Homicide Life On The Street Criminals / Characters

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Homicide: Life on the Street Main Character Index
Main Characters | Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice | Criminals | Others

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The Mahoney Crime Family

Luther Mahoney

Luther Marcellus Mahoney

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"I know this game."

Portrayed by: Erik Todd Dellums

"You know, your case makes sense. I like it. Except I don't sling bags, and I didn't kill Bojack Reed."

A smooth and seemingly untouchable Baltimore drug lord.

The Ace: A villainous example. Luther succeeds at almost everything he tries; he'd beloved by the general public for being a community activist, and feared and respected throughout the underworld. The police are never able to pin something on him until his final appearance, and he usually ends his appearances getting everything he wants.
Actually Pretty Funny:
- When Lewis threatens Luther with a Badass Boast after he enters the Waterfront surrounded by his cronies, Luther simply grins and laughs, holding up his hands in a mock surrender gesture.
- He often finds Lewis and Kellerman's jokes amusing, often smiling or laughing at them.
Ambition Is Evil: He's very protective of his power, and his reaction to even the mildest threat to his rule over Baltimore's projects is to order countless murders.
Arc Villain: He serves as this for Season 4 and Season 5, being the main threat the Homicide unit has to band together to take down.
Arch-Enemy: To Lewis and Kellerman, and more broadly to the whole homicide unit in Season 5.
Ascended Extra: He went from a one-shot villain to the Big Bad of Season 5.
Authority Sounds Deep: He's the head of a gang and has a deep voice.
Ax-Crazy: Luther is quite calm and charming, but he's very murderous even by the standards of Baltimore's criminals. Whenever he's crossed, bodies flood the street, and Bunk notes he'll kill even his own men if he thinks they've stiffed him.
Bad Boss: Luther's implied to be quite hard on his own men, and wants Junior Bunk to follow in his example. When one of Bunk's crew fails to bring in enough money, Luther has him killed just to teach a lesson that he won't be cheated.
The Bad Guy Wins:
- In "The Damage Done", Luther murders his nobler rival Drak and wins their drug war. He ends the episode watching Drak's public assassination and strolling in front of Lewis and Kellerman, taunting them with his victory.
- In "Control", he successfully intimidates Junior Bunk to withdraw his testimony. He escapes prosecution and lets his nephew take a prison sentence, and once again taunts Lewis about it.
Badass in a Nice Suit: He's always seen in stylish suits and clothing, and he's a very formidable opponent.
Badass Longcoat: He's always seen wearing a long overcoat, and while not a physical threat, Luther proves to be the detectives' most recurring and intelligent adversary.
Berserk Button: Luther is usually polite and courteous to a fault, but he becomes enraged whenever he's disrespected. When Kellerman grabs him by his overcoat's lapels, Luther drops his Faux Affably Evil demeanor and threatens legal charges against Kellerman. He also has a store-owner brutally murdered for publicly confronting him in a rage after Luther tried to talk the man's family into letting his drug dealers sell their product in front of their store.
Beware the Nice Ones: He's a courteous, polite, and well-spoken man who is beloved for his apparent philanthropy. And indeed, Luther's charm is entirely genuine; it just doesn't change how murderous and almost sociopathic he really is.
Beware the Quiet Ones: He's soft-spoken and courteous, but he's ruthless and downright vicious when he's crossed. In his first appearance alone, he has dozens of people killed to send a message that he's not to be messed with.
Big Bad: Luther serves as the main antagonist of Season 5. While there are numerous other villains, most of the trouble the detectives deal with stems from him and he develops a deeply personal enmity with Lewis and Kellerman. He also has the biggest claim to serving as this for the series as a whole, as his legacy haunts the unit even long after his death.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: To the public, Luther is a respectable community activist who has done nothing but good for the lower-income families of Baltimore. In truth, he's a vicious drug lord who has numerous people killed to cement his control over Baltimore's underworld.
Bond One-Liner: After Drak is murdered on his orders, Luther approaches Lewis and Kellerman and dryly comments "What a waste".
Boom, Headshot!: He has his henchmen kill their targets almost exclusively by shooting them in the head. One of the few exceptions is "Have a Conscience", where he has them draw out a man's death because he stood up to Luther.
Born Lucky: While a good deal of it comes down to Luther's cunning, he frequently succeeds because of luck just as much as he does his intelligence.
Breakout Villain: He was originally intended to be a one-shot villain, but Erik Todd Dellums's performance was so good the writers brought him back as the Big Bad of Season 5.
The Chessmaster: Luther is scarily good at manipulating events so he comes out on top. It's an open secret he's a drug dealer, but Luther is a smooth enough operator to ensure it's never proven while also building up his reputation both as an activist and as a crime lord.
Consummate Liar: Luther is scarily good at lying to the police, always making sure he only barely hints at his involvement in various crimes and comes across as a mere activist. The entire unit is never able to successfully pin something on him because of how good Luther is at keeping his cool until his Villainous Breakdown.
The Corrupter: He wants Junior Bunk to become as ruthless as himself, feeling (rightfully) that he's too weak to be an effective underling. He also serves as this in an indirect way to Kellerman and Ben Roh; Luther's crimes and status as a Karma Houdini turns them into worse people and murderers just like Luther.
Creepy Monotone: He always speaks in a monotone, adding to his menace. It helps convey how unafraid he is of the detectives, and how borderline inhuman he is in temperament.
Cultured Badass: He's erudite, intelligent, and A Man of Wealth and Taste, and he's the most cunning and dangerous opponent the detectives face.
Damned by Faint Praise: He backhandedly compliments the Waterfront when he arrives there with his men in "Control" to further taunt Lewis.
Luther: So this is the infamous cop bar, the Waterfront? It's very... quaint.
The Dandy: He's very dapper and wears stylish, at times opulent suits, as well as owning a sleek and expensive-looking apartment.
Deadpan Snarker: Luther has moments of dry sarcasm, often making sardonic quips to show the detectives he had no fear of them.
Death Glare: He's very prone to shooting these at the detectives to convey his contempt and amusement at them.
Devil in Plain Sight: Luther is a powerful and feared drug lord, but the public regards him as just a philanthropic activist. The people in his territory know differently, but they're too terrified of Luther to testify against him.
Diabolical Mastermind: Luther Mahoney is a wealthy community activist who just so happens to secretly be a drug dealer with a massive operation and almost total control of the poorer parts of Baltimore. He's able to expertly evade the police, quickly recovering from any setbacks and avoiding being proven guilty for a very long time.
Disproportionate Retribution: While Luther is much too pragmatic to kill a cop, he refuses to tolerate disrespect from anyone and leaps to murder on anyone who doesn't have the protection of a badge. In "Have a Conscience", a store owner angrily confronts Luther for selling drugs in front of his store and threatening his family when the store owner chased them off. Luther responds by having the man executed in an extremely drawn-out way for disrespecting him.
Dissonant Serenity: He remains cool and polite no matter the situation, whether he's being questioned by the police, threatening someone, or watching a murder be carried out.
The Don: Luther is the leader of a massive crime ring that distributes drugs throughout Baltimore, all the while posing as a community activist to build up a good reputation. He effortlessly destroys the competition any time it poses a threat to him and expertly evades prosecution from the police.
