Murder

Murder is a concept used extensively within the Showtime series DEXTER as the psychological "need" for Dexter Morgan to please his "Dark Passenger."

Many other characters have also committed murder and many of these individuals act as the Antagonists for an episode or an entire season.

Definition
Murder is the act of killing someone based on personal motivation or professionally for money or political gain. It is not justified within the confines of law. Someone who commits the act is considered a Murderer and individuals who continue to commit the act as part of either a psychological disorder or desire are called serial killers.

Basics about Murder

 * Murder - The unlawful killing of another human being, with intent


 * Penalties - There are severe punishments for committing murder which vary from state to state, and country to country, such as many years in prison or execution


 * Vigilante Killer - Someone who takes justice into their own hands. They are rare, simply because they fear punishment from the legal system


 * Serial Killer - A person who kills at least three people in separate events, with "cooling off' periods


 * Mass Murderer - A person who kills at least four or more people in a single event


 * Spree Killer - Someone who kills two or more victims in a short time in multiple locations


 * Victim - A person who is killed by another, in short, a Vic. Until the person is identified, they are referred to as John Doe or Jane Doe based on their gender


 * Suspect - Anyone suspected of killing the victim, sometimes called a Perp, which is short for Perpetrator


 * Methods of Murder - A typical murderer will use either a knife or a gun to kill someone. Lesser methods include poison, arson, and staging an accident.


 * Trophies - Most serial killers keep a specific memento from their victims. It can be physical item (such as Dexter's bloodslides and Boyd's hair collection) or something related to the location where the victim was murdered (such as the plaques from Four Walls One Heart that Trinity kept. These trophies are typically considered very dear to a killer.


 * Disposal - Some killers prefer that their victims are never found (such as Dexter Morgan and Boyd Fowler), Some leave their victims in the manner they died (such as Trinity). Others display victims in public places (such as the Ice Truck Killer, the Skinner, and the Doomsday Killer).


 * Law Enforcement - A few select killers cover their tracks by working as Detectives or Forensic Specialists (such as Dexter Morgan).


 * Not Murder - Killing an animal, killing in wartime, and killing in self-defense is not considered murder by the legal system, despite religious or moral beliefs that may say otherwise.

Known Methods of Murder
Numerous methods are used to end a human being's life.The ways include a killing blow, shooting or stabbing, live burial, or an elaborate form of torture that results in death (as a result of blood loss or other effects).
 * Puncture the Heart by Stabbing - This was the method most often used by Dexter Morgan. It generally involved a Ritual where the victim was secured to a table with plastic wrap and then stabbed in the chest with a sharp object (usually a large knife). Depending on Dexter's state of mind, some victims were stabbed less violently than others. In one case, Little Chino was stabbed slowly into his chest. All of Dexter's victims died within seconds after their hearts were punctured.
 * Decapitation - This was an occasional method used by Dexter. It involved the use of a cleaver or other sharp blade that was capable of the act. Death was instant. While most of his victims were not killed by decapitation, their heads were cut or sawed off during the dismemberment process (to aid in getting rid of the body). Victims killed this way include Ken Olson and Jonathan Farrow.
 * Neck sawed by a Power Saw - This was a fairly common method used by Dexter. He would saw through one side of the neck until about the center and then he would remove the saw and saw from the other side of the neck. It was one of the more painful ways that he killed someone.
 * Neck slit by a sharp blade - After the throat was cut with a razor or other sharp blade, a victim would bleed out. Dexter usually reserved this method for situations that he deemed fitting or necessary based on circumstances (e.g., Dexter cut Brian Moser's throat to make his murder appear as a suicide; he slashed the throat of a hit man who pulled a gun on him; in "Darkly Dreaming Dexter," Dexter cut Jamie Jaworski's throat out of his desperation to escape).


 * Strangulation - Extreme force is applied to the neck causing constriction of the air pathways, resulting in suffocation of the victim. Depending on the force, the victim may in fact die from damage to their neck. This is considered a very personal method of murder. Usually related to rage, the killer "chokes the life" out of the victim. Both Nathan Marten and Miguel Prado were killed by strangulation.
 * Suffocation - A victim's airways would be smothered, resulting in death. This was not a common method used by Dexter and it was based on circumstances. Walter Kenney was killed in this manner.
 * Drowning - An individual was forced under water until the lungs were filled and could no longer breathe due to suffocation. This method was used to kill Nick.
 * Gunshot - An individual is shot resulting in death. The death has to be caused by the bullet, such as a shot to the heart or the brain. Dexter used a gun to kill Teo Famosa.
 * Blood loss as result of gunshot - If victims are shot in an organ and do not die instantly, they will bleed out shortly thereafter. Isaak Sirko did not die immediately after he was shot by George Novikov.
 * Blood loss as result of stabbing - If the victim is stabbed in any area of the body that results in a large amount of blood flow, the injury can cause death. This method is mainly used by Dexter in direct confrontations, such as the time that he stabbed Andrew Briggs.
 * Blood loss as result of cut artery - Different from a stabbing, the victim has an artery (usually the carotid or femoral) slit by a blade or razor which results in massive blood loss. Victims can die within seconds. Arthur Mitchell would cut the femoral arteries of the Bath Tub Victims.
 * Breaking of the Neck - From behind or in front of a victim, the victim's head is forced to move violently in a direction that snaps the neck (which results in death due to the spinal column being damaged). Dexter rarely used this method unless he needed to kill someone quickly (such as Esteban Famosa).
 * Incineration - The act of using fire or causing fires to burn the victims alive. A serial killer who uses fire to kill his or her victims is called an arsonist. Known arsonists include Gene Marshall, Joe Jensen, and Lila West.

Dexter's Reason To Murder
Dexter's reason for murder is complex, and partially trained. His strong homicidal urges originated from when he was traumatized at age three by watching the brutal chainsaw murder of his mother, Laura Moser. That event made Dexter feel as if he was "born in blood" as a "monster." At age twenty, be began to kill and cut up his victims, similar to the way his mother had died. (He started with animals during childhood.) Unlike most serial killers, he had someone teach him how to control and hone his urge to kill based on a rule set, referred to as the Code of Harry. For years, Dexter distanced himself from his crimes, referring to being controlled by a Dark Passenger.

Related Pages

 * Kill Tools
 * Murderer
 * Kill Ritual
 * Serial Killer
 * Lawful Killer
 * Murder-Suicide
 * Dexter's Kill List
 * Dark Passenger
 * Attempted Murder

Trivia

 * Detailed data on the numbers of murders occurring annually can be found in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR).


 * In the United States, on January 1, you have the greatest risk of being murdered.
 * Males are more likely to be murdered than females.
 * Individuals of African-American descent are more likely to be murdered than members of any other racial group.
 * Individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 are at the greatest risk of being murdered.
 * Individuals are most likely to be murdered by someone they know, and not a stranger.
 * Less than 30% of murders occur as a result of an active attempt to commit a felony, such as a robbery.
 * The murder of female victims is most often perpetrated within the framework of an intimate relationship.