Red's Past

In the film, when Andy asks Red why he's in Shawshank, he responds by saying "I committed murder." While much of his story is left to mystery in the movie, the novella goes into much greater detail. It's explained that Ellis Boy "Red" Redding is serving three life sentences for murdering his wife, neighbor's wife, and his neighbor's son.

Red had disconnected the brakes of his wife's car in order to collect an insurance policy, however, he didn't anticipate that his neighbor's wife and son would be riding in the vehicle.