Criminal Minds s12e12 Episode Script
A Good Husband
1 [Singing along.]
Can I get a chance to move Can I get a chance to move on from you? Can I get a chance to try Can I get a chance to try without you in my way [Engine sputters and dies.]
Oh, not again.
Radio: you keep reminding me [Turns off radio.]
[Steam hissing.]
[Gasps.]
Ow! Damn it! Mm.
Aah! Aah! Help! Help me.
So, who's your inspiration? You wouldn't know him.
He's great, but a bit obscure.
You want to try me? Trombone Shorty.
Yeah.
Yeah, he did some studio work for Prince.
Ok.
So my man knows jazz.
Yeah, I knew Prince a little bit.
Hmm.
[Chuckles.]
This can't be good.
It's not good.
It's not even a teeny tiny bit good.
Isn't Spencer supposed to be back today? He's adjusting to having his mom around, but, yeah, he should be here by now.
Let's do this.
Palm Springs, California.
Playground to Hollywood, currently a horror scene.
Enter one male torso, unidentifiable.
If it wasn't for a woman who had some car trouble, no one would have ever even found the body.
And the coroner on site said the dismemberment probably happened postmortem.
Now, the 2004 torso murders here in D.
C.
are still unsolved.
We profiled the unsub in that case, removed body parts as a forensic countermeasure to prevent IDing the victims.
We figured me must have gotten locked up on another case.
Now he may be back and taunting us.
Any potential victims on the local missing persons lists? So far there's been no reports of a missing male there in the last month.
So, no missing persons and a chopped up body we can't identify.
Is Robert Durst in town? Nope, he's serving 7 years on a weapons charge.
Sorry I'm late, guys.
Traffic was bad.
Any I.
D.
on the torso victim? Uh, they don't have enough of him to do a query with the national missing and unidentified persons database.
He made a real effort to pull of permanent concealment.
Well, that could indicate a known link between the unsub and the victim.
Or he hoped to hide the fact that a killer had just arrived in town.
It strikes me that he must be familiar with the area.
I mean, you don't murder someone out in the desert and then bring the body back into a populated area.
So the unsub was skilled enough to hunt, kill, dismember, and dispose of his victims, all within city limits.
And escape without being seen.
And his tradecraft was on point, too.
He brought an effective cutting tool and had a secure location or vehicle to do the deed.
That kind of planning could indicate he's been fantasizing about something like this for quite a while.
And if the reality didn't live up to the fantasy, he'll keep at it until he gets it right.
Wheels up in 30.
Reid? Hey, are you good? Yeah.
I'm good.
I'm a little frazzled.
How's your mom? You've got your hands full, I'm sure.
I finally found an in-home nurse that knows what she's doing.
It's just we've had a little trouble coordinating our schedules.
Do you think you should be there to help ease the transition? No, I think it's important that my mom learns to rely on Nurse Campbell.
She's your mother.
If you need more time, take it.
Oh, all that I need is a comprehensive plan to help me balance being at home with her and doing my work here.
Then you should take the time to do that.
That's just the thing.
By distracting my conscious mind with work, it will allow my subconscious mind to form a plan at roughly 10 billion times the speed.
Voicemail: Hi, it's Lisa.
You know what to do.
[Beep.]
Hey, it's me.
I know you don't want to talk, uh, to me [Labored breathing.]
But I I miss you.
Rossi: âA good husband makes a good wife.
â John Florio.
The victim in the dumpster was Paul Mastriano, 28-year-old real estate agent.
When he didn't come and pick his daughter up and take her to school yesterday morning, his ex-wife immediately contacted the Palm Springs police department.
I'm sending you the deets now.
We can rule out the D.
C.
torso case.
He only killed prostitutes.
How did the ex-wife I.
D.
this victim? She had his DNA profile when they did a genealogy study together before they broke up last August.
So they were married 7 years, had a 6-year-old daughter.
Did the wife say why they divorced? No, but let me look at records.
Well, he had a domestic abuse complaint and two DUls last year.
Could the wife have had something to do with the murder? Didn't your buddy Judd Ray barely survive a hit his wife put on him? Yeah, she hired a hit man.
But this, I mean, I've had cases where husbands dismembered their wives, but rarely is it the other way around.
And she came in to I.
D.
him.
In those cases, the guilty spouse didn't want law enforcement to know that their other half was dead.
He was last seen at a strip club about a mile away from where his body was found.
Well, a lot of creeps and criminals run a place like that.
We'll have to check that out.
This story is blowing up on the news, this guy gotta know we found the body.
It could cause him to accelerate.
Penelope, any similar cases in the area? Well, I can check ViCAP and neighboring states.
Jeepers.
Another body, and by body I mean torso, was just found 10 blocks from the original one.
Was it found in a dumpster? Uh, no, pedestrian spotted it in a parking lot.
It could be an acceleration, or the unsub was interrupted.
We are 20 minutes out.
Notify Chief Bailor to leave the body and crime scene undisturbed until we get there.
Consider it done.
JJ, why don't you, Tara, and Luke go to the newest disposal site.
Dave, Stephen, find out what you can about the first victim from the club.
Spencer and I will go to the Palm Springs P.
D.
and talk to the chief.
He's got his hands full.
Officer: Yes, sir.
[Continues indistinct.]
We're very sorry about the officers you lost.
Worst thing in the department's history.
But right now we have to focus on this case.
I've got conference room set up for you right over here with everything you've got so far.
Any I.
D.
on the second victim yet? No.
But I've got 50,000 residents worried we have a serial killer on our hands.
Is that the first victim's ex-wife and daughter? Madison was supposed to see her dad yesterday.
Do you mind if we talk to them? Reid: Thank you.
Hi.
Oh.
If you're from social services, I haven't told her yet.
Are you gonna take me to my daddy now? No, not yet, sweetheart.
Actually, we are from the FBI.
What's FBI? Whoa! That is a cool doll.
What's her name? Sally.
She has the same hair as you.
[Laughing.]
Do you mind if my colleague Dr.
Reid takes Madison to get a snack and we can chat for a few minutes? Maddie, you be a good girl and you get something nice and you come right back, ok? Yes, Mommy.
Ok.
After you.
What's FBI? FBI? You know, we're kind of like the police.
Let me ask you this Have you ever had a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich? Eew! That's what he looked like.
Paul and I were happy then.
I'm so sorry for your loss, Mrs.
