Kill Ritual

Kill Ritual is a series of actions that Dexter Morgan carries out within a Kill Room in the Showtime series DEXTER.

The ritual includes Dexter confronting his victims with their crimes before he kills them.

History
During his third kill, Dexter showed photos to his victim for the first time. The idea may have been influenced by Nurse Mary's album. As with her, Dexter used a plastic suit when he killed Juan Ryness. When he killed Alex Timmons, he wore a pathologist's apron and long surgical gloves. Timmons was the first victim from whom Dexter collected a trophy - a blood sample on a glass slide. It was inspired by Timmons' hunting trophy collection and an improvised cut to Timmons' face, caused by Dexter playing with his military knife.

Procedure
Before he captures a target, Dexter prepares a Kill Room. This includes covering an area in plastic, putting up photos of his target's victims, and perhaps having candles to light. After capture, usually by M99, the victim is taken to the Kill Room where Dexter carries out his Kill Ritual. Dexter has stated that he finds the ritual “intoxicating.”

First, Dexter removes the target's clothing and secures him (or her) to a table (usually with shrink wrap). If tranquilized, Dexter waits for the target to awake. Then, using a scalpel, he collects a drop of blood from the target's cheek to keep as a trophy blood slide. Meanwhile, he forces his victim to face the crime(s) committed. Dexter may reveal details about his own life but portrays himself as a "monster." Dexter usually kills with one of his tools and kills while the victim is conscious. His kill method includes the restraint, dominance, and intimidation of his victim. Taking the life of a killer satisfies Dexter's "urge" and he believes that it saves lives. Lastly, Dexter dismembers the body and puts the parts into black trash bags for disposal from his boat.

Related Pages

 * Blood Slide Boxes
 * Dexter's Kill List
 * Dexter's modus operandi
 * Kill Room
 * Kill Tools
 * Locations of Dexter's Kills
 * Slice of Life