The Trinity Killers Kill Cycle Explained

‘The Trinity Killer’ is one of the most impactful antagonists in Dexter as his complex kill cycle saw him claim several victims (which deeply impacted the story in the long run). Introduced in season 4, episode 1, “Living The Dream,” ‘The Trinity Killer’ (known as Arthur Mitchell), quickly caused chaos by interfering in not only Dexter’s personal life but also Debra’s, who takes over Detective Lundy’s life goal to bring the Trinity killer to justice after Lundy is killed on duty. Lundy was the first to realize a pattern tying the Trinity kills to a single person, pointing to a serial killer activity that went on for decades with long time intervals.

By the time Trinity is introduced in Dexter, his body count already exceeds 200 victims during his kill cycles, and he rarely killed outside those. His first kill is believed to be his own father, Henry Mitchell, who was beaten to death. During season 4, Trinity killed two people outside his modus operandi; Kyle Butler, whom Trinity killed in an impulse in order to prevent the man from calling the police on him, and of course, the show’s most shocking murder, Rita Morgan, whose death applies to his style but doesn’t meet the requirements of his kill cycle.

Trinity’s Kill Cycle, Explained

Arthur Mitchell Is One Of The Most Complex Killers In Dexter

Arthur Mitchell was an incredibly interesting serial killer in Dexter because he had an incredibly specific cycle with his killings, which both made him fascinating and meant he was able to evade capture for decades. Frank Lundy was the first to connect the recurring patterns of three distinctive killings through decades to a single person, whom he would call “The Trinity Killer.”

Always following the same order, the killings would consist of a young woman having her femoral artery sliced in her own bathtub, a mother of two forced to jump from a great height, then a father of two bludgeoned to death. It always took place between school breaks, a pattern that applies to all his 69 kill cycles since 1976. However, Dexter would uncover a fourth cycle victim: a ten-year-old boy would always be buried in cement prior to three killings.

Each of the stages in the Trinity Killer’s cycle had incredibly specific motivations, since Arthur had one of the most complex M.O.’s out of every serial killer in Dexter. All four of the stages represented a tragedy from Arthur’s past, meaning they all warrant further explanation.

Trinity Killer Cycle Stage One: 10-Year-Old-Boy Buried Alive

Arthur’s First Victim Represents His Innocence

The first stage of the Trinity Killer’s cycle is the murder of a 10-year-old boy, and this always represents the loss of Arthur’s innocence. Arthur would select a child, abduct them, and then begin his ritual. The child would be made to wear pajamas and play with a toy train, representing Arthur at the moment he felt he was last truly happy.

The abducted child will then be drugged. The Trinity Killer takes the unconscious child to the Four Walls One Heart site, where Arthur works, and buries him alive in wet cement. While not the most brutal or visceral of the Trinity Killer’s kill cycle stages, it is perhaps the most disturbing, and definitely the most difficult for viewers to watch.

Trinity Killer Cycle Stage Two: Young Woman Bleeds Out In A Bathtub

The Second Stage Represents Arthur’s Sister

When Arthur was young, he startled his older sister, Vera, while she was in the shower. This led to a tragic accident — Vera slipped over in the shower and severed an artery, and injury from which she bled to death. Following the first stage of his cycle, Arthur would pay homage to his moment by finding a young woman for his next victim. The Trinity Killer would make her lie naked in a bath tub before slicing her femoral artery.

The next part is where the killing becomes, like the rest of the Trinity Killer’s cycle, incredibly specific. Arthur would ensure the woman sees themselves in their final moments, holding up a mirror so they can watch the blood drain from their face. One his victim is dead, Arthur then leaves to take an incredibly hot shower to symbolically wash away the guilt he harbors over the death of his sister.

