Earl Bulford

Earl Bulford is a serial killer who appeared in The Eyes Have It.

History
Earl was the son of Lloyd Bulford, a taxidermist. His mother, who suffered from retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease which eventually leads to blindness, died in a car crash when he was eight years old. After that, he was expelled from school for getting into a fight with another student and attempting to gouge his eyes out. From that point, his father educated him completely on his own and taught Earl hunting and taxidermy. He eventually racked up a petty crime record and three counts of animal cruelty. After Lloyd died in emphysema, Earl's life, which had been dependent on him, started to fall apart when he wasn't able to pay taxes and had an eviction imminent.

Four days prior to The Eyes Have It, Earl claimed his first victim, John O'Heron, a customer of the shop, when he complained about the way he had put eyes into a stuffed animal. He then bluntly removed his eyes and placed the body in the nearby wilderness. He later proceeded to kill Megan Chirtau and Bina Sukarto, two teenage girls, and removed their eyes more carefully. At this point, the BAU were called in. Earl then killed Tracy Carter and removed her eyes as well. On his next murder, Earl targeted a couple in a park, but got into a defensive struggle with the man which resulted in his left eye being damaged. As a result, Earl left his eyes in their sockets, but still took the woman's. This action caused the BAU to realize that they were dealing with a taxidermist. When they tracked down Earl, he was already following a lone woman on a walk and attempted to kill her, but ended up in a struggle with her. Hotch, who was nearby, rushed to the scene and arrested him.

Modus Operandi
Apart from John O'Heron's murder, Earl would slash his victims so they bled to death instantly. As he kept killing, his murders became increasingly complex, involving traps and planning similar to that used by hunters. After each murder, he gouged the victims' eyes out using surgical instrument. They would then be placed in the eye sockets of stuffed animals. He searched for new victims whenever he made a home delivery by sticking around.

Profile
Earl was described as an enucleator, a type of killer who gouges his victims' eyes out. They usually have mental disorders, low social skills and kill sloppily, although Earl's murders were more controlled. The BAU suggest that he may have known his first victim since it was more spontaneous and violent. Since he sets up traps and kills his victims by a quick and efficient slash, he may have a hunting background. The reason for the short time between the murders is believed to be that he's on some type of mission requiring him to collect a certain amount of eyes in a certain time. He is believed to be a white male, 27-35 years old, who drives a van or a pickup that's easy to clean. He may recently have applied for a hunting license and has some medical or surgical training, but not enough to make a career out of it. He may have been in a half-way house or a treatment facility, his family may have moved him away only for him to return.

Known Victims

 * John O'Heron (was bludgeoned with a brass bowl and his eyes removed bluntly)
 * Megan Chirtau (was slashed and her eyes carefully removed, was killed at the same time as Sukarto)
 * Bina Sukarto (was slashed and her eyes carefully removed)
 * Tracy Carter (was tripwired while jogging, her throat slit and eyes carefully removed)
 * An unnamed couple (the man's left eye was damaged during a struggle, so his remaining one was left behind)
 * Unnamed woman (attempted)

Appearance

 * Season Five
 * The Eyes Have It