Mastriano.
Thank you.
I mean, I always thought Paul's drinking would kill him, but I didn't think it would be like this.
Did he typically go drinking with anyone in particular? No.
He always drank alone.
I mean, that's how bad it was.
[Takes deep breath.]
How am I gonna tell Maddie? [Crying.]
[Indistinct song playing inside.]
Thanks for meeting me outside.
I don't want the girls seeing me with cops.
It makes them nervous.
No problem.
We appreciate you talking with us.
When you called, you said Paul Mastriano came in the night before last.
Is that him? Yeah.
Came in all the time after the divorce.
Tell you the truth, he came in a bunch of times before that, too.
How much did he drink the other night while he was here? 5, 6 drinks.
Paid his tab and left.
Did he piss anyone off while he was here, maybe get frisky with one of the dancers? No way.
He wasn't that kind of customer.
He was a quiet guy, just drinking by himself.
What time did he leave? Candi was still on stage, so around midnight.
Anyone leave right before or after he left? We're open 24/7.
I got guys coming and going day and night.
Any security cameras inside? They make our customers nervous.
Besides, we got 24-hour live security.
Well, thank you for your time, Dwayne.
You've been a big help.
The unsub couldn't have known Mastriano would leave early.
Makes him a victim of opportunity.
Unless the unsub did something to make him leave.
Alvez: This is the second body that the unsub has transported to a secondary disposal site.
If he left it out in the open like this on purpose, he may be making a statement.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh Judging by the lacerations, the unsub was really pissed off at this victim.
So much so, he missed something.
Uh, hey, do you have an ICM scanner? Right here.
[Beeping.]
The second victim is Brent Miller, date of birth, May 15, 1982.
I asked Garcia to find out what she can about him.
How'd they make the I.
D.
? Oh, he did an ICM.
Internal Cardiac Monitor with a transmitter linked to the patient's medical file.
Our agents are headed over to the coroner's to see if he's determined an official cause of death.
[Cell phone rings.]
Garcia, I'm putting you on speakerphone.
Ok, there's no connection between the victims, and there doesn't seem to be anything on Brent Miller.
He managed Downtown Bagels.
He has no criminal record.
He has no DMV infractions.
Any family in the area? Mm, never married, no kids.
Uh, he did just go through a recent breakup, so his credit card receipts have quite the bar tabs.
The first victim, Paul Mastriano, went through a divorce a few months ago.
Garcia, do you have any information on Brent's relationship? Uh, according to social media Ouch.
His girlfriend of 3 years just moved to Alaska with her new beau last month.
You think that's significant? Both of our victims had relationship issues and were apparently drowning their sorrows.
It's the best lead we have right now.
It'd be a good idea to canvass all the bars in town.
You can't just cut me off.
I didn't come back to argue.
I thought I'd be gone before you got home.
You made a commitment to me.
I've made up my mind.
You're just gonna throw us away? We waited 3 years just to be able to get married.
If there's another guy, just tell me.
You owe me that.
You're paranoid.
[Cell phone rings.]
It's Kate and Diane, isn't it? They're the only friends I have left.
They care about me.
They don't make me feel useless.
You have to stop doing that.
I'll try.
Really.
I'll get help.
The police still have no suspects as the mutilated body count and fear rise in the community.
Authorities would not go into detail, however, they did confirm that this is the second mutilated corpse [Knock on door.]
Discovered in the street [Mutes TV.]
You ok? Not really.
Hi.
Babe.
I love you.
I'd do anything for you.
What we're going through, it's just married couple stuff.
Don't let him play his tricks on you.
You asked us to come to prevent this from happening.
Don't let them manipulate you.
This is who we are.
I can estimate that both men were in their early 30s, and based on their torsos, they were about average height and build.
Similarities can mean they're surrogates.
Cause of death on the first victim is undetermined because the appendage removal was postmortem.
But on the second victim, it was antemortem.
So his C.
O.
D.
is exsanguination.
Poor guy was alive when he got chopped up.
It goes beyond forensic countermeasures.
It's sadistic.
And hard enough to do on a dead body.
I mean, this guy's escalating.
He's getting off on this.
Yeah.
Tell me about the hack job on the second victim's chest.
The penetrating wounds to the thoracic region were antemortem, too, yet there's no evidence that the victim struggled during the attack.
Then how did he control his victim while he was chopping him up? Toxicology on both victims showed a central nervous system depressant and paralytic.
Ok, so induced paralysis followed by torture.
That sounds like a date rape cocktail.
Alcohol dosed with chloral hydrate? Someone slipped him a roofie.
Looks good, Mark.
Can I buy you another? I've already had way too many.
But I'd take a beer.
Great.
Two Rocky Mountain, tall boys.
What's up? Are you trying to get me drunk? Just helping you forget your troubles.
Did Bill tell everybody? I'm in the same boat.
Jarred just dumped me.
To moving on.
To moving on.
[Bottles clink.]
[Loud cheering and clapping for game on TV.]
Way too loud in here.
Let's take a walk.
Come on.
Let's get out of here.
[Indistinct song playing.]
[Thudding sounds.]
Well, this is more public than the prior victims.
And this location concerns me.
We have a significant and very visible gay community here.
This is right smack in the middle.
It's probably just coincidence, you know? If these are anti-gay hate crimes, then why were the first two victims straight? With the way the unsub had been escalating, I was expecting more rage and overkill, but This is It's actually more controlled.
Yeah.
That and the location seems like it's staged for maximum shock value.
To horrify people in general or for someone in the gay community? It could be that the target is gay, or the unsub, or both.
Mark, it's me.
I know you're angry.
Mark? Are you in there? Mark.
Are you in there?! Mark? Are you home? Are you ok? Mark? Oh, thank God.
There's been another murder.
I was I was getting worried.
Sorry.
I No, no, it's ok.
I just, uh I'm surprised.
I'm happy you came back home.
I'm not back.
I just I needed to know you were safe.
You're hurt.
Oh, it's nothing.
I just caught it on the latch when I was loading my van.
Do they know who was killed? It didn't say, but His body was found just 6 blocks from here.
I know this is difficult, Ms.
Ericsson, but we may have found your brother.
You said Dale had a unique Y-shaped abdominal scar? We're very sorry for your loss.
I can't stop imagining what Dale went through.
What they did to my brother is inhuman.
And we are doing everything we can to make sure whoever is responsible is brought to justice.