The Dreaded: A stoolie (who is murdered on his orders shortly afterwards) refers to him as "the Angel of Death". He's widely feared by the community and he's able to effortlessly intimidate witnesses out of testifying out of sheer reputation. The only ones who don't fear him are the detectives, and only because Luther's pragmatic enough not to go after the police.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Downplayed. He treats his nephew Junior Bunk as just another underling, and is more than willing to have him serve a prison sentence if it means protecting himself. However, despite Junior attempting to testify against him, Luther still doesn't kill him, albeit likely out of pragmatism.
Even Evil Has Standards: Albeit an utterly selfish and pragmatic one. Luther does many horrible things, but he won't needlessly kill his own consumers. His motivation in "Bad Medicine" is to kill off a rival drug dealer who had accidentally sold poisoned drugs and tried to frame it on Luther. As an informant explains to Lewis and Stivers, Luther would never kill the people who make his livelihood, but the people threatening it are another story.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: During a confrontation with Kellerman shortly after he's declared not guilty of corruption and put back on the street, Luther taunts Kellerman that he's not exactly innocent himself, enraging Kellerman. It's implied Luther sincerely believes him to be a Dirty Cop, which isn't true... at first, until the stress of his war with Luther and his declining mental health cause him to snap.
Evil vs. Evil: Many of Luther's appearances involve him battling rival drug dealers. In all these cases, Luther wins and kills said rival.
Evil Wears Black: He's almost always seen dressed in black clothing, adding to his sinister aura.
Evil Gloating: Luther loves parading his successes in front of the detectives. In his first appearance, he watches his men murder Drak in front of Lewis and Kellerman, and taunts them about it so they know he's guilty and that they can't do anything about it. He continues this boasting, even stopping by the Waterfront just to taunt Lewis and Stivers.
Evil Genius: Unlike most of the villains the detectives face, Luther is not Stupid Evil. He's very intelligent, well-versed in the law, and damn good at covering up his crimes while making himself invaluable to the community.
Luther: Guys, I run a youth center, a daycare. I run a free kitchen, and I buy books for the elementary school when the tax money won't cover it. I'm a community activist.
Lewis: Yeah, that's very impressive. How do you do all of that?
Luther: I'm smart.
Kellerman: I think what my partner means is how do you pay for all that?
Luther: I'm smart.
Evil Is Petty: Very much so. He deeply enjoys taunting the detectives because he finds it fun. In "Have a Conscience", when a store-owner angrily confronts him publicly for having his men sell drugs in front of his store, Luther has the man brutally executed by being shot in each of his limbs multiple times before finally being killed.
Evil Mentor: He tries to serve as this to Junior Bunk by making his cowardly nephew more willing to stand up for himself and more comfortable with the darker aspects of being a drug dealer.
Eviler than Thou: "The Damage Done" centers around his war with rival drug dealer Drak Fortunado. Though the two kill many of each other's men, the episode ends with Luther having Drak shot at an anti gang violence protest while watching in attendance. He also murders a rival drug dealer in "Bad Medicine", albeit because said dealer's poisoned drugs were killing his customers.
Evil Sounds Deep: Luther has a deep, melodious voice, fitting his charming and cultured yet utterly malevolent personality.
Evil Uncle: To Junior Bunk. Luther tries to make Bunk as ruthless as him and thinks nothing of leaving him to take a prison sentence to save himself from going to prison. Luther at least spares Junior even after he betrays him, although he otherwise never demonstrates any real care for him.
Fascinating Eyebrow: He's prone to doing this, especially when reminding the detectives they don't have enough evidence to actually charge him.
Faux Affably Evil: He's nothing but charm and smiles, but is clearly utterly cold and malevolent underneath.
Foil: To Lewis. They're both black men, but otherwise completely different. Lewis is a crass, laid-back jokester who comes from the projects, where Luther is erudite, superficially polite, and implied to have been from a middle-class background. And where Lewis is compassionate, Luther is callous and murderous.
Framing the Guilty Party: After hiring a local thug to murder one of his rivals, Luther has the thug murdered so he won't be exposed. He then frames his rival's gang for the murder, while ensuring he can't be connected to it.
Friendly Enemy: He has a pre-established rapport with Stivers and even takes her phone calls. Luther himself implies he finds her attractive. He's also polite to Lewis and Kellerman and finds their jokes amusing, although it's clearly laced with his usual smugness.
Generic Ethnic Crime Gang: He is a representative of the "Black Gangster" variety, although many of his minions are stereotypical Gangbangers.
Genre Savvy: He's very much aware of the tricks the police use to get suspects to confess, and is dangerously well-versed in the law to match his street smarts. It makes him a very dangerous opponent, as he's always smart enough to cover himself so that the detectives can't prove his guilt, but smug enough to taunt them with the knowledge he's guilty.
Hates Being Touched: Implied. One of the few times Luther gets openly angry and compromises his calm demeanor is when an enraged Kellerman grabs him by his coat's lapels in "Have a Conscience".
Hidden in Plain Sight: He's leader of a massive gang all the while being a famous local activist who contributes to the community. He knows he's made himself damn near untouchable, and gleefully flaunts it in front of the detectives to spite them.
Honor Before Reason: One of Junior Bunk's men short-changes Luther three hundred dollars, much to Luther's fury. He hires a hitman to kill the man, despite said hitman costing an even larger sum of money. Lewis questions Bunk about this, who simply replies that Luther's "a man of principle."
Hypocrite: Luther poses as a protector of the community, but in "Have a Conscience" he has an innocent store owner brutally murdered simply because the man refused to let Luther's drug dealers sell in front of his store.
I Gave My Word: Downplayed. Luther is about as trustworthy as a snake, but he does keep his promise not to kill Junior Bunk once he refuses to testify against him. It's much better than most people who cross Luther get.
I Never Said It Was Poison: Downplayed. When Lewis pretends one of the dead drug dealers killed themselves, Mahoney mentions that dealer was shot in the head with the gun on the table behind him, and Lewis, smiling, asks Mahoney how he could know that if Lewis never mentioned that the dealer was shot. However, both Mahoney and then Danvers point out Mahoney could have heard that on the street, so it's not enough to indict him.
Implied Death Threat: When Junior Bunk decides to testify against him, Luther has one of his men sneak one of his distinctive drug bags hidden in his food, sending the obvious message that even the police can't protect him from Luther. Junior panics and withdraws his testimony.
Jury and Witness Tampering: Luther uses his reputation to terrify witnesses out of testifying against him. When Junior Bunk decides to testify against him, Luther exploits his cowardice by threatening him, intimidating Bunk to withdraw his testimony and claim he lied.
Karma Houdini: He gets away with his crimes in most of his appearances, letting his flunkies or opponents take the fall, and always skirting away from being charged.
Kick the Dog: He has an innocent man brutally murdered in "Have a Conscience" for refusing to let Luther's drug dealers sell dope in front of the man's store.
Killed Off for Real: Shot dead by Kellerman with questionable justification.
Lean and Mean: He's quite skinny and while he's courteous and charming, he's utterly cold and malevolent beneath the charm.
