Santiago is a wealthy, 21-year-old rancher of Arab descent who runs his late father's estate. He is known for his love of firearms, horses, and falconry, as well as his habit of harassing the female servants in his household. Unaware of the danger closing in around him, he becomes the target of a public assassination plan after being accused of compromising a local woman's honor.

The unnamed narrator is a journalist and a close personal friend of Santiago Nasar. Driven by a lingering sense of communal guilt, he interviews various townspeople to understand how a widely publicized murder plot went uninterrupted. He acts as the sole organizing voice for the fragmented, contradictory memories of the townspeople.

Angela is the youngest and considered the most beautiful daughter of a strict, impoverished family. She is pressured into an arranged marriage with a wealthy newcomer despite her lack of affection for him. Her secret lack of virginity becomes the catalyst for the town's central crisis when her husband returns her to her family on their wedding night.

Bayardo is an extremely wealthy, confident outsider nearing thirty years old. He possesses vast financial resources and uses his money to force situations to his liking, from buying out all the raffle tickets at a town event to purchasing a house that is not for sale. His absolute expectation of getting what he wants clashes violently with the strict moral codes of the community.

Pedro is one of the Vicario twins and works as a pig butcher. He is the more authoritarian of the two brothers and the one who originally conceives the plan to attack Santiago Nasar. He believes that violence is a necessary, unquestionable duty to restore his family's social standing.

Pablo is Pedro's twin brother and fellow butcher. Although he initially follows his brother's lead in formulating the violent plot, he becomes the driving force behind the plan when Pedro hesitates. He relies on the town's patriarchal expectations to justify his extreme actions.

Plácida is Santiago's widowed mother who lives with him on their ranch. She possesses a reputed skill for interpreting dreams but fatally misreads her son's dream about trees and birds. Her reliance on superstition blinds her to the practical dangers accumulating in her own town.

Victoria is the Nasar family's cook and a former adolescent lover of Santiago's deceased father. She harbors an intense hatred for both Ibrahim and his son, violently brandishing her kitchen knives when Santiago attempts to grope her daughter. She hears the rumors of the assassination plot but chooses to dismiss them.

Divina is the adolescent daughter of the Nasar family's cook. She is terrified of Santiago, who routinely subjects her to sexual harassment when they are alone. She is aware of the threat against him but feels too intimidated to intervene or warn him properly.

Cristo is a close friend of Santiago who spends the entire night of the wedding celebration with him. Upon finally hearing the concrete rumors of the assassination plot, he desperately runs through the town attempting to locate and warn his friend before it is too late.

Clotilde owns the milk shop located directly on Santiago's path to the docks. She realizes the twins' lethal intentions and tries various stalling tactics—including serving them strong rum and sending warnings to the local priest—to prevent the violence.

Purisima is the strict, traditional mother of the Vicario children. A former schoolteacher, she enforces rigid patriarchal norms on her daughters while giving her sons total freedom. She reacts with intense physical brutality when her daughter is returned in disgrace.

The Colonel is the town's primary authority figure and mayor. When informed of the twins' plot, he confiscates their initial set of knives but fails to arrest them or recognize their determination, treating the threat as a drunken bluff.

María operates the town's pleasure house and commands deep respect from the local men. She maintains a strict but affectionate atmosphere in her establishment and is known for turning away Santiago on the night of the wedding.

Flora is Santiago's fiancée, though their relationship lacks genuine romance. When she hears the rumors of his alleged affair with Angela Vicario, she reacts with intense humiliation and fury, locking herself in her room rather than warning him.

Margot is the Narrator's sister who harbors a quiet attraction to Santiago. Unaware of the violent plot in the early hours, she invites him to her house for breakfast, inadvertently giving him a reason to change his clothes and alter his routine.