This unsub seems to be targeting men who were having relationship troubles.
Do you know if Dale was going through a breakup or anything? Yes, but he said it was just a fling.
He's really careful, though, about dating.
He'd never just go off with some guy he didn't know and trust from the local gay community.
Did his sexuality cause any issues between you two? No.
I encouraged him to be himself and live his life.
And now he's dead because of it.
Your brother was not killed because he was gay.
Then why was he killed? Prentiss: We're looking for a local male in his 30s with control issues.
He may be gay or bisexual, and he has been harboring a kill fantasy.
Serial killers exist along a continuum just like anyone else.
This one happens to be gay.
Until now, he's been able to sublimate his homicidal urges by controlling either his work environment or his relationships.
He may not be physically imposing himself, so he drugs his victims to paralyze and control them.
He then chops of their limbs as a method of torture before he removes their heads because this gives him the ultimate feeling of power.
It's also an act of depersonalization, meaning he's intentionally negating the characteristics that make them uniquely human.
We haven't found any of the body parts in dumpsters.
Do you still think that's his disposal method? It's either that or he digs shallow graves in the desert.
It's easier to dig 5 one-foot holes than it is to dig one 5-foot hole.
The torsos he displayed are his trophies.
He wanted them to be found.
He targets victims of opportunity, but they've all been blond, healthy, and slim.
So he has a type.
Which means his victims are most likely surrogates for a current or ex-partner, even a spouse, who he controlled through non-violent manipulation.
We believe he may have been rejected recently, causing the unsub to escalate to murder in order to regain a sense of control.
You should increase your nightly patrols of alleys and lots near bars and clubs.
We will keep the community apprised of any new developments.
Thank you all.
Oh, my God.
It's Dale! Dale? Stay with me tonight.
I don't need this pressure right now.
We need each other, especially right now.
I need my friends, too.
But I'm the one that holds you at night.
Protects you.
Please.
Stay? I'll make you some chamomile.
It relaxes you.
Where are you going? I just need a second.
God, can't I use the bathroom without you hovering over me? You're right.
That's not the way I meant it.
How did you mean it? I just wanted to make sure you're all right.
You're sweet, but I still need a minute.
I need to tell you I I thought my life was over when you left.
I'm sorry I pushed you away, baby.
Why don't you use the master bath.
All of the media attention should be working in our favor.
Well, he knows we're here and we're after him.
It'll cause him to make mistakes.
He'll get cocky, push the envelope, try to prove he's superior.
And he'll take it out on his next victim.
We can't let that happen.
No, we don't have to.
This kind of narcissism would play out in his personal relationships as well.
He could be married.
I mean, like with any relationship, he started out charming and eventually Gay marriage leads to gay divorce.
There'd be a record of that.
Give me what you got, wonder woman.
Garcia, search Palm Springs and the surrounding areas for male same sex couples that filed for divorce within the last few months.
Marital bliss, followed by marital diss.
Of course.
Why didn't I think of that? Ok.
There were 3 recent gay divorces in Palm Springs, but they all moved out of town after that.
You know, actually, that small number isn't all that shocking, taking into account the brief time frame and the fact that gay couples divorce at about half the rate straight couples do.
Maybe they aren't divorced yet.
If they just separated, it would still enrage the unsub, and it could have led to this.
I told you that when you got engaged.
You don't know who a man is until you have your first big fight.
I know.
But every time I think I'm finally over him, he does something sweet, and I'm right back in his arms.
So he has some redeeming qualities? No one's 100% good or evil.
Except maybe the psycho who killed Dale.
I still can't believe he's gone.
Bill: I should go.
It was good to finally spend time with you again.
Sure you're gonna be ok? Just called an Uber.
She'll be here in two minutes.
Be safe.
You too.
Hey, Wes.
Mark.
Have you seen Bill? I don't want to talk to you.
I know I've been a terrible friend.
Cutting Bill off from you was wrong.
I'm trying to do better.
Try somewhere else.
Give me a chance.
Please? Let me buy you a drink.
Hear me out.
I really messed up with Bill.
I know that now.
He just needs to Uh, feel like he's his own man.
Oh, I should have eaten something.
This is going straight to my head.
Bartender must have mixed them pretty strong.
Oh, whoa, I'm kind of dizzy.
Maybe you're coming down with something.
I'll get you home.
My van's right around the corner.
You brought this on yourself.
[Camera clicks.]
[Clicking.]
We don't even know who was killed.
It's terrible.
Can't get much more public than this.
Can't get any angrier than this either.
No question this is meant to shock and terrorize the gay community.
But he keeps coming back to the same area despite increased patrols here.
To justify that risk, he must have a very personal target in mind.
Someone who's connected to this neighborhood and this victim, and that's why he deviated from his preferred physical type.
These murders, they made me realize how awful I was to you.
I want you back.
It'll take more than a half-assed apology.
You're right, babe.
What is it you need? I need to know it's going to be different.
It will.
I promise.
Let's go someplace where we can talk about it.
Dog tags.
So he's not even trying to hide his victims' identities anymore.
He wants the target to know who he killed.
Yeah.
Wesley Parham.
I'm sending this to Garcia.
Penelope, we need an address and next of kin on Hey, guess what.
I'm already doing a military archival search, so you are welcome.
Sergeant Wesley Parham, honorably discharged two years ago, 45 Palm Canyon Drive.
What else do you have on him? 31 years old.
Did 3 tours in Afghanistan.
Super secret security clearance.
And he was an army Intelligence officer.
I'm sending pic and bio now.
Moved here 18 months ago.
No relatives in the area.
No, but his partner, Nick Goode, works out of town, comes home on the weekends.
He will be landing at Palm Springs International Airport in 30 minutes.
Dave, you and Stephen bring him in for an interview.
In the meantime, we need to build Wesley's timeline through the community.
JJ, pull together a press conference.
We'll set it up near the memorial.
Sure.
Spencer and Tara should keep photographing the crowd.
This is exactly what he was looking for Attention and fear.
Unless he's already started stalking his next victim.
Last night was, um Great.
Amazing.
Yes.
But I couldn't stay.
I needed some space.
Space.
To be honest, I feel like I can't breathe in this relationship.
And remember my last job? You called me 20 times a day there, so they fired me.
I called you out of love.
That's not love.
It's not? Look what's happening around us.
It's dangerous.
It's how things should be.
You get married.
You stay together for life.