Man of Wealth and Taste: He always wears stylish outfits as opposed to his men's more traditional street clothes, and he's quite refined and erudite in demeanor.
Murder Is the Best Solution: He will order people murdered at the drop of a hat. After his death, one of his associates confides that Luther was a bit of a liability — "too much killing, not enough business".
Neighborhood-Friendly Gangsters: Luther has no legitimate source of income and he clearly enjoys that the police are aware he's a drug dealer, but he makes himself invaluable to the community through local activism. His very first scene has him taking Lewis and Kellerman on a tour of a daycare he built. It's clearly a shallow gesture, as Luther demonstrates numerous times he'll strike out at that same community if it threatens him.
Non-Action Big Bad: He never gets involved in violence himself and he generally relies on his men to get physical for him. The thing that's really dangerous about Luther is just how intelligent he is, which lets him constantly outmaneuver the police when they try to catch him.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: Most of the criminals the detectives face are Stupid Evil, prone to making mistakes and making themselves easy to catch. Luther, however, is dangerously intelligent and Genre Savvy enough to see their tricks coming, making him a formidable opponent.
Obviously Evil: Invoked. He makes it very obvious to the detectives that he's a criminal, but never leaves enough evidence so that they can prove it. He does it simply to taunt them, being a quintessential Smug Snake.
Open Secret: Everybody except the general public knows Luther is a drug dealer, but nobody will testify against him because they're terrified of him, and as a result the detectives aren't able to find enough evidence to prosecute him.
Passive Aggressive Combat: He spends his time with Lewis and Kellerman passive-aggressively sniping at them under the mask of politeness, never dropping his Faux Affably Evil mask even as he indulges in Evil Gloating.
Polite Villains, Rude Heroes: Luther is polite, courteous, and charming despite being quite vicious even by the standards of Baltimore's criminal underworld. The detectives directly opposing him - Lewis, Kellerman, and Stivers - are much less composed. Stivers is quite coarse and blunt, and while Lewis and Kellerman are generally affable, they're generally quite hostile to Luther.
Pragmatic Villainy: Luther lacks any real standards, but he abides by pragmatism and won't kill if he doesn't have cause for it - although he'll resort to murder at the drop of a hat. In "Bad Medicine", he tolerates a rival drug dealer taking away some of his customers because it doesn't affect his livelihood. It's only when the rival sells poisoned drugs and blames Luther for it that he takes action, refusing to lose any of his customers.
Punch-Clock Villain: Downplayed. He seems to very much enjoy his job and he's more than willing to use brutal violence, but he never holds any ill will towards the police or his rivals, simply viewing them as part of "the game". He's more amused by Lewis and Kellerman than anything, and never regards them with any real personal enmity.
Refuge in Audacity: He ends his first appearance having a rival drug dealer assassinated in front of a police station during an ant-gang violence rally, all while waiting in attendance. He goes so far as to briefly confront Lewis and Kellerman after the shooting, rubbing their noses in the fact he's untouchable.
Remember the New Guy?: In his first appearance, the detectives besides Kellerman are all already familiar with Luther, and Pembleton notes he's tangled with him a few times.
A Round of Drinks for the House: After escaping charges again in "Control", Luther pops up at the Waterfront to buy a round for the house just to taunt Lewis. Lewis isn't having it and threatens Luther to his face, much to his amusement.
Scary Black Man: He's a downright terrifying figure, able to effortlessly intimidate people and being quite creepy with his icily Faux Affably Evil demeanor. He's a noticeable inversion of the common image; rather than a hulking thug, Luther is a skinny, erudite, Sharp-Dressed Man.
Sharp-Dressed Man: He's frequently seen wearing stylish suits, fitting with how Luther makes pretensions at civility and legitimacy while being an utterly evil figure.
Small Role, Big Impact: He only appears in five episodes across two seasons, and rarely has more than two or three scenes in each, but his crimes and death provide the major arc in both the fifth and sixth seasons, and one of the show's best remembered.
Smug Smiler: He always has a smug grin plastered across his face, especially while rubbing his untouchability in the detectives' faces.
Smug Snake: Luther is all smiles with the detectives and extremely smug, practically rubbing their noses in his ability to evade them. Unfortunately, he's competent enough to constantly escape prosecution.
The Sociopath: Luther is charming and polite, but he thinks nothing of killing people at the drop of a hat. His demeanor never shifts even while discussing his crimes, and by the end of the fifth season his body count is past the dozens.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: Luther is always calm and soft-spoken, often verging into a Creepy Monotone and whispering when he wants to make a point. It contrasts with his ruthless personality, as he kills scores of people to establish his control over Baltimore's underworld.
Stereotype Flip: Especially at the time, black drug dealers tended to be portrayed in media as aggressive Gangbangers. By contrast, Luther is well-dressed, eloquent, and polite, relying entirely on his wits and influence to avoid charges.
The Stoic: Luther makes a few jokes and can be quite charming, but he's generally calm in demeanor and rarely expresses visible emotions.
Stupid Evil: Heavily downplayed. One of his subordinates acknowledges Luther's murderousness was something of a liability, but he's actually quite intelligent. He's able to make sure none of his crimes can be connected to him, and often manipulates the situation and the police so his rivals are taken down instead of him.
Troll: Luther deeply enjoys messing with the detectives investigating with him. Whenever he escapes any charges, he always makes sure to indulge in a round of Evil Gloating in front of them for the fun of it. It's most notably demonstrated in "Control", where he buys A Round of Drinks for the House just to taunt Lewis.
Villain Has a Point: When Junior Bunk testifies against him, Luther tells Lewis that he knows the case won't go to court because his nephew's unreliable, and that Lewis isn't going to be able to get him convicted. Lewis assumes it's more of Luther's boasting, but he turns out to be right; a single threat convinces Bunk to return to the fold and withdraw his testimony.
Villain with Good Publicity: He does a lot of charitable work and is respected as a result despite his seeming lack of any legitimate source of income.
Villainous Breakdown: After the detectives cause chaos by swapping seized heroin for baking soda and supplying it to him, he utterly loses it and shoots one of his own underlings in front of a police stakeout.
Villainous Crush: A sardonic comment he makes in "Bad Medicine" while Stivers and Lewis interrogate him implies he has a thing for Stivers.
Luther: When an attractive young lady calls in the middle of the evening requesting assistance, there are certain... expectations.
Stivers: Oh, Luther, you know how it is. Sometimes the magic's there, sometimes it ain't.
Wicked Cultured: He's eloquent and well-dressed, and clearly enjoys the finer things in life.
The Worf Effect: In his first appearance, Pembleton mentions he's investigated Luther a few times and failed to find enough evidence to prove his guilt. Considering Pembleton is The Ace, it establishes Luther as a very crafty and wily opponent.
Would Hurt a Child: In "The Damage Done", Luther has a family dealing drugs for one of his rivals killed to spite said rival, including their thirteen-year-old son. Only the family's young daughter is spared, and not intentionally; she simply hid from Luther's men until they left.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Luther frequently murders his underlings as soon as they outlive their usefulness, to prevent the chance of them snitching to the cops.

