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You brought him in, you fix it.
Kosina to Salters

Michael Kosina was an abductor and serial rapist and later serial killer and one-time proxy killer who led a pack of rapists that appeared in the Season Six episode of Criminal Minds, "Middle Man".

Background[]

Prior to the events of the episode, Kosina had previously worked with two other accomplices to abduct and rape four women in northern Louisiana. When the walls started closing in on the gang, he killed his accomplices and successfully disposed of the bodies in order to protect himself. Because the accomplices' bodies were never found, it was assumed that they had run away and the rapes were pinned on them alone while Kosina got away with it. At some point, he joined the Kappa Iota Phi fraternity. He was kicked out for questionable sexual conduct with a student in May 2004. The charges were dropped, but the fraternity was put on probation by its national chapter. He later met Chris Salters when he was a senior and Salters was a freshman. Later, when Salters was rejected by the Kappa Iota Phi fraternity, they started hanging out. At one point, they were involved in a bar fight together, which Kosina started. A few weeks after they started hanging out, Kosina dropped out when he got into an altercation with one of his professors. On September 24, 2010, they abducted their first girl and proceeded to rape her and force her to dance for them. Kosina then took her into the cornfield and killed her two days later, without Salters' knowledge. Salters later persuaded Scott Kagan to join their group and proceeded to abduct and rape more girls while Kosina promised to "take care of them" when, in reality, he was killing them.

Middle Man[]

In the beginning of the episode, the three of them, all wearing masks, chase their latest victim, Meredith Joy, with their truck in a cornfield. Kosina catches her and kills her off-screen. The group later abducts another exotic dancer named Stephanie Wilson. The following day, Salters and Kagan confront Kosina about the killings when they saw them on the news. In response, Kosina shrugs and says coldly that he had to do it to protect the group. Later, when Kagan begins to want out, Kosina has Salters bring him out to a cornfield and beat him to punish him. He then gives Salters a baseball bat and orders him to kill Kagan. He reluctantly obliges and beats Kagan to death. The following day, Kosina sees Salters talking on his cellphone, realizes that he is having second thoughts as well, and beats him for even thinking about turning himself in. Kosina then decides to finish things and get rid of Wilson and Salters. However, as they flee, the police have them surrounded. Kosina holds his gun to Wilson's head to get them to back off. Prentiss begins talking to Kosina, trying to intimidate him by saying that all their guns are trained on him and not Salters. Prentiss then tells him about Kosina's first crew, explaining that he killed them and that he is going to do the same thing to him. Salters and Kosina argue, with the former questioning the latter's loyalty to him. Suddenly, Kosina turns his gun on Salters, leaving himself wide open at the same time, forcing his father, Sheriff Jeff Salters, to shoot him dead in order to save his son.

Modus Operandi[]

"You're gonna have to do a hell of a lot better than that, girl, or we're gonna have a real problem. ...Now dance!"

Kosina targeted Caucasian exotic dancers who lived and worked in different counties in Indiana. He would wait for them to come out of the clubs they worked at after they finished their shifts, and abduct them in the parking lots with the help of Salters and Kagan. After the three abducted them and took them to his house in Johnson County, where the three would rape them, using a condom so his DNA wouldn't be traced to the rapes he committed in Louisiana. He also utilized a revolver to keep the victims compliant. When he killed his victims, Kosina would rape and beat them in a cornfield before fatally strangling them. It is unknown if Kosina targeted exotic dancers prior to the episode. It is also unknown how he killed his original accomplices, although considering that he attempted to kill Salters by shooting him, he may have shot them to death.

Real-Life Comparisons[]

Kosina is similar to William Bonin - Both were serial killers and rapists who committed sexual offenses prior to their murders, had at least one teenage accomplice, were members of teams, lured or abducted victims with help from their accomplices, and would rape, beat, and strangle them (though these were only two of Bonin's methods) so they wouldn't get caught for their crimes again.

Kosina is also similar to Moses Sithole - Both were serial rapists and later serial killers who raped women prior to their murders, later targeted women and took them to remote fields, where they beat, raped, and strangled them to death.

Known Victims[]

  • 2010:
    • Northern Louisiana:
      • February-May: Four unnamed women (all raped only by him and his original accomplices)
      • June: Two unnamed men (his previous accomplices; both killed by unknown causes; their bodies were never found)
    • Unspecified dates:
      • An unspecified bar fight
      • An unspecified altercation with an unnamed college professor
    • Johnson County, Indiana:
      • September 24: Kimberly Jukes (abducted and raped, then killed two days later)
      • October 15: Amanda Frye (abducted and raped, then killed two days later)
      • October 29: Meredith Joy (abducted and raped, then killed two days later)
      • November 5: Stephanie Wilson (abducted, raped, and intended to kill; was rescued two days later)
      • November 6-7: Scott Kagan (accomplice; directed Salters to bludgeon him with a baseball bat until he died)
      • November 7: Chris Salters (accomplice; attempted to shoot)

Notes[]

  • Kosina is similar to Ryan Phillips ("3rd Life") - Both were members of killing teams that consisted of three men, killed at least one of their accomplices, primarily targeted women, abducted and raped their victims with their accomplices, killed their female victims by strangling them, and were shot and killed by the father of someone they tried to kill.
  • Kosina is also similar to Robert Matthew Burke ("...A Thousand Words") - Both were once serial rapists before they escalated to murder in order to avoid being caught. Both also targeted and abducted women, killed their victims by strangling them, were the leaders of criminal groups, and are similar to William Bonin.

Appearances[]

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