If I come back, it has to be on my terms.
Of course, babe.
You won't push away my friends? Whatever makes you happy.
Nurse Campbell, hi, it's Spencer.
Hello, Dr.
Reid.
How is she feeling? She's resting now.
The new meds have her pretty wiped out, but when she's up, her confusion and paranoia are pretty intense.
If you can just remind her where she is and reassure her that everything will be ok, I'll be home soon.
Can I ask you something? Yeah, of course.
Are you sure having her here at home is the best thing? She'd probably be better off in a comprehensive care facility.
I'm trying to give my mother the best possible care, and it's just I feel like she feels safer and happier with me at home.
Maybe if you were here all the time, she would, but when you're gone, she's suffering.
Sadly, I can't talk about this right now, I have to go, ok, but I'll talk to you soon.
Bye.
[Camera clicking.]
The body placement shows calculated targeting.
That's why we believe the person responsible for these crimes may be involved in coercive control or domestic abuse with his partner.
Anyone in the viewing audience who knew Wesley Parham or saw him in the last 48 hours, please call the number on your screen.
Or if you are here today, please let one of my colleagues know immediately.
Thank you.
We knew Wesley from the neighborhood.
Last night he had dinner at a table on the patio right near us at Rebecca's.
Was he with anyone? Not then.
But around midnight, when I was walking Scruffy, I saw him talking to a guy over by the parking area.
Could you describe that guy? It's ok.
Take your time.
We would do this dinner date kind of thing where he would sit at our favorite table at Rebecca's and we would share a meal over the phone.
But we got cut short last night because he was comforting an old friend.
Who was that? Bill Seavers.
He's sort of a sad case.
He just got out of a toxic relationship, but he can't manage to stay away from the guy.
Do you know who his partner is? No, but he was really controlling.
How about where they live? I've never been to their place, but Wesley said that Bill was on his own now.
That he was renting a room.
Excuse me.
[Line ringing.]
Penelope, I need you to pull up everything you can on a Bill Seavers.
See if you can match him to photos taken by Spencer and Tara at the memorial.
Ok, I'm running facial recognition software with Bill's profile pic.
And Bingo is his name-o.
Bill was there.
He left with a guy, uh, 6'2â-ish, dark hair, slim.
Yeah, that matches the description Emily sent of the guy Wesley was last seen with.
Can you I.
D.
him? Give my software a hard second and Mark Tolson.
Sending you the addresses of Bill's rented room and Bill and Mark's old condo.
All right.
We'll take Bill's place.
Send Prentiss to the condo.
Mm-hmm.
But I want to invite friends over and be more independent.
Ok.
But Love is all about depending on each other.
I understand that.
But not to the point where you're calling every number on my cell.
It's obvious from last night that you still love me.
That's all we really need.
I want to Shh It's settled.
This isn't the time to be out there alone, with all our friends being killed.
I just talked to Wesley last night.
Let's face it.
If Wesley hadn't been flirting with every guy at Rebecca's he'd still be alive.
How did you know that that's where I met up with Wesley last night? It's your favorite place.
I just assumed.
You were following me again.
No.
[Sighs.]
This is exactly the kind of thing that Kate and Diane warned me about.
You're jealous of my friends.
You're not going anywhere.
Mark's parents broke up when he was 6.
According to family court records, his dad would take him to the butcher shop, where Mark had to chop carcasses while Dad drank.
And Mom retained full custody, and Dad didn't bother to see him after that.
Well, that makes sense, and Mark's behavior reeks of abandonment issues combined with a psycho-sexual thrill derived from butchering.
He's a mix of Gacy and Dahmer.
Mark must have had a long-simmering desire to kill that he sublimated by controlling Bill.
Till Bill was out the door, threatening filing for divorce.
That had to be the trigger for the first murder.
The discovery of the torso must have scared Bill back into Mark's arms.
But it was only temporary.
No matter how frightened Bill was, he knew Mark wouldn't change.
That's why Mark escalated to overkill and started displaying bodies in more public ways.
The more indecisive Bill was about getting back together, the more Mark tried to force him back home with fear.
They started out as rage kills but evolved into a more extreme form of coercive control.
A final rejection highly increases the risk of death to the partner in cases like this.
Let me go! You should have thought of that before you rubbed up on Wesley.
What are you talking about? I never cheated.
You killed him.
Oh, you killed them all, didn't you? Uhh! Ohh This is all your fault.
You broke the rules.
[Siren.]
[Tape stripping.]
This is your fault.
All your fault.
No.
Mark, you love me.
You you [Muffled.]
That's why I need to do this.
I need you to hurt the way I hurt.
[Door opens.]
Prentiss: FBI! Drop it and show me your hands.
It's ok.
It's over.
You're ok.
Oh, my God.
He was oh, my God.
Is there someone we can call for you? We're still married.
You can't say a word to them.
They'll never prove anything! Your husband's wrong.
Marital privilege only applies to words spoken between spouses.
So I can testify against him? Legally, you can describe every detail of what Mark did to you.
You just can't say what he confessed about other victims.
Thank you.
I want to make sure that he never hurts another person.
I knew something was wrong, but I I never suspected anything like this.
You shouldn't have.
But I thought that I had found true love.
I was so happy to get married.
Now this.
I'm such a fool.
Bill, we see in others what we want to see, and you trusted him, because you're a trustworthy person.
I tried so hard to be a better person, to make it work with Mark.
That's the insidious nature of coercive control.
Victims oftentimes don't even realize they're being manipulated and they blame themselves.
I'll never feel safe in there again.
[Door opens.]
How you doing? You know, Bill thought he found true love, but it turns out he didn't really even know the person he was married to.
Which got me thinking, do we ever really know anyone? Well, that, my friend, is the question that keeps us in business.
I suppose it does.
Spence I know you've been under a lot of stress with your mom living at the apartment.
But I've known you long enough to know there's something more going on.
I really thought that bringing her home with me was the best plan, but I don't know.
I feel like now I I made a mistake.
It's not really working.
People and circumstances change unexpectedly.
We need to learn how to adapt and regroup and go on.
I might need to take a few days.
I'm gonna fly to Houston and talk to Dr.
Stanfield.
Sure.
Take as much time as you need.
Thanks.
Spencer.
I couldn't be more proud of you.
Why? Because it's difficult caring for family.
But it takes tremendous strength to ask for help.
Prentiss: âNothing is more sad than the death of an illusion.
