned out to be... exactly who we predicted.

After some expert sleuthing from Team R.J., we learned that Victor was murdered by none other than District Attorney Janis Lake (played by Elaine Hendrix), who was recently introduced as a longtime friend of the Ochoa family. As we noted last week, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that the actress who played Alexis Carrington on The CW's "Dynasty" and Meredith Blake in "The Parent Trap" was going to get a villainous reveal — but that didn't make her comeuppance any less satisfying to watch unfold.

"Historically, with the roles that I play, I would like to think people are going, 'Oh yeah, she did it,'" Hendrix tells TVLine. "But because of 'Dancing with the Stars,' now that people have gotten to know me more, I really hope there was a debate of, 'Well, no, they're going to give her a different role now. She's not going to have done it.' But no, it is me. I did it."

Read on for TVLine's full Q&A with Hendrix, from the potential return of her murderous character to what it was like filming Victor's death scene with David Zayas in that nasty Florida heat.

TVLINE | What drew you to this role, other than that incredible name, Janis Lake?
Well, yes! But that wasn't what it was originally. When I heard it was going to be that, I kept saying, "Janis Lake... Janis Lake... Yeah, there really could be someone named Janis Lake, right?" So they called and asked if I would do this two-episode arc, and they did tell me right off the bat, "She's investigating a murder — and by the way, she did it." I was like, "Oh, that's so interesting!" I guess maybe some actors consider that in terms of whether they take a role or not. I've done other jobs, like when I was in the "Resident Evil" world, I didn't even know I was in the "Resident Evil" world. I just knew I was doing a video game, and then I later found out I was in the "Resident Evil" world. You don't always know with a lot of these NDAs and everyone trying to keep so tight-lipped about their projects now. But I did know I would be playing [the killer], and I thought, "Well, those are the best, most fun roles to play, so I gotta do it."

TVLINE | The moment Janis was introduced, I thought to myself, "I know I'm going to love this woman, but I don't know if I'm going to trust this person." Do you feel like your reputation precedes you based on your previous roles?
I've distilled it down and I've realized that I always play these top-dog strong women who are duplicitous, and I'm always walking the lines between good and bad. I'm not always good, but I'm not all bad either. I'm always this mix of she's just doing what she has to do. She's a survivor, she has a goal, she's ambitious. I like that each of the women that I've played have had their own version of that, but there is that through line. Even when I'm playing more blue-collar, even country-type women, I have that going on, and I don't mind it. I like it because it's fun. It's fun to always be walking that line.

TVLINE | And is this the first time you've played an attorney? It suits you. I almost believed that Janis didn't do it.
It's a little obnoxious to say, but I've done a lot, so I don't remember if I've played an attorney, but I don't think I have. One of my biggest intentions in playing for her was just to do her job. And in just doing her job, that was the perfect cover, right? She thought she knew how to navigate the system, and it just got beyond her. Especially when you introduce the mafia, that's just a deal breaker. At that point, she wasn't willing to give up her life. So my intention was just to stay professional through it all, despite her relationship with Emi.

TVLINE | For the actual murder scene, did you get to film with David Zayas? Or was that all body double trickery?
Yes, I filmed with David! He's lovely. We know so many people in common, but we had never worked together before, so we we were just talking and talking. That was great. We were both in Florida, and it was hot as Hades. Oh my gosh, even at night — maybe 10 or 11 o'clock — it was so hot down there. So we were both just sweating everything off.

TVLINE | I know she's off to prison, but please tell me this isn't the last we've seen of Janis Lake.
I don't know. Everyone's asking me that, but that's beyond my pay grade. I would certainly love to go back because I like the character, and everyone was so nice. They really care about this show. It's ABC, it's Disney, it has all the elements. So I'd be down, but yeah, I have no idea what they have intended. Someone on set was even like, 'I mean, she's got to have information that R.J. is going to need later, right?' And I'm like, 'I'm not the one you should be talking to about that.' I signed up for two episodes. That's all I know.

TVLINE | OK, but is it safe to say she's probably not playing pickleball? Too triggering?
Yeah, not playing pickleball in prison, but maybe helping R.J. solve some other crime. I mean, I don't know!

Did you correctly predict that D.A. Lake was behind Victor's murder? And are you hoping this isn't the last we'll see of her? Drop a comment with your thoughts on the latest "R.J. Decker" twist below.