The Hollow Man

"Where is he? I want to see him right now. You tell him the Hollow Man is here!"

The Hollow Man is a serial killer that appears in Season Two of Criminal Minds.

Background
Like The Mill Creek Killer, nothing is known about The Hollow Man, other than he became active in St. Louis at the same time as The Mill Creek Killer, whom he later became involved in a competition with. Unlike him, The Hollow Man was motivated by fame. He would write letters to Jim Meyers, a journalist who wrote about The Mill Creek Killer, telling him about his murders and his motivation with phrases like "I won't be ignored".

The Last Word
After The Mill Creek Killer murders another woman, The Hollow Man starts another hunt, eventually spotting prostitute Marci Mitchell and shooting her when she walks into a secluded alleyway. It is this murder, along with The Mill Creek Killer's latest murder, that calls in the BAU.

When The Mill Creek Killer murders yet another woman and the attention is focused on it in its entirety, The Hollow Man becomes enraged and approaches two prostitutes at an alleyway in his taxi. One of the women approaches him and informs him that they're off-duty before he pulls out his gun and shoots her. The other woman screams and attempts to flee, but is shot in the back and instantly killed. He then drives away.

The BAU later find out his method of communication with The Mill Creek Killer and decide to use it to their advantage, using his alias to set up a trap for The Mill Creek Killer that works, resulting in a successful arrest. JJ initiates a press conference that informs the public of The Mill Creek Killer's capture and states that The Hollow Man's murders are most likely unconnected. This enrages him and he immediately arrives at the police station, allowing two security guards to scan him. When one of them finds his gun, he pulls it out and holds him at gunpoint. He then successfully orders the other guard to slide his gun away. He then takes the guard upstairs where he demands The Mill Creek Killer before accusing JJ of being ordered by The Mill Creek Killer to not give him credit for his murders. When he spots The Mill Creek Killer in a conference room, he accidentally lowers his gun, allowing the authorities to quickly make an arrest.

Profile
While The Mill Creek Killer was motivated by internal forces, The Hollow Man was motivated by fame. According to the BAU, his use of phrases like "I won't be ignored" implied that he felt ignored in his professional and private lives. He may have had a job that required him to wear a uniform, erasing his individual identity, a menial job for which he was overqualified and felt a need for respect, or a job which he felt stripped him of his identity. The second and/or third was correct, as he worked as a taxi driver. Shooting his victims was a way for him to avoid bodily contact with them. Since his victims were prostitutes, he may lack confidence with women. According to Reid's graphological analysis of the letters, The Hollow Man's cursive handwriting suggested repression and that he was uptight and prone to overreacting, and also that he solved problems in a practical, direct manner.

Modus Operandi
The Hollow Man would hunt at night, shooting prostitutes with a .44 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver loaded with hollow-point bullets (hence his name).

Known Victims

 * Arlene Addison
 * Unnamed victim
 * Penny Clifford
 * Grace Danielson
 * Unnamed victim
 * Gloria Earls
 * Diane Gladwyn
 * Marci Mitchell
 * Unnamed victim
 * Nicole B.
 * Unnamed security guard

Appearances

 * Season Two
 * The Last Word