â Arthur Koestler.
Can I get a chance to move Can I get a chance to move on from you? Can I get a chance to try Can I get a chance to try without you in my way [Engine sputters and dies.]
Oh, not again.
Radio: you keep reminding me [Turns off radio.]
[Steam hissing.]
[Gasps.]
Ow! Damn it! Mm.
Aah! Aah! Help! Help me.
So, who's your inspiration? You wouldn't know him.
He's great, but a bit obscure.
You want to try me? Trombone Shorty.
Yeah.
Yeah, he did some studio work for Prince.
Ok.
So my man knows jazz.
Yeah, I knew Prince a little bit.
Hmm.
[Chuckles.]
This can't be good.
It's not good.
It's not even a teeny tiny bit good.
Isn't Spencer supposed to be back today? He's adjusting to having his mom around, but, yeah, he should be here by now.
Let's do this.
Palm Springs, California.
Playground to Hollywood, currently a horror scene.
Enter one male torso, unidentifiable.
If it wasn't for a woman who had some car trouble, no one would have ever even found the body.
And the coroner on site said the dismemberment probably happened postmortem.
Now, the 2004 torso murders here in D.
C.
are still unsolved.
We profiled the unsub in that case, removed body parts as a forensic countermeasure to prevent IDing the victims.
We figured me must have gotten locked up on another case.
Now he may be back and taunting us.
Any potential victims on the local missing persons lists? So far there's been no reports of a missing male there in the last month.
So, no missing persons and a chopped up body we can't identify.
Is Robert Durst in town? Nope, he's serving 7 years on a weapons charge.
Sorry I'm late, guys.
Traffic was bad.
Any I.
D.
on the torso victim? Uh, they don't have enough of him to do a query with the national missing and unidentified persons database.
He made a real effort to pull of permanent concealment.
Well, that could indicate a known link between the unsub and the victim.
Or he hoped to hide the fact that a killer had just arrived in town.
It strikes me that he must be familiar with the area.
I mean, you don't murder someone out in the desert and then bring the body back into a populated area.
So the unsub was skilled enough to hunt, kill, dismember, and dispose of his victims, all within city limits.
And escape without being seen.
And his tradecraft was on point, too.
He brought an effective cutting tool and had a secure location or vehicle to do the deed.
That kind of planning could indicate he's been fantasizing about something like this for quite a while.
And if the reality didn't live up to the fantasy, he'll keep at it until he gets it right.
Wheels up in 30.
Reid? Hey, are you good? Yeah.
I'm good.
I'm a little frazzled.
How's your mom? You've got your hands full, I'm sure.
I finally found an in-home nurse that knows what she's doing.
It's just we've had a little trouble coordinating our schedules.
Do you think you should be there to help ease the transition? No, I think it's important that my mom learns to rely on Nurse Campbell.
She's your mother.
If you need more time, take it.
Oh, all that I need is a comprehensive plan to help me balance being at home with her and doing my work here.
Then you should take the time to do that.
That's just the thing.
By distracting my conscious mind with work, it will allow my subconscious mind to form a plan at roughly 10 billion times the speed.
Voicemail: Hi, it's Lisa.
You know what to do.
[Beep.]
Hey, it's me.
I know you don't want to talk, uh, to me [Labored breathing.]
But I I miss you.
Rossi: âA good husband makes a good wife.
â John Florio.
The victim in the dumpster was Paul Mastriano, 28-year-old real estate agent.
When he didn't come and pick his daughter up and take her to school yesterday morning, his ex-wife immediately contacted the Palm Springs police department.
I'm sending you the deets now.
We can rule out the D.
C.
torso case.
He only killed prostitutes.
How did the ex-wife I.
D.
this victim? She had his DNA profile when they did a genealogy study together before they broke up last August.
So they were married 7 years, had a 6-year-old daughter.
Did the wife say why they divorced? No, but let me look at records.
Well, he had a domestic abuse complaint and two DUls last year.
Could the wife have had something to do with the murder? Didn't your buddy Judd Ray barely survive a hit his wife put on him? Yeah, she hired a hit man.
But this, I mean, I've had cases where husbands dismembered their wives, but rarely is it the other way around.
And she came in to I.
D.
him.
In those cases, the guilty spouse didn't want law enforcement to know that their other half was dead.
He was last seen at a strip club about a mile away from where his body was found.
Well, a lot of creeps and criminals run a place like that.
We'll have to check that out.
This story is blowing up on the news, this guy gotta know we found the body.
It could cause him to accelerate.
Penelope, any similar cases in the area? Well, I can check ViCAP and neighboring states.
Jeepers.
Another body, and by body I mean torso, was just found 10 blocks from the original one.
Was it found in a dumpster? Uh, no, pedestrian spotted it in a parking lot.
It could be an acceleration, or the unsub was interrupted.
We are 20 minutes out.
Notify Chief Bailor to leave the body and crime scene undisturbed until we get there.
Consider it done.
JJ, why don't you, Tara, and Luke go to the newest disposal site.
Dave, Stephen, find out what you can about the first victim from the club.
Spencer and I will go to the Palm Springs P.
D.
and talk to the chief.
He's got his hands full.
Officer: Yes, sir.
[Continues indistinct.]
We're very sorry about the officers you lost.
Worst thing in the department's history.
But right now we have to focus on this case.
I've got conference room set up for you right over here with everything you've got so far.
Any I.
D.
on the second victim yet? No.
But I've got 50,000 residents worried we have a serial killer on our hands.
Is that the first victim's ex-wife and daughter? Madison was supposed to see her dad yesterday.
Do you mind if we talk to them? Reid: Thank you.
Hi.
Oh.
If you're from social services, I haven't told her yet.
Are you gonna take me to my daddy now? No, not yet, sweetheart.
Actually, we are from the FBI.
What's FBI? Whoa! That is a cool doll.
What's her name? Sally.
She has the same hair as you.
[Laughing.]
Do you mind if my colleague Dr.
Reid takes Madison to get a snack and we can chat for a few minutes? Maddie, you be a good girl and you get something nice and you come right back, ok? Yes, Mommy.
Ok.
After you.
What's FBI? FBI? You know, we're kind of like the police.
Let me ask you this Have you ever had a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich? Eew! That's what he looked like.
Paul and I were happy then.
I'm so sorry for your loss, Mrs.
Mastriano.
Thank you.
