Ben Foster

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Ben Foster was a spree killer (and, at one point, an arsonist) and paranoid schizophrenic who, under the motivation of his hallucinations, killed several people in Season Six of Criminal Minds.

Background
Ben was born a paranoid schizophrenic who kept seeing imaginary friends. His mother, ﻿a strict Christian, believed he was possessed by demons and took him to a local church for an exorcism. The exorcism "worked" for a short time, and Ben befriended three of the people who performed the exorcism, Matt, Evan, and Sarah, but something happened that caused him to set a fire that killed them. Ever since, Ben began hallucinating about the three of them and was pressured by them to kill Jay Johnson, a deejay.

With Friends Like These...
Ben was first seen shopping at a supermarket with Matt and reunites with Evan and Sarah. As a clerk begins scanning his food, Ben spots Karen Heywood and tries to talk to her, but is rebuffed. Matt, Evan, and Sarah force Ben into following Heywood to her house and killing her. He later hallucinates Evan fixing his sink and he states that he doesn't want to kill anymore, but is scolded by them. The following night, his hallucinations force him into killing another man. At the same time, the BAU arrives at Portland.

Knowing he is unable to control his hallucinations, Ben attempts to go get another exorcism, but as they aren't performed anymore, he is turned down and goes aboard a bus. There, Matt, Evan, and Sarah pressure Ben into following a female passenger off of the bus and kill her at her home. Ben does so, and the BAU realize from the overkill of all of the victims that Ben is stabbing them repeatedly so he can sleep, which allows his hallucinations to go away. Ben later hallucinates that he is killing Matt, Evan, and Sarah, but they stand back up, alive.

The BAU and local police later track down Ben at his home, and he and Matt, Evan, and Sarah flee to a neighbor's house and Ben takes two children hostage. The BAU arrives inside the home and convince Ben to release the children. However, Ben hallucinates Reid ordering him to stab him in the neck, and as a result, he is non-fatally shot and put into an asylum, where he continues to hallucinate.

Modus Operandi
Ben would kill his victims at their homes, except for Jay Johnson, who was killed in an alleyway. He would bludgeon them with a blunt object he brought along, but in the murder of Karen Heywood, he would use any blunt household item that caught his eye. He would also stab his victims repeatedly even after death so then he could be able to tire himself out and sleep in order to escape his hallucinations. In the murder of Yolanda, he only stabbed her repeatedly without bludgeoning her. In the murders of Johnson, Heywood, and presumably Joe, Ben would steal several belongings and sell them for money for his medication.

Known Victims

 * Three killed in the fire he set:
 * Matt
 * Evan
 * Sarah
 * Jay Johnson
 * Karen Heywood
 * Joe
 * Yolanda
 * Two unnamed children
 * Spencer Reid

Appearances

 * Season Six
 * With Friends Like These...