Peter Redding

Peter Redding is an Angel of Death type serial killer who appeared in A Higher Power.

History
Peter lived on the Brassard College campus with his father, Charles, and brother, James, who was frequently molested by Charles. Eventually, Peter couldn’t stand his brother’s suffering anymore. He slashed James’ wrists, making it look like a suicide. From that moment, Peter adopted an Angel of Death sense of mercy. Three months prior to A Higher Power, a fire at the Shadyside Recreational Center resulting in the deaths of 14 children occurred. This set of Peter’s serial killing.

He would attend anonymous support group meetings for people grieving, looking for parents of the deceased children. When Paul Baleman, the brother of police officer Ronnie Baleman, was found electrocuted in his bathtub, he called in the BAU. They tracked Peter down just as he had stated his intention to kill Laurie Ann Morris who had also lost one of her children in the fire. Since they were in a car, she stepped on the gas and drove into a steel box. The BAU arrested Peter, who kept claiming that he had done nothing wrong. The BAU later told Ronnie that analysis of Paul’s journal and the absence of Paul’s name in Peter’s apartment revealed that his suicide was not Peter’s work.

Profile
Peter was profiled as having suffered some major, tragic event after which he killed someone he believed was so miserable they had to die. After that, he created his own sense of morality. He rationalizes his killing by targeting people he believes cannot be saved by anyone but himself. Choosing who lives and dies gave him a strong sense of power. He was described as a white male, mid-to-late 30s, polite, forthcoming, confident, earnest and not outstanding.

Modus Operandi
Peter would sedate his victims using some paralytic which metabolizes so quickly that it wouldn’t be detectable through analysis using a syringe, injected in the hairline, making it invisible unless one looks closely. After that, he would kill them in different ways, including gunshot, fall off roof, hanging and other ways of committing suicide. He would also leave behind a suicide note of sorts, written by the victims as part of their therapy. At first, he killed his victims two weeks apart, but he later killed more frequently.

Known Victims

 * James Redding (slashed his wrists)
 * Three unnamed victims (killed in various ways)
 * Diedra Nollard (threw her off a rooftop)
 * Beth Smoler (was hung)
 * Curtis Fackler (was shot)
 * Laurie Ann Morris (intended)

Appearance

 * Season Three
 * A Higher Power