I mean, I always thought Paul's drinking would kill him, but I didn't think it would be like this.
Did he typically go drinking with anyone in particular? No.
He always drank alone.
I mean, that's how bad it was.
[Takes deep breath.]
How am I gonna tell Maddie? [Crying.]
[Indistinct song playing inside.]
Thanks for meeting me outside.
I don't want the girls seeing me with cops.
It makes them nervous.
No problem.
We appreciate you talking with us.
When you called, you said Paul Mastriano came in the night before last.
Is that him? Yeah.
Came in all the time after the divorce.
Tell you the truth, he came in a bunch of times before that, too.
How much did he drink the other night while he was here? 5, 6 drinks.
Paid his tab and left.
Did he piss anyone off while he was here, maybe get frisky with one of the dancers? No way.
He wasn't that kind of customer.
He was a quiet guy, just drinking by himself.
What time did he leave? Candi was still on stage, so around midnight.
Anyone leave right before or after he left? We're open 24/7.
I got guys coming and going day and night.
Any security cameras inside? They make our customers nervous.
Besides, we got 24-hour live security.
Well, thank you for your time, Dwayne.
You've been a big help.
The unsub couldn't have known Mastriano would leave early.
Makes him a victim of opportunity.
Unless the unsub did something to make him leave.
Alvez: This is the second body that the unsub has transported to a secondary disposal site.
If he left it out in the open like this on purpose, he may be making a statement.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh Judging by the lacerations, the unsub was really pissed off at this victim.
So much so, he missed something.
Uh, hey, do you have an ICM scanner? Right here.
[Beeping.]
The second victim is Brent Miller, date of birth, May 15, 1982.
I asked Garcia to find out what she can about him.
How'd they make the I.
D.
? Oh, he did an ICM.
Internal Cardiac Monitor with a transmitter linked to the patient's medical file.
Our agents are headed over to the coroner's to see if he's determined an official cause of death.
[Cell phone rings.]
Garcia, I'm putting you on speakerphone.
Ok, there's no connection between the victims, and there doesn't seem to be anything on Brent Miller.
He managed Downtown Bagels.
He has no criminal record.
He has no DMV infractions.
Any family in the area? Mm, never married, no kids.
Uh, he did just go through a recent breakup, so his credit card receipts have quite the bar tabs.
The first victim, Paul Mastriano, went through a divorce a few months ago.
Garcia, do you have any information on Brent's relationship? Uh, according to social media Ouch.
His girlfriend of 3 years just moved to Alaska with her new beau last month.
You think that's significant? Both of our victims had relationship issues and were apparently drowning their sorrows.
It's the best lead we have right now.
It'd be a good idea to canvass all the bars in town.
You can't just cut me off.
I didn't come back to argue.
I thought I'd be gone before you got home.
You made a commitment to me.
I've made up my mind.
You're just gonna throw us away? We waited 3 years just to be able to get married.
If there's another guy, just tell me.
You owe me that.
You're paranoid.
[Cell phone rings.]
It's Kate and Diane, isn't it? They're the only friends I have left.
They care about me.
They don't make me feel useless.
You have to stop doing that.
I'll try.
Really.
I'll get help.
The police still have no suspects as the mutilated body count and fear rise in the community.
Authorities would not go into detail, however, they did confirm that this is the second mutilated corpse [Knock on door.]
Discovered in the street [Mutes TV.]
You ok? Not really.
Hi.
Babe.
I love you.
I'd do anything for you.
What we're going through, it's just married couple stuff.
Don't let him play his tricks on you.
You asked us to come to prevent this from happening.
Don't let them manipulate you.
This is who we are.
I can estimate that both men were in their early 30s, and based on their torsos, they were about average height and build.
Similarities can mean they're surrogates.
Cause of death on the first victim is undetermined because the appendage removal was postmortem.
But on the second victim, it was antemortem.
So his C.
O.
D.
is exsanguination.
Poor guy was alive when he got chopped up.
It goes beyond forensic countermeasures.
It's sadistic.
And hard enough to do on a dead body.
I mean, this guy's escalating.
He's getting off on this.
Yeah.
Tell me about the hack job on the second victim's chest.
The penetrating wounds to the thoracic region were antemortem, too, yet there's no evidence that the victim struggled during the attack.
Then how did he control his victim while he was chopping him up? Toxicology on both victims showed a central nervous system depressant and paralytic.
Ok, so induced paralysis followed by torture.
That sounds like a date rape cocktail.
Alcohol dosed with chloral hydrate? Someone slipped him a roofie.
Looks good, Mark.
Can I buy you another? I've already had way too many.
But I'd take a beer.
Great.
Two Rocky Mountain, tall boys.
What's up? Are you trying to get me drunk? Just helping you forget your troubles.
Did Bill tell everybody? I'm in the same boat.
Jarred just dumped me.
To moving on.
To moving on.
[Bottles clink.]
[Loud cheering and clapping for game on TV.]
Way too loud in here.
Let's take a walk.
Come on.
Let's get out of here.
[Indistinct song playing.]
[Thudding sounds.]
Well, this is more public than the prior victims.
And this location concerns me.
We have a significant and very visible gay community here.
This is right smack in the middle.
It's probably just coincidence, you know? If these are anti-gay hate crimes, then why were the first two victims straight? With the way the unsub had been escalating, I was expecting more rage and overkill, but This is It's actually more controlled.
Yeah.
That and the location seems like it's staged for maximum shock value.
To horrify people in general or for someone in the gay community? It could be that the target is gay, or the unsub, or both.
Mark, it's me.
I know you're angry.
Mark? Are you in there? Mark.
Are you in there?! Mark? Are you home? Are you ok? Mark? Oh, thank God.
There's been another murder.
I was I was getting worried.
Sorry.
I No, no, it's ok.
I just, uh I'm surprised.
I'm happy you came back home.
I'm not back.
I just I needed to know you were safe.
You're hurt.
Oh, it's nothing.
I just caught it on the latch when I was loading my van.
Do they know who was killed? It didn't say, but His body was found just 6 blocks from here.
I know this is difficult, Ms.
Ericsson, but we may have found your brother.
You said Dale had a unique Y-shaped abdominal scar? We're very sorry for your loss.
I can't stop imagining what Dale went through.
What they did to my brother is inhuman.
And we are doing everything we can to make sure whoever is responsible is brought to justice.
This unsub seems to be targeting men who were having relationship troubles.
