| “ | This is the part... Where we see how much he loves you. This is the part where he does it. | ” |
— Stahl
| ||
Richard Stahl is a killer cop-turned abductor, stalker, and serial killer by proxy, who is the submissive half of a two-person killing team. He and his master appear in the Suspect Behavior series finale "Death by a Thousand Cuts".
Background[]
Stahl was born on January 18, 1962 and had a troubled childhood. When he was seven[1], an unidentified burglar broke into the house and killed his parents with a Smith & Wesson Model 13 revolver. Stahl hid, but from his vantage point, he witnessed the murders. The killer was never caught and Stahl was left in the care of his aunt, Mary Ellen. Due to what he experienced, Stahl ended up developing a masochistic obsession with death and started to self-harm. At age ten, he carved "Lingchi" (Death by a Thousand Cuts) into his headboard and two years later, he cut off his pinkie and ring finger, but claimed it was an accident. Further showing his obsession, he would hang out around the sites of murders and suicides.
In 1989, as an adult, Stahl got a job as a prison guard at Huntsville State Prison and became the submissive partner of another guard named Rawlins, who realized that he'd be easy to manipulate due to his self-harming habits. Presumably under the instruction of Rawlins, Stahl became a volunteer for administering lethal injections in 1991. Over the next twenty years, the duo were responsible for executing fifty-two prisoners. In January 2011, Stahl either accidentally or intentionally on the order of Rawlins, botched an execution by not injecting the prisoner with the sedation drug, sodium thiopental. The inmate suffered a painful prolonged death and as a result, Stahl was investigated and fired for gross negligence.
Six months later, Rawlins started ordering Stahl to help him in a series of murders where the MO was to force ordinary people to commit murder in public locations by kidnapping their loved ones and threatening to kill them. For the planning of the murder spree, Stahl purchased a bunch of Smith & Wesson Model 13 revolvers from Rawlins' gun dealer and wrapped each one of them in a type of tape that would prevent fingerprints from being left on the weapons. He also started hanging out in an abandoned house that was the sight of a triple murder three months prior.
Death by a Thousand Cuts[]
Stahl successfully executed this with three different abductions and resulting proxy murders, the latest one being of Max Dixon, whose father shot a stranger with a revolver he was provided before leaving it at the scene, as per the signature M.O. Stahl then kidnapped Carolyn Malek, the wife of Martin Malek who was pregnant with their child. After Carolyn got off the phone with Martin, Stahl appeared holding her at gunpoint before forcing her to join him at the hideout where the operations were conducted. Martin was then called by Stahl, receiving the revolver and being told to save Carolyn, he had to kill a civilian at a local market within less then a half hour. The Red Cell team stops Martin before he can commit a murder, but with seconds to spare, Martin shoots himself under the chin with his gun to save Carolyn who weeps from seeing Martin's suicide live. Stahl is furious, but since the ransom was paid, he releases Carolyn. Later on, Rawlins kills one of their colleagues, Martinez, knocks out Prophet, and abducts Griffith as a new victim. At this point, Cooper and LaSalle realize Stahl's the submissive unsub from seeing his bed and meeting Mary Ellen, who's horrified by Stahl's role. Later on, Stahl calls Cooper and says to meet him in a square for another murder in fifteen minutes, having already sent another revolver. Rawlins watches over Griffith, while Stahl is present as the next proxy victim. Cooper tries to talk Stahl down, but he tearfully counts down the ransom time window. In the meantime, Rawlins prepares to shoot Griffith if the demands aren't paid. The episode cuts to black with a gunshot, leaving everyone's fates undetermined.
Profile[]
"Can you shoot me right there? I always wanted to go like that."
The unsub is a white male in his 40s and speaks with a Southern accent. Given his choice of weapon, we believe that he has experience in guns and that at some point he might have been involved with some branch of law enforcement. He may be a guard, administrator, counselor, or executioner. He never makes himself himself the subject of his own sentence. "This is the part where you see how much he loves you. This is the part where he does it." It's objective, submissive. It's like he's an innocent bystander. His words are of a person who has no ego at all. His personal traits are pure... Masochism, and his actions are those of a sadist. He is a puppet.
Modus Operandi[]
"How much do you love your wife, Mr. Malek? I mean, would you kill for her? A life for a life. You got 30 minutes."
Stahl abducted his victims, whom he and Rawlins presumably stalked beforehand, whenever it was convenient, approaching them at gunpoint and forcing them into his vehicle, placing a bag over their head for the duration of the ride to his hideout. Once the victim was secure, Stahl would call their loved one, send a video of the abducted, and give instructions on where to find a Smith & Wesson Model 13, which would be used to kill a random person in a crowded area in exchange for the release of the hostage. Once the murder was committed, a picture of the body would have to be sent to Stahl.
Known Victims[]
Personal[]
- Unspecified date in January 2011, Huntsville State Prison, Dallas, Texas, USA:
- Unnamed death row inmate (legally executed with a lethal injection, but was tortured by Rawlins having Stahl not administer the sodium thiopental)
- Unspecified dates in July 2011, Dallas, Texas, USA:
- Two unnamed victims (abducted and held hostage; were released)
- Max Dixon (abducted and held hostage; was released)
- Carolyn Malek (was pregnant; abducted and held hostage; was released)
Proxy[]
- Unspecified dates in July 2011, Dallas, Texas, USA:
- Sarah Markle (a homeless woman; shot five times by the abduction victim's loved one)
- Derek Williams (a drug dealer; shot in the chest by the abduction victim's loved one)
- Peter Warsaw (shot in the head by Dale Dixon)
- Martin Malek (committed suicide by shooting himself in exchange for Caroyln's life)
References[]
- ↑ Stahl's record claims it was in 1966, but this must be an error as Mary Ellen says it happened when he was seven.