Junior Bunk

Nathaniel Lee "Junior Bunk" Mahoney

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1078_8.jpeg

Portrayed by: Mekhi Phifer

Luther's much less impressive nephew.

Affably Evil: He's sincerely friendly and earnest in Season 5, though he changes for the worse after his prison sentence.
Anti-Villain: At first, Junior isn't evil so much as he is a coward intimidated by his uncle. He's initially willing to testify against Luther and admits he's disgusted by some of his uncle's tactics. He ultimately changes for the worse by the time he shows up again in Season 6.
Bald of Evil: He's bald and a drug dealer. He doesn't start off as particularly evil, but after going to prison he comes out a genuinely dangerous figure.
Dirty Coward: He is notorious for lacking much of his elders' steel, and for crying when arrested.
Had to Come to Prison to Be a Crook: After serving a prison sentence he comes back out a much colder and more dangerous person, causing Lewis to disasterously underestimate him.
Harmless Villain: Junior starts off as an ineffectual coward whose cheated by his own men and notorious for lacking Luther and Georgia Rae's bravery. He's very easily talked into testifying against Luther, and is just as easily threatened into retracting his statement.
Nepotism: In his first appearance, it's implied that the only reason Luther gives him any responsibility at all is their family relationship.
Redemption Rejection: He nearly testifies against Luther and admits he's disgusted with some of his uncle's ruthlessness. However, Luther threatens Junior into retracting his testimony, and he serves a prison sentence that permanently hardens him.

Georgia Rae Mahoney

Portrayed by: Hazelle Goodman

Luther's sister and Junior Bunk's mother, who handles the family money.

Arch-Enemy: To Kellerman specifically, while Luther was more of an arch-enemy to the unit as a whole.
Avenging the Villain: She is motivated by the desire for revenge on Kellerman for Luther's death.
Non-Action Big Bad: She never commits violence herself (apart from the times she kicks Mike and Meldrick in the nuts, which were provoked), and orders less of it than Luther does.
Remember the New Guy?: She is never even mentioned during Luther's lifetime, partly justified because she spends most of her time in the Cayman Islands with their money.

Other Recurring Criminals

Calpurnia Church

Portrayed by: Mary Jefferson

"I want my medicine."

An elderly widower who had her husbands and various other family members killed so she could claim the life insurance settlements. She cows her family into silence with claims of having control over voodoo.

Black Widow: She killed each of her husbands to claim the life insurance settlements. By the time Howard and Felton find enough evidence to arrest her, she's married her own nephew to kill him as well^note. She also takes it a step further by killing other members of her families, and even a random old lady to claim the life insurance from them as well.
Driven to Suicide: A darkly comedic variant. When Lewis interrogates her, she asks if she can have her medicine^note. When she demands he give back all of them, Lewis quickly ferrets out she's trying to kill herself and refuses, though she still continues to beg.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Averted hard. Calpurnia only sees her family as meal tickets at best, and has no compunction about killing them.
The Ghost: She's talked about, but never seen until she's arrested.
Laughably Evil: Calpurnia is undoubtedly a horrible person, but her scatterbrained personality and lackluster efforts to weasel out of being arrested are remarkably funny.
Would Hurt a Child: She killed her teenage niece by forcibly overdosing her.

Charles Flavin

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Portrayed by: Larry Hull

A criminal who shoots and blinds Thormann. He serves as a witness during the ensuing investigation to cover himself, only to be ferreted out by Lewis.

Kick The Son Of A Bitch: The man he tried to frame, Alfred Smith, was a creep who looted the injured Thormann rather than do anything to help.
Opportunistic Bastard: Flavin is definitely opportunistic. When Thormann was searching him, he quickly grabbed his gun and shot him, and he later seizes on Lewis and Crosetti's investigation to pin the blame on Alfred Smith.

Risley Tucker

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Portrayed by: Moses Gunn

An elderly arabber suspected of the murder of Adena Watson, having hired her as an assistant in operating his vegetable cart.