Do you know if Dale was going through a breakup or anything? Yes, but he said it was just a fling.
He's really careful, though, about dating.
He'd never just go off with some guy he didn't know and trust from the local gay community.
Did his sexuality cause any issues between you two? No.
I encouraged him to be himself and live his life.
And now he's dead because of it.
Your brother was not killed because he was gay.
Then why was he killed? Prentiss: We're looking for a local male in his 30s with control issues.
He may be gay or bisexual, and he has been harboring a kill fantasy.
Serial killers exist along a continuum just like anyone else.
This one happens to be gay.
Until now, he's been able to sublimate his homicidal urges by controlling either his work environment or his relationships.
He may not be physically imposing himself, so he drugs his victims to paralyze and control them.
He then chops of their limbs as a method of torture before he removes their heads because this gives him the ultimate feeling of power.
It's also an act of depersonalization, meaning he's intentionally negating the characteristics that make them uniquely human.
We haven't found any of the body parts in dumpsters.
Do you still think that's his disposal method? It's either that or he digs shallow graves in the desert.
It's easier to dig 5 one-foot holes than it is to dig one 5-foot hole.
The torsos he displayed are his trophies.
He wanted them to be found.
He targets victims of opportunity, but they've all been blond, healthy, and slim.
So he has a type.
Which means his victims are most likely surrogates for a current or ex-partner, even a spouse, who he controlled through non-violent manipulation.
We believe he may have been rejected recently, causing the unsub to escalate to murder in order to regain a sense of control.
You should increase your nightly patrols of alleys and lots near bars and clubs.
We will keep the community apprised of any new developments.
Thank you all.
Oh, my God.
It's Dale! Dale? Stay with me tonight.
I don't need this pressure right now.
We need each other, especially right now.
I need my friends, too.
But I'm the one that holds you at night.
Protects you.
Please.
Stay? I'll make you some chamomile.
It relaxes you.
Where are you going? I just need a second.
God, can't I use the bathroom without you hovering over me? You're right.
That's not the way I meant it.
How did you mean it? I just wanted to make sure you're all right.
You're sweet, but I still need a minute.
I need to tell you I I thought my life was over when you left.
I'm sorry I pushed you away, baby.
Why don't you use the master bath.
All of the media attention should be working in our favor.
Well, he knows we're here and we're after him.
It'll cause him to make mistakes.
He'll get cocky, push the envelope, try to prove he's superior.
And he'll take it out on his next victim.
We can't let that happen.
No, we don't have to.
This kind of narcissism would play out in his personal relationships as well.
He could be married.
I mean, like with any relationship, he started out charming and eventually Gay marriage leads to gay divorce.
There'd be a record of that.
Give me what you got, wonder woman.
Garcia, search Palm Springs and the surrounding areas for male same sex couples that filed for divorce within the last few months.
Marital bliss, followed by marital diss.
Of course.
Why didn't I think of that? Ok.
There were 3 recent gay divorces in Palm Springs, but they all moved out of town after that.
You know, actually, that small number isn't all that shocking, taking into account the brief time frame and the fact that gay couples divorce at about half the rate straight couples do.
Maybe they aren't divorced yet.
If they just separated, it would still enrage the unsub, and it could have led to this.
I told you that when you got engaged.
You don't know who a man is until you have your first big fight.
I know.
But every time I think I'm finally over him, he does something sweet, and I'm right back in his arms.
So he has some redeeming qualities? No one's 100% good or evil.
Except maybe the psycho who killed Dale.
I still can't believe he's gone.
Bill: I should go.
It was good to finally spend time with you again.
Sure you're gonna be ok? Just called an Uber.
She'll be here in two minutes.
Be safe.
You too.
Hey, Wes.
Mark.
Have you seen Bill? I don't want to talk to you.
I know I've been a terrible friend.
Cutting Bill off from you was wrong.
I'm trying to do better.
Try somewhere else.
Give me a chance.
Please? Let me buy you a drink.
Hear me out.
I really messed up with Bill.
I know that now.
He just needs to Uh, feel like he's his own man.
Oh, I should have eaten something.
This is going straight to my head.
Bartender must have mixed them pretty strong.
Oh, whoa, I'm kind of dizzy.
Maybe you're coming down with something.
I'll get you home.
My van's right around the corner.
You brought this on yourself.
[Camera clicks.]
[Clicking.]
We don't even know who was killed.
It's terrible.
Can't get much more public than this.
Can't get any angrier than this either.
No question this is meant to shock and terrorize the gay community.
But he keeps coming back to the same area despite increased patrols here.
To justify that risk, he must have a very personal target in mind.
Someone who's connected to this neighborhood and this victim, and that's why he deviated from his preferred physical type.
These murders, they made me realize how awful I was to you.
I want you back.
It'll take more than a half-assed apology.
You're right, babe.
What is it you need? I need to know it's going to be different.
It will.
I promise.
Let's go someplace where we can talk about it.
Dog tags.
So he's not even trying to hide his victims' identities anymore.
He wants the target to know who he killed.
Yeah.
Wesley Parham.
I'm sending this to Garcia.
Penelope, we need an address and next of kin on Hey, guess what.
I'm already doing a military archival search, so you are welcome.
Sergeant Wesley Parham, honorably discharged two years ago, 45 Palm Canyon Drive.
What else do you have on him? 31 years old.
Did 3 tours in Afghanistan.
Super secret security clearance.
And he was an army Intelligence officer.
I'm sending pic and bio now.
Moved here 18 months ago.
No relatives in the area.
No, but his partner, Nick Goode, works out of town, comes home on the weekends.
He will be landing at Palm Springs International Airport in 30 minutes.
Dave, you and Stephen bring him in for an interview.
In the meantime, we need to build Wesley's timeline through the community.
JJ, pull together a press conference.
We'll set it up near the memorial.
Sure.
Spencer and Tara should keep photographing the crowd.
This is exactly what he was looking for Attention and fear.
Unless he's already started stalking his next victim.
Last night was, um Great.
Amazing.
Yes.
But I couldn't stay.
I needed some space.
Space.
To be honest, I feel like I can't breathe in this relationship.
And remember my last job? You called me 20 times a day there, so they fired me.
I called you out of love.
That's not love.
It's not? Look what's happening around us.
It's dangerous.
It's how things should be.
You get married.
You stay together for life.
If I come back, it has to be on my terms.
Of course, babe.
