Arthur Mitchell (character)

Arthur Mitchell, often referred to as the "Trinity Killer", is a fictional character in the Showtime TV series Dexter. The character is portrayed by John Lithgow, who won a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance. He is the main antagonist in season four.

Character overview

Arthur Mitchell is an unassuming suburbanite and family man — who for 30 years has been living a double life as a serial killer. FBI agent Frank Lundy dubs him the "Trinity Killer" because of a recurring pattern of three killings. First, Mitchell would kill a young woman in a bathtub by slicing her femoral artery with a straight razor while putting her in a choke hold, and holding up a small mirror so that he can see her face as she dies. His second victim is a married mother of two, whom he kidnaps and forces to jump to her death from an abandoned building. His third victim is a father of two, whom he bludgeons to death with a hammer. At each site he places a small sample of his sister's ashes, and arranges the victim's arm to point at the ash. He has repeated this cycle in different cities all over the United States. However, Lundy's superiors doubt that the Trinity Killer exists leading to Lundy's private inquiry into the crimes hoping to close the one case that eluded him during his FBI career.