Ambiguous Situation: It's never revealed whether he killed Adena Watson or not. Bayliss and Pembleton point out a lot of holes in his story, but the discrepancies can easily be explained by Tucker's bad memory, and Bayliss clearly thinks he's guilty from the beginning. His emotional outburst at the end of his interrogation can be seen as either confirming his guilt or proving his innocence.
Ambiguously Evil: It's left ambiguous as to whether or not he killed Adena. There's enough evidence given to support either interpretation.
Beard of Evil: Maybe. He definitely sports a beard, but it's never proven that he killed Adena Watson.
Cosmic Plaything: Tucker's life absolutely sucks. He talks about having experienced blatant racism in the past, his fiancé left him, his barn burned down, he lost his job as a result of that, he's (possibly rightfully) accused of murdering Adena Watson, he's subjected to a grueling interrogation, and nearly gets his face burned on a hot pipe.
Dark and Troubled Past: He lives through the Jim Crow era in the South, and he has a statutory rape charge under his belt.
Everybody Calls Him "Barkeep": Bayliss and Pembleton just call him "the arabber", though they call him by his real name when in his presence.
Evil Old Folks: Maybe. If he did kill Adena, then he brutally murdered an eleven-year old girl and violated her with a pipe. Of course, even if he didn't, it's made abundantly clear Tucker has his own dark side and committed statutory rape in the past.
The Ghost: He never appears onscreen until "Three Men and Adena", but he still plays a prominent role as Bayliss's chief suspect.
Karma Houdini: If he did kill Adena Watson, than he gets away completely scot-free, though he's not exactly what you'd call a free man. He also dodged a statutory rape charge filed against him that he's implied to have been genuinely guilty of.
Pædo Hunt: At the end of his interrogation, he breaks down and admits he was in love with Adena, having hired her simply so he could spend more time with her.
The Stoic: He's initially quiet and soft-spoken at the beginning of his interrogation. However, as the interrogation continues to wear down at him, he becomes increasingly angrier and more emotional.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: He delivers brutal ones to Pembleton and Bayliss, accusing the former of being a Category Traitor and a Boomerang Bigot and calling out the latter's darker nature and insecurities.
Tortured Monster: He's clearly tormented by his pedophilic feelings for Adena, though it's left ambiguous if they drove him to kill her or not.
Villainous Breakdown: At the end of his interrogation, Tucker has an emotional outburst and tearfully admits that he's a closet pedophile who was in love with Adena.

Pony Johnson

Aloysius "Pony" Johnson

Portrayed by: Geoffrey Ewing

A vicious drug dealer with a penchant for torturing his victims to death.

Arc Villain: He serves as the main villain for the second half of Season 1, so to speak. A lot of the drama comes from Howard and Felton's investigation into his crimes and Danvers' subsequent efforts to convict him.
Faux Affably Evil: He's remarkably friendly and even somewhat helpful to Howard and Felton, making himself come across as a Punch-Clock Villain, but he's cruel and his M.O. is to brutally torture anyone who crosses him to death.
Kick the Dog: It's implied he forced William Lyness to listen to Pony killing his mother to punish him for losing his drugs to her.
Put on a Prison Bus: He's convicted for murder and is last seen being escorted down the courthouse steps by a pair of bailiffs.
The Sociopath: He lacks any empathy whatsoever, and his reaction to Dr. Scheiner graphically describing how he tortured a woman to death is to simply adjust his crotch.

Tom Marans

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"I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic."

Portrayed by: Dean Winters

A man who murdered his girlfriend out of jealousy. He serves as a recurring villain throughout the series, occasionally popping up for the detectives to deal with.

Affably Evil: He's quite friendly to the detectives, even after being sent to prison.
Alas, Poor Villain: He's given a rather pitiful send-off at the end of "Hate Crime" where he vainly tries to insist to himself that he's a good person.
Crazy Jealous Guy: He murdered his girlfriend Erica because she insisted on keeping her ex-boyfriend's letters, in a desperate attempt to prevent her from leaving him.
Depraved Bisexual: Played with. He has relationships with both men and women, but his relationship with James Douglas is portrayed as genuine and having nothing to do with Tom's murderousness.
Even Evil Has Standards: After killing his girlfriend, he refused to murder her daughter even though she witnessed the crime. It's deconstructed, as he tries to use this to vainly insist that he's still a good person despite what he's done.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- He insists he loved Erica despite murdering her. He also genuinely loved her daughter, to the point of sparing her despite the fact she witnessed him murdering her mother. He later has Erica's name tattooed on him.
- He genuinely came to love James Douglas, and beats Trevor into a coma as retaliation for murdering him.
Had to Come to Prison to Be a Crook: Downplayed. He was already a murderer before being sent to prison, but while there he becomes much more cynical and vicious.
If I Can't Have You…: Tom murdered his ex-girlfriend because he believed she was going to leave him for her ex-boyfriend.
Took a Level in Jerkass: He's much more cold and menacing in "Prison Riot" after spending years in prison.

Annabella Wilgis

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Portrayed by: Lucinda Jenney

The white glove killer, a woman claiming to have dissociative identity disorder.

Ambiguous Situation: It's left unclear whether she's faking her dissociative identity disorder or not. It's implied she is to play for the public's sympathy, but it's never directly stated one way or the other and her monologue to Pembleton in her prison cell makes it clear something is definitely wrong with her.
Arc Villain: Of the white gloves murder arc.
Female Misogynist: When confronted by Pembleton, she admits she primarily targeted Catholic female activists because she feels women should Stay in the Kitchen, and that by doing so they were going against God's will.
Freudian Excuse: She claims on Matt Rhodes's show that she was abused throughout her childhood, which left her with dissociative identity disorder and drove her to kill. It's implied she's making it up to play for the public's sympathy and get a lighter sentence. However, her monologue to Pembleton reveals she was raised by a fundamentalist nutcase of a mother who raised her with to believe in a fanatical version of Catholicism.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: After hearing this, Pembleton laughs in her face and shuts her down.
Pembleton: You had no right to kill them, especially in God's name! Now I gotta believe, EVEN IF YOU WALK OUT OF HERE SCOT-FREE, GOD IS GONNA MAKE YOU PAY! One way or another.
Karma Houdini: If she didn't have a Split Personality, then she's implied to get off with a lighter sentence because of her ruse and is still totally unrepentant of her crimes. She also manages to get a hefty sum of money when the city government chooses to settle her lawsuit out of court.
Obfuscating Insanity: She may or may not be faking her split personalities. However, her final conversation with Pembleton shows she's definitely disturbed either way.
Serial Killer: She has a pattern of killing women who are generally Catholic activists, stripping them naked with the exception of cotton white gloves she puts on their hands.
Split Personality: She claims to have eight alternate personalities, including Mary Maud, an Irish nun, J.M.J., a seven-year old child, and Annabelle, a religious fanatic who committed the killings. It's implied she's faking it to avoid a harsher sentence, though it's ultimately left ambiguous.