You won't push away my friends? Whatever makes you happy.
Nurse Campbell, hi, it's Spencer.
Hello, Dr.
Reid.
How is she feeling? She's resting now.
The new meds have her pretty wiped out, but when she's up, her confusion and paranoia are pretty intense.
If you can just remind her where she is and reassure her that everything will be ok, I'll be home soon.
Can I ask you something? Yeah, of course.
Are you sure having her here at home is the best thing? She'd probably be better off in a comprehensive care facility.
I'm trying to give my mother the best possible care, and it's just I feel like she feels safer and happier with me at home.
Maybe if you were here all the time, she would, but when you're gone, she's suffering.
Sadly, I can't talk about this right now, I have to go, ok, but I'll talk to you soon.
Bye.
[Camera clicking.]
The body placement shows calculated targeting.
That's why we believe the person responsible for these crimes may be involved in coercive control or domestic abuse with his partner.
Anyone in the viewing audience who knew Wesley Parham or saw him in the last 48 hours, please call the number on your screen.
Or if you are here today, please let one of my colleagues know immediately.
Thank you.
We knew Wesley from the neighborhood.
Last night he had dinner at a table on the patio right near us at Rebecca's.
Was he with anyone? Not then.
But around midnight, when I was walking Scruffy, I saw him talking to a guy over by the parking area.
Could you describe that guy? It's ok.
Take your time.
We would do this dinner date kind of thing where he would sit at our favorite table at Rebecca's and we would share a meal over the phone.
But we got cut short last night because he was comforting an old friend.
Who was that? Bill Seavers.
He's sort of a sad case.
He just got out of a toxic relationship, but he can't manage to stay away from the guy.
Do you know who his partner is? No, but he was really controlling.
How about where they live? I've never been to their place, but Wesley said that Bill was on his own now.
That he was renting a room.
Excuse me.
[Line ringing.]
Penelope, I need you to pull up everything you can on a Bill Seavers.
See if you can match him to photos taken by Spencer and Tara at the memorial.
Ok, I'm running facial recognition software with Bill's profile pic.
And Bingo is his name-o.
Bill was there.
He left with a guy, uh, 6'2â-ish, dark hair, slim.
Yeah, that matches the description Emily sent of the guy Wesley was last seen with.
Can you I.
D.
him? Give my software a hard second and Mark Tolson.
Sending you the addresses of Bill's rented room and Bill and Mark's old condo.
All right.
We'll take Bill's place.
Send Prentiss to the condo.
Mm-hmm.
But I want to invite friends over and be more independent.
Ok.
But Love is all about depending on each other.
I understand that.
But not to the point where you're calling every number on my cell.
It's obvious from last night that you still love me.
That's all we really need.
I want to Shh It's settled.
This isn't the time to be out there alone, with all our friends being killed.
I just talked to Wesley last night.
Let's face it.
If Wesley hadn't been flirting with every guy at Rebecca's he'd still be alive.
How did you know that that's where I met up with Wesley last night? It's your favorite place.
I just assumed.
You were following me again.
No.
[Sighs.]
This is exactly the kind of thing that Kate and Diane warned me about.
You're jealous of my friends.
You're not going anywhere.
Mark's parents broke up when he was 6.
According to family court records, his dad would take him to the butcher shop, where Mark had to chop carcasses while Dad drank.
And Mom retained full custody, and Dad didn't bother to see him after that.
Well, that makes sense, and Mark's behavior reeks of abandonment issues combined with a psycho-sexual thrill derived from butchering.
He's a mix of Gacy and Dahmer.
Mark must have had a long-simmering desire to kill that he sublimated by controlling Bill.
Till Bill was out the door, threatening filing for divorce.
That had to be the trigger for the first murder.
The discovery of the torso must have scared Bill back into Mark's arms.
But it was only temporary.
No matter how frightened Bill was, he knew Mark wouldn't change.
That's why Mark escalated to overkill and started displaying bodies in more public ways.
The more indecisive Bill was about getting back together, the more Mark tried to force him back home with fear.
They started out as rage kills but evolved into a more extreme form of coercive control.
A final rejection highly increases the risk of death to the partner in cases like this.
Let me go! You should have thought of that before you rubbed up on Wesley.
What are you talking about? I never cheated.
You killed him.
Oh, you killed them all, didn't you? Uhh! Ohh This is all your fault.
You broke the rules.
[Siren.]
[Tape stripping.]
This is your fault.
All your fault.
No.
Mark, you love me.
You you [Muffled.]
That's why I need to do this.
I need you to hurt the way I hurt.
[Door opens.]
Prentiss: FBI! Drop it and show me your hands.
It's ok.
It's over.
You're ok.
Oh, my God.
He was oh, my God.
Is there someone we can call for you? We're still married.
You can't say a word to them.
They'll never prove anything! Your husband's wrong.
Marital privilege only applies to words spoken between spouses.
So I can testify against him? Legally, you can describe every detail of what Mark did to you.
You just can't say what he confessed about other victims.
Thank you.
I want to make sure that he never hurts another person.
I knew something was wrong, but I I never suspected anything like this.
You shouldn't have.
But I thought that I had found true love.
I was so happy to get married.
Now this.
I'm such a fool.
Bill, we see in others what we want to see, and you trusted him, because you're a trustworthy person.
I tried so hard to be a better person, to make it work with Mark.
That's the insidious nature of coercive control.
Victims oftentimes don't even realize they're being manipulated and they blame themselves.
I'll never feel safe in there again.
[Door opens.]
How you doing? You know, Bill thought he found true love, but it turns out he didn't really even know the person he was married to.
Which got me thinking, do we ever really know anyone? Well, that, my friend, is the question that keeps us in business.
I suppose it does.
Spence I know you've been under a lot of stress with your mom living at the apartment.
But I've known you long enough to know there's something more going on.
I really thought that bringing her home with me was the best plan, but I don't know.
I feel like now I I made a mistake.
It's not really working.
People and circumstances change unexpectedly.
We need to learn how to adapt and regroup and go on.
I might need to take a few days.
I'm gonna fly to Houston and talk to Dr.
Stanfield.
Sure.
Take as much time as you need.
Thanks.
Spencer.
I couldn't be more proud of you.
Why? Because it's difficult caring for family.
But it takes tremendous strength to ask for help.
Prentiss: âNothing is more sad than the death of an illusion.
â Arthur Koestler.