| “ | You killed my mom! | ” |
— Beardsley
| ||
Joshua "Josh" Beardsley is the former best friend of serial killer Owen Porter (and brief suspect in his crimes) and later his attempted murderer. He appears in the Criminal Minds Season Five episode, "Exit Wounds".
Background[]
Joshua Beardsley was born in Franklin, Alaska around 1987. His father, a skilled hunter, taught him how to "live off the land". He killed a deer by himself at the age of seven, being the youngest in town to do so. Growing up, he was a close friend of Owen Porter, with whom he spent most of his time despite their age difference. After attending middle and high school in Anchorage, Beardsley majored in Hotel Management at Seattle University. In his admission essay, he wrote about what an impact being an older brother had on his life, referring to his close friendship with Porter. When his father died, Beardsley had to move back to Franklin to help his mother, Carol, run her inn. Around this time, Porter, who was abused by his own father and developed severe abandonment issues after Beardsley left, began serial killing.
Exit Wounds[]
When the BAU is called in to investigate, Garcia is the first to meet Beardsley at his mother's inn. Later, Beardsley becomes a suspect for the murders, as he is very fond of hunting, his father had died (an event which could cause an individual to develop abandonment issues) and he is the right age. He is brought into custody as a precaution. During the night, Porter, since the BAU have placed his next intended victim in protective custody, breaks into Carol's home and kills her. The next morning, Beardsley is told the news. When the BAU give him a profile, he leaves. They realize from his calm behavior that he knows who the unsub is and have a member of the local police tail him.
Later, when the BAU realize it too, Beardsley has managed to shake off his follower and assemble a hunting party to apprehend Porter. Chasing him through the woods, the group stop at the Franklin harbor, from which Porter is planning to take a boat and go to a small fort near Lake Lafayette which he and Beardsley had built when they were younger. The BAU and local police hold the hunters at gunpoint, with Porter caught in between the two groups. Eventually, another group of police appears behind the hunters, who are talked into surrendering, all except Beardsley. He raises his rifle in an attempt to kill Porter but is shot non-fatally in the shoulder by Rossi and later arrested. At the end of the episode, he is seen standing outside Porter's cell. He was presumably charged for attempted murder and incarcerated for it afterwards.
Known Victims[]
- May 12, 2010: The harbor standoff:
- Threatened to shoot the following when they ordered him and his party to stand down:
- Aaron Hotchner
- Sheriff Steve Rhodes
- Spencer Reid
- Owen Porter (his former best friend; attempted to shoot with a rifle; both were arrested instead)
- Threatened to shoot the following when they ordered him and his party to stand down: