Matt Franks

"Yeah, we're gonna have fun tonight."

Matthew "Matt" Franks was a psychopathic serial killer and stalker who appeared in Season Eleven of Criminal Minds.

Background
Little details were revealed about Matt's personal life, other than he was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. As a teenager, he developed a fetish for cheerleaders and began stalking one at his high school in 2010. Matt was arrested, though the charges were dropped and the girl moved away. In 2012, another cheerleader at his school was killed and Matt was considered the prime suspect, but police didn't have enough physical evidence against him and were forced to let him go. Following this, Matt and his family moved out of the state and he eventually settled in at Glenport Village, Virginia, an experimental community housing mostly convicted sex offenders. He also got a job as an IT serviceman who took jobs in Glenport Village and the surrounding communities. He became the next-door neighbor of the community's Sheriff, Paul Desario, and developed an obsession with Desario's daughter Riley, who was trying out for cheerleading.

Pariahville
"There's no cure for me...alright? There's no cure for those guys over at Glenport Village either."

In November 2015, Matt's obsession with cheerleaders spiraled out of control again, and he attacked a fellow Glenport Village resident, statutory rapist Paige Lincoln, hoping to live out a cheerleader-themed fantasy. However, Paige proved to be too old for him, and he subsequently stabbed her to death, dressing her body in a cheerleader uniform to frame her husband Kyle, who also had a fetish for cheerleaders. Two days later, he went to Sumac Cove, a nearby community, and attacked a local cheerleader, Victoria Taylor, killing her after she couldn't fulfill his fantasy. The following night, Matt, driving around, spots Riley walking on the street. He gets her into his car, claiming he will drive her back to the police station, then knocks her out. Taking her to her home, Matt dresses her in her cheerleader uniform and threatens her at knifepoint, explaining his motives to her. In a bid to survive, Riley plays along with his fantasy, luring him to the bedroom, where she tries to grab her father's shotgun. However, Matt subdues her, just as Desario, Lewis, Morgan, and Sheriff's Deputies arrive at the scene. Held at gunpoint by the agents and officers, Matt lowers his guard when Lewis asks him about his parents, seizing the opportunity to fatally shoot him through the neck.

Modus Operandi
Matt's murders revolved around his obsession for cheerleaders. He first targeted a fellow resident of Glenport Village, stabbing her repeatedly in the arms, chest, and stomach, and then dressing her body in a cheerleader uniform post-mortem. Then, he targeted an actual cheerleader in nearby Sumac Cove, stabbing her to death as well. During his attack on Riley Desario, he knocked her out by stopping his car abruptly while she didn't have her seatbelt on, causing her to smash her head into the dashboard. Then, he took her to her house, dressed her in her cheerleader uniform, and attempted to force her to fulfill his sexual fantasy at knifepoint, though he was unsuccessful.

Known Victims

 * Unspecified date in 2010, Atlanta, Georgia: Unnamed cheerleader
 * Unspecified date in 2012, Atlanta, Georgia: Unnamed cheerleader
 * 2015, Florida:
 * November 2, Glenport Village: Paige Lincoln
 * November 4:
 * Sumac Cove: Victoria Taylor
 * Glenport Village: Riley Desario

Appearances

 * Season Eleven
 * "Pariahville"