John Nelson

"I only wanted to cure you."

Dr. John Nelson is a mortician-turned-serial killer who appeared in God Complex.

History
"Everything's fine. We just need to operate."

John was a mortician married to Linda, a woman who suffered from limp hypoplasiam, being born with her right leg missing at the knee and using a prosthetic to walk as a result. At some point prior to God Complex, John got the idea to try and transplant a foreign leg onto his wife's knee and got funding from an investor for medical equipment which he set up in his garage. He then began to experiment with amputating and transplanting legs, presumably starting with mice and then moving up to human trials, which claimed the life of Richard Hubbel. John then abducted Tony Anders and took him to his garage. Before he could start the surgery, Tony regained consciousness and took a good look at John's face, which was covered with a surgical mask, before John attacked him and put him back to sleep. He then removed Tony's right leg without killing him and left him at a hotel room. The attack on Tony was what led the BAU to being called in. At the same time, John set his sights on Carl Timmons, abducting him and taking him to his garage, later removing his right leg and replacing it with Tony Anders's. He then left Carl at a hospital, where he died of gangrene.

John began to feel the pressure when his investor started demanding to examine data acquired from his experiences. Going over the experiments upon his three victims, he felt that he found what he needed to succeed, going on to sedating Maria Rodriguez. He then called over Donna Sullivan and abducted her also. The following night, he killed Maria whilst taking her left leg and putting it onto Donna's. Satisfied with his success, John wakes up Linda and urges her to come with him to the garage, where he intends to amputate Donna's right leg and put it onto Linda's. However, when the two reach the garage, John finds Donna missing, as she regained consciousness earlier and freed herself from her bonds. Donna then ambushes Linda and holds her at knifepoint with a scalpel, but John tricks her to putting her back on him while she heads for the door, allowing him to sedate her again. Linda, realizing what John has been doing, yells at him for hurting others, much to his shock. Just then, the BAU arrive, their guns drawn, and John threatens to drug Donna again, which would prove fatal. Reid urges Donna to talk to John and convince him to put the syringe down. This proves successful when Donna threatens him that she will order the agents to shoot, to which John slowly puts the syringe down. He is then arrested while Donna sobs and exclaims his name in shock.

Modus Operandi
John would use a blood donor van to screen his victims and see which ones were suitable for testing. Once he found a suitable candidate, he would track them down using their contact information and capture them. Drugging them to prevent them from fleeing, John would then sedate them and amputate their right legs. He would then either dump the victims or try to reattach a foreign leg onto the stump. Due to his inexperience and refusal to accept the laws of biology, the victims would often die due to blood loss or gangrene. His ultimate goal was to transplant a foreign leg onto an amputated limb in an attempt to heal his wife. John initially targeted men for his human trials, but then he switched to women when he felt that he was getting closer to achieving a successful result.

Profile
The unsub is a doctor with a severe God complex. His narcissism makes him believe that he can defy human biology and anatomy. His narcissism has likely caused problems in his career. He was probably a doctor who had lost his license or a medical student who had ethical violations. He wasn't a psychopath, for they rarely have the training and discipline for medical school or residency. So this unsub won't behave in an anti-social matter. He's probably successful, respectful and outgoing. He can maintain healthy relationships and his neighbors probably know him well. His background makes it seem possible that lives in a mid to upper class lifestyle. He may be married and have kids. If so, he will be devoted to both. He hides his operations from his neighbors through a psychological process called "doubling". He acts one way professionally, and acts another way at home. This unsub's sense of superiority supersedes the Hippocratic Oath.

Known Victims

 * Richard Hubbel
 * Tony Anders
 * Carl Timmons
 * Maria Rodriguez
 * Donna Sullivan

Appearances

 * Season Eight
 * "God Complex"