Glenn Holton

Portrayed by: Steve Hofvendahl

A convicted pedophile and child rapist suspected of shooting Bolander, Munch, and Howard.

Freudian Excuse: His beloved father died when he was young, and his mother remarried to a man who abused him throughout his childhood.
Not Me This Time: While he is guilty of child murder, Holton is innocent of shooting Bolander, Felton, and Howard. However, he still gets arrested because a search of his apartment turned up evidence that proved his guilt in the aforementioned child murder.
Red Herring: He's the main suspect of the shooting, since they were serving Holton an arrest warrant at the time. However, during his interrogation, Pembleton realizes Holton is genuinely innocent.
Would Hurt a Child: Holton is a convicted child rapist, and the reason he was served an arrest warrant was because he was the primary suspect for murdering a young boy. Pembleton and Bayliss's search of his apartment turns up evidence that confirms his guilt.

Gordon Pratt

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"I know my rights. They were written for me on September 25th, 1789."

Portrayed by: Steve Buscemi

"So what's the game plan, fella? Did he give you the scheme on how to break me down?"

A disgruntled longshoreman and the actual shooter of Bolander, Felton, and Howard.

Angry White Man: He's a racist jackass who blames all his problems on affirmative action and the government being infiltrated by minorities. Giardello notes that he's just trying to find something to blame for how much of a loser he is.
Arc Villain: He serves as this for the latter half of Season 3. Although he only appears in one episode, Pratt's shooting of three detectives casts a pall over the rest of the season and the hunt to track him down is a major overarching plot.
Badass Bookworm: Subverted. Pratt is an avid reader and certainly tries to present himself as a badass, but he's clearly a pathetic figure and a loser. Pembleton even realizes Pratt's love of Greek literature isn't real, just him posturing as a genius.
Boom, Headshot!: He's shot in the head at point-blank range. It's never revealed who killed him, though it's heavily implied to be Munch.
Condescending Compassion: He believes that black people are inherently less intelligent than white people, but reassures Pembleton it's not his fault, just genetics. Pembleton isn't very amused, especially when Pratt claims that any exceptions to this proves the rule.
Cop Killer: An attempted variant. He gunned down Bolander, Howard, and Felton when they arrive to serve an arrest warrant to Holton and mistakenly knock on Pratt's door. He fully intended to kill them, and Bolander and Howard nearly die from it.
Damned by Faint Praise: Pratt snarks at Pembleton this way.
Pembleton: You don't like me very much, do you?
Pratt: I don't dislike you.
Deadpan Snarker: Gordon is very forthcoming with cutting remarks. It is Steve Buscemi, after all.
Dual Wielding: He dual wielded pistols before gunning down Bolander, Felton, and Howard.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He has two parents who love him, and he hides his criminal history from them.
Genre Savvy: For as much of a Know-Nothing Know-It-All as he is, he knows police procedure well enough to realize that Pembleton will try to break him down. He's also one of the only suspects to call for a lawyer when Pembleton actually manages to start getting to him.
Gun Nut: He owns a massive amount of guns, and even keeps a picture where he's posed like Lee Harvey Oswald.
Hate Sink: There is absolutely nothing likable about this guy. Pratt is an arrogant, pretentious racist who blames the government and minorities for his own failure to accomplish anything. He's absolutely pathetic, and Pembleton and Lewis barely restrain themselves from beating the crap out of him... which ends up making this an Invoked Trope because they take such delight in mocking him and pointing out his flaws that they fail to get anything useful out of the actual interrogation, forcing them to let him go.
Insane Troll Logic: He claims he visits a sleazy massage parlor every day because he needs to "indulge in the Dionysian to understand higher metaphysics." He also cites his various racist theories as fact while providing no evidence.
It's All About Me: Pratt's entire motivation is his feelings of entitlement and disenfranchisement. He's scapegoated minorities as a target who he can take his anger out on.
Karma Houdini Warranty: He manage to walk out of a police interrogation due to lack of evidence, in part because the detectives waste time insulting him rather than getting anything pertinent to the case. However, his victory doesn't last, as he is shot by an unseen police officer not long after.
Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Pratt presents all of his racist statements on minorities as scientifically-proven fact, and frequently talks about obscure facts that he always gets wrong. Pembleton points out he doesn't know anything about the Greek literature he claims to love, and is simply projecting his own ideals.
Meaningful Name: Prat is slang for a stupid or unpleasant person, and Gordon is one of the most unlikable antagonists in the series.
Never My Fault: He claims that the reason he was charged with assault was because he was "defending his constitutional right to bear arms."
Politically Incorrect Villain: He's a massive racist. He firmly believes that black people are lesser than white people in every way, and lectured Pembleton and Lewis at length about their apparent inferiority. His response to Frank proving he's not as smart as he claims is to call Frank the N word.
Psychological Projection: Pembleton points out Pratt's love of Plato and Greek literature is borne more form him projecting his racist ideals on it than any real love of it.
Small Name, Big Ego: Pratt is a pretentious man with delusions of genius in spite of him being a high school dropout who flunked math, and even keeps a copy of a manuscript of Plato's work in the original Greek. He frequently quotes it, only for Pembleton to have the manuscript brought in; Pratt is unable to read it, while Pembleton can.
Smug Snake: Pratt is unbearably smug and pretentious, but he's a moronic, pathetic loser who's nowhere near as smart as he thinks he is.
The Social Darwinist: He believes society is crumbling because the weak like "the women and the cripples" and other minorities are taking over the government, all of whom being groups the bigoted Pratt views as inferior.
Villainous Breakdown: Pembleton tries to induce this in Pratt to get him to confess. Pratt does have a breakdown when Pembleton proves to him that he's nowhere near as smart as he pretends to be, but it results in him calling for his lawyer instead.
You Are a Credit to Your Race: He tells Walker he has no problem with black people serving as police officers... because he believes that since black people commit the most crimes, black people should investigate them. Walker is not amused and shoots him a Death Glare.
Wicked Pretentious: Pratt clearly thinks of himself as a genius and condescends to everyone around him, acting as though he's an educated mastermind well-versed in Greek philosophy. In reality, he's a pathetic moron who has no clue what he's talking about, and Pembleton proves to Pratt that he isn't as smart as he thinks he is.