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Trinity Killer Cycle Stage Three: Mother Of Two Is Coerced Into Suicide

The Third Stage Represents Arthur’s Mother

Following the death of Vera, the family moved, and Arthur’s mother fell into a deep depression. This eventually culminated in her death by suicide when she jumped off of a bridge in 1960. By the time Arthur had become a serial killer in adulthood, this tragic event had become part of his cycle as the Trinity Killer. The third stage of the Trinity Killer’s cycle shows just how manipulative Arthur is, as he convinces a mother of two to take their own life in the same manner as his own.

As with the other stages, the method of death isn’t the only part of the incredibly specific ritual. Once the woman has taken her own life, Arthur will visit the body. He’ll grieve as if the woman was his own mother, even referring to them as “mommy”.

Trinity Killer Cycle Stage Four: Father Of Two Is Beaten To Death

The Final Stage Represents Arthur’s Father

The final stage of the Trinity Killer’s cycle represents Arthur’s father, and is easily the most brutal of all four stages when it comes to violence. Arthur hated his father, who was incredibly abusive following the death of Vera and the suicide of Arthur’s mom. At this stage of the cycle, Arthur would drink alone and hallucinate his father sitting across from him. After this pre-kill ritual was complete, Arthur would then go to a bar.

At the bar, Arthur would recreate the abuse he’d received at the hands of his dad by goading a patron to beat him senseless. Once this part of the ritual is complete, Arthur then finds his pre-selected father of two and beats them to death with a blunt object. While it’s never confirmed, it’s suggested that Arthur killed his own father in a similar manner in the mid 1960s.

The Story Behind Trinity’s Kill Cycle

Although Detective Lundy brilliantly uncovered Trinity’s kill cycle, he couldn’t see past the cycle’s dark story, which dates back to when Arthur Mitchell was only ten years old. On a seemingly ordinary day, Arthur accidentally startled his sister, Vera Mitchell, while she took a shower, causing a fatal fall that would slice her femoral artery.

The tragedy quickly caused Arthur’s family to fall apart as his mother died by suicide after jumping off a bridge and Arthur’s father, Henry, grew increasingly violent toward his son. Eventually, he was beaten to death outside a bar, presumably by his own son.

Each kill of his cycle reflects Trinity’s family tragedy, following the same order of events in Dexter. The burial of a ten-year-old boy represents the death of Arthur’s humanity, while the young women the Trinity kills represents his sister’s death (which explains why they are always found with their femoral arteries sliced).

The next victims must be a mother and father of two children respectively, mirroring Arthur’s family structure before tragedy hit his life, almost as if to ensure these families will suffer just as big of a hit as he suffered when he was ten. Curiously, Trinity’s family also consists of two children, a boy, and a girl.

Dexter

Based on the character created by author Jeff Lindsay, Showtime’s Dexter follows Miami Metro Police Department’s most skilled blood spatter analyst, Dexter Morgan, as he attempts to satisfy his Dark Passenger’s need to kill by hunting down criminals who have escaped justice. However, using the rules his adoptive father taught him to remain undiscovered, Dexter must walk the fine line of seemingly blending into society while continuously feeding his dark urges. Dexter faces several serial killers as his facade slowly crumbles around him; with every problem solved by his Dark Passenger, another one arises for his suburban fatherly life. When Dexter takes things personally or feels that the law is failing, he takes matters into his own hands and even compromises the investigations of his co-workers. Dexter aired on Showtime for eight seasons before receiving a mini-sequel series called Dexter: New Blood, which picked up ten years after the show’s events. You can buy each season for just $9.99 for Prime Day. 

Cast

David Zayas , Michael C. Hall , Lauren Velez , C. S. Lee , James Remar , Jennifer Carpenter , Desmond Harrington , Julie Benz

Release Date

October 31, 2010

Seasons

8

Writers

Jeff Lindsay , Scott Buck , Scott Reynolds , Tim Schlattmann , Karen Campbell , Melissa Rosenberg , Kevin Maynard , Wendy West , Manny Coto , Daniel Cerone , Jace Richdale , Drew Z. Greenberg , Chip Johannessen , Adam Fierro , Jim Leonard

Showrunner

Clyde Phillips

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