Animal

Animal (real name not revealed) was a serial killer who appeared in Brothers in Arms.

History
Nothing specific is revealed about "Animal's" past, not even his real name, though vague flashbacks indicate the possibility of a brother and an abusive father. He obtained his nickname at a fight club in Phoenix, Arizona which he went to in an attempt to prove his manhood. He challenged the largest and toughest member of the club, a bouncer called Boom. Due to his physical weakness and small stature, he lost every fight and was humiliated by the other members. He later extracted revenge on Boom outside the club by shooting him with a stainless steel .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 66 revolver. He later killed Bobby Q with the revolver, a member of the 12th Street Gang, led by a gangster called Playboy, and took his gold chain as a trophy. He then started killing police officers by luring them out to his death traps through the 911 emergency system. After three murders the BAU was called in, although most of the officers were certain that Playboy was somehow responsible. After bringing him in for questioning, they found out about the murder of Bobby Q, whom Playboy was very close to. After looking into past similar murders, they connected Boom's murder to Animal. They then went to the fight club whose captain, "Beanie", told them about Animal and gave them a description. In order to draw Animal out they pretended to take over the investigation, effectively placing their authority over the Phoenix PD's, and making Hotch the target by having him announce it at a press conference. Animal called 911, leading the authorities to an empty motel room. He waited out their search, hiding in the darkness, then spotted Hotch wandering alone and started following him with the intention to shoot him. The BAU had already predicted his move and Morgan arrested him when he entered a blind spot. As he was brought in, Playboy, who was in the nearby crowd, pulled out a pistol and killed him in revenge for Bobby Q.

Modus Operandi
Animal targeted people he perceived as having a higher authority than his. He would make up plans of increasing complexity to draw his victims close, such as, in the case of "Boom"'s murder, using a beer bottle to pretend to urinate, or, as in the case of the Phoenix officers, calling 911, lying in wait in some alcove at the location and shooting them in the neck with a .357 Magnum revolver. He always operated at night, presumably to have the cover of darkness, and in rough neighborhoods where people were used to hearing gunfire and blamed it on the gangs. He would also linger by the bodies and grab their throats, a gesture used at the fight club towards defeated opponents. When he killed Phoenix police officers, he would take their badges as trophies. When he killed Bobby Q, he took a large gold necklace from him. Presumably as a forensic counter-measure, Animal would use different revolvers for each murder in order to ensure that the ballistics wouldn't match.

Profile
Animal was a narcissistic psychopath whose goal was to prove his masculinity. He had incredible temper problems, was very violent, believed everybody was after him, so he would always pick fights with everyone, even though he knew he was going to lose. He was fairly smart and cunning, being able to make plans to lure his victims.

Known Victims

 * Mickey "Boom" Reese
 * Robert "Bobby Q" Quinones
 * Officer Jason Kessinger
 * Sergeant Manuel Rodriguez
 * Officer Thomas Kayser
 * Officer Mark Cunningham
 * Officer Ron Mercer
 * Aaron Hotchner
 * Note: The BAU stated that Animal killed five policemen, but Brothers in Arms only shows four cops murdered by him.

Appearance

 * Season Four
 * Brothers in Arms
 * Pleasure is my Business