Alex Robey

Portrayed by: David Eigenberg

A spree killer and copycat of William Mariner.

Affably Evil: He's a genuinely friendly and dorky guy who's very nice to the detectives, but he's also a ruthless spree killer who killed countless people.
Attention Whore: His motivation was to finally get some attention after feeling like a nobody all his life.
Ax-Crazy: He's quite friendly on the surface albeit eccentric, but Alex killed multiple people in cold blood for the attention.
The Bus Came Back: After being arrested at the end of the "Sniper" two-parter, he returns in "Prison Riot".
Friendly Enemy: He takes a shine to Russert, who exploits this to get him to confess.
Friendly Sniper: He used a sniper rifle to kill multiple people, but he's still quite friendly and amicable to the detectives.
Jack the Ripoff: He took on William Mariner's method of murdering people, though Robey claims he thought it up first before Mariner started his killing spree.
Politically Incorrect Villain: In "Prison Riot", he goes off on a racist tangent about how white people are the minority in prison and accuses black people of being inhuman.
Villain of the Week: Of "Sniper, Pt. 2".

Trevor Douglas

Portrayed by: John Epps

A young man who murdered people and video-taped it.

Ax-Crazy: He murders an old woman in his first appearance For the Evulz, and later kills his own cousin for stealing his cigarettes. He also threatens to murder Kellerman when he interrogates him in "Prison Riot", despite being unarmed and Kellerman having a gun on him.
Disproportionate Retribution: In "Prison Riot", he murders James because he thought he stole his cigarettes.
Fate Worse than Death: Tom Marans beats him to a pulp for murdering James, resulting in Trevor going into a coma.
For the Evulz: In "Autofocus", he murders an elderly woman and has James record it for fun.
The Sociopath: He kills people for fun and later murders his cousin for stealing his cigarettes.
Villain of the Week: Of "Autofocus" along with James, and "Prison Riot".

James Douglas

Portrayed by: Tim McAdams

Trevor's cousin and accomplice.

Asshole Victim: He's murdered at the beginning of "Prison Riot" immediately after stabbing another man to death, but no one mourns him because of how sociopathic he was besides his boyfriend Tom.
Ax-Crazy: He videotaped Trevor's murders for no other reason than he thought it was fun. He also murders Claude Vetter in cold blood because he bumped into him.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He began a relationship with Tom Marans, and by all accounts genuinely loved him.
For the Evulz: He assisted in Trevor's murders because he found it fun.

Mitch Roland

Portrayed by: Stephen Leaner

A corrupt businessman accusing Kellerman of corruption.

Corrupt Corporate Executive: He had one of his employees commit arson so he could profit off the insurance fraud, and bribed everyone in Arson except Kellerman to look the other way.
Evil Is Petty: He accuses Kellerman of corruption for no other reason than to spite him for not taking Roland's bribe money, and gleefully taunts him about it.
Faux Affably Evil: Roland puts up a polite facade, but it's a transparent mask for how venal and petty he is.
Karma Houdini: Because of his plea deal, he gets a short prison sentence and no real consequences for his crimes.
Small Role, Big Impact: He only appears in person in two episodes for one scene each, and only has a single line in his second appearance. However, he plays an important part in Kellerman's downward spiral and his accusation that Kellerman was corrupt plays a major role throughout the fifth season.
Smug Snake: He gleefully taunts Kellerman about how he's ruining his reputation, and generally rubs his face in how Mitch is going to ruin him.

Ben Roh

Portrayed by: Stephen X. Lee

A deliveryman whose father was murdered by Luther Mahoney, Ben began using bombs to kill the people he blamed for Luther escaping justice.

Anti-Villain: He killed several people, but only because his father was murdered and the killers got away with it.
Big Bad Ensemble: He and Alan Schack serve as the main villains of "Valentine's Day", but they're totally unconnected to each other.
Disproportionate Retribution: While he did intend to kill the people directly responsible for his father's murder, the people he directly attempts to murder are only tenuously connected. He goes after the killer's defense attorney (who was only doing his job), the jury foreman (for being the one to declare him not guilty), Judge Andahl (for supporting the verdict), and Danvers (for losing the case).
Evil vs. Evil: Ironically subverted. He intended to go after Luther Mahoney last, but he's arrested before that can happen.
Face–Heel Turn: In his first appearance, he's merely the grieving son of the Victim of the Week. When he returns, he's a Mad Bomber responsible for several murders.
Freudian Excuse: His father was murdered on Luther Mahoney's orders for standing up to him, and both Luther and the hitman he employed to do it escaped scot-free. Ben's crimes are intended to target the people who he believes are responsible, no matter how tenuous the connection.
He Who Fights Monsters: His attempts to get revenge on Luther Mahoney turn him into just as much of a monster.
Honor Before Reason: The reason for his bombing spree is to preserve his father's honor.
Mad Bomber: He kills his victims via bombing.
Misplaced Retribution: Most of his victims are only guilty of letting the murderer go free by doing their jobs, and Judge Andahl and Danvers are only tenuously guilty go this. His third and final bomb also nearly kills Lewis and Dr. Cox, who were completely unconnected to it.
Tragic Villain: He turned to murder after his father's murderer went free.
Villain of the Week: Of "Valentine's Day", alongside Alan Schack.

Multi-Part Episode Criminals

Kenny Damon

Portrayed by: Wendell Jordan

A drug dealer who murdered Jake Rodzinski's father.

Asshole Victim: While Kellerman dutifully investigates his death and Giardello wants the killer found, no one's particularly upset he died, considering how much of a violent criminal he was.
Ax-Crazy: He's a violent man who tried to murder his girlfriend's Boyfriend-Blocking Dad, and strangled Jake's father to death to vent his frustration when he failed at that.
Villain of the Week: He's the overarching villain of the "Justice" two-parter, although Jake and Pez take over as the antagonists after they murder him.

Gerry Uba

Portrayed by: Geoffrey Nauffts

A murderer and school shooter who holds a classroom hostage.

Arch-Enemy: To Giardello. Gerry Uba's murders are the case Gee takes the most personally, especially since children were harmed, and he makes it a personal crusade to see Gerry convicted. Ironically, Gee is an Unknown Rival to Gerry, who only meets him once.
Ax-Crazy: He murders his own mother before going on a shooting spree in a school and killing several children and teachers.
Death Seeker: He admits to Bayliss he took the classroom hostage as part of an elaborate plan to commit suicide. He wanted his pig back so he could join Gerry in death, and he killed numerous people simply because he didn't want to die alone.
Driven to Suicide: His school shooting and hostage taking is an elaborate way to commit suicide. Gerry was traumatized by his father's suicide, so he's decided to not be "cowardly" and take several people with him.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- He deeply loves his pet pig Angie, and one of his only demands to the hostage negotiator is that his pig be returned to him. Even when Bayliss interrogates him, Gerry is more concerned with the pig than any of the people he killed.
- He claims he genuinely loved his mother, which is why he killed her, because he didn't want her to mourn him.
Faux Affably Evil: He's quite polite to Bayliss, but his blatant lack of remorse undercuts it quite a bit.
Freudian Excuse: His father committed suicide, something that traumatized Gerry and is implied to have led to his killing spree.
It's All About Me: All of his crimes are an elaborate attempt to commit suicide and prove he's better than his father. He has no regard for whoever he hurts along the way, viewing his murders as a sign of his strength.
Kill It with Fire: He attempts suicide by lighting himself on fire, although it fails and he survives.
Villain of the Week: Of the "Hostage" two-parter.
Would Hurt a Child: He shoots a child while invading a school, and later shoots another child when the police are unable to return his pet pig. She later dies in surgery as a result of her wounds.

One-Shot Criminals

Victor Helms

Victor Helms, Sr.

Portrayed by: Bruno Kirby

An ex-con obsessed with getting revenge against Pembleton for putting him in jail.

Abusive Parents: It's implied he was this, given how his son wants nothing to do with him and Victor casually blames him for his wife's suicide.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Victor wasn't exactly the best husband or father, even cheating on his wife, but he clearly cares about his wife and son. He still misses his wife after she committed suicide and he at least attempts to reconnect with his son, even if he doesn't want anything to do with Victor for understandable reasons.
Jerkass: Victor is an unpleasant man. He's cruel, short-tempered, ungrateful, and refuses to take responsibility for his own actions.
Never My Fault: He blames Pembleton for his imprisonment, which ruined Victor's life. However, it only happened because he installed a gas heater which he both knew was faulty and had no idea how to install, which killed an entire family; Victor still insists that he shouldn't be held responsible for the accident.
Stalker without a Crush: Victor stalks Pembleton around town to gather information on him, and attempts to mess with him by tampering with a crime scene he was investigating, harassing Mary, and repeatedly breaking into his house and turning on the gas heaters.
Villain of the Week: Of "The Gas Man".
What You Are in the Dark: When he has Pembleton at his mercy and is about to slit his throat, Victor finds himself unable to do it and collapses into tears.

Danny Newton

Portrayed by: Richard Edson

Victor's best friend, who reluctantly assists him in his attempts to kill Pembleton.

Anti-Villain: Danny isn't a bad guy, and only goes along with Victor's schemes out of loyalty to his friend. He eventually abandons Victor's efforts entirely and refuses to help him after coming to respect Pembleton.
Hidden Depths: He's mostly carefree and jokey, but he mentions that he served in the army at one point.
Nice Guy: Danny is a friendly, amiable man whose only real flaw is his loyalty to Victor.
Undying Loyalty: To Victor. He helps him with his plan even though Danny is clearly reluctant and even when he decides to call it quits out of moral reasons, he still promises Victor that he'll still be there for him when he gets out of jail again.
Villain of the Week: Of "The Gas Man".

Drak Fortunado

Alonzo "Drak" Fortunado

Portrayed by: Kevin Thigpen

A drug dealer and a rival of Luther Mahoney's.

Affably Evil: He's friendly if somewhat brusque with the detectives, and proves to have a sense of honor.
Alas, Poor Villain: His death is treated quite tragically, and Kellerman and to a lesser degree Lewis mourn his death.
Anti-Villain: He's done some bad things, but he has a moral code and is much more scrupulous than his rival Luther. Lewis also points out that given where he comes from, Drak didn't have many options besides becoming a drug dealer.
Boom, Headshot!: Luther's men kill him by shooting him in the head.
Driven to Villainy: When Kellerman is a little too judgmental of Drak, Lewis points out that in the projects Drak came from, there weren't many options besides becoming a drug dealer and that he didn't have much of a choice in becoming one.
Noble Demon: He has his own sense of honor and morals despite being a criminal.
Not Me This Time: The police initially suspect him of murdering a family who dealt drugs on the side, but it turns out to have been Luther Mahoney trying to frame Drak to get him out of the way.
Shadow Archetype: It's implied Lewis easily could have become like him if he hadn't become a cop. They're even revealed to be from the same projects.
A Shared Suffering: Lewis and Drak find out they both not only grew up in the same projects, but they also went to the same high school (albeit eight years apart), and they both had the same tough teacher.
Verbal Backspace: When Lewis mentions he walked out of the projects in his own shoes, Drak says, "Maybe you should walk back." When Lewis, upset, asks what he means, Drak backtracks and says he meant the kids from there would like to see Lewis as an example of The One Who Made It Out.

Rose Halligan

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Portrayed by: Lily Tomlin

A fugitive Lewis and Kellerman are assigned to escort back to Baltimore.

Affably Evil: She's a cheerful and friendly woman who quickly bonds with Lewis and Kellerman. Unfortunately, she proves so charming and affable that the two forget she's also a dangerous murderer, allowing her to escape.
Friendly Enemy: She sincerely likes Kellerman and Lewis, despite exploiting their trust in her to escape.
Motor Mouth: She talks a mile a minute, quickly exasperating Lewis and Kellerman.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: She's a cheerful Motor Mouth with a comical personality, causing Lewis and Kellerman to let their guard down around her. She exploits this to scape, and murders another woman before being recaptured.
Villain of the Week: Of "The Hat".

Carver Dooley

Portrayed by: Chris Rock

A moronic pedophile suspected of raping and murdering a young girl.

Bad Liar: He unconvincingly tries to argue that the knife he used to murder a girl he raped isn't his, and then insists it belongs to a clearly made-up "friend" of his.
The Ditz: He's an utter moron and a Bad Liar who makes it transparent that he's guilty.
Faux Affably Evil: He's quite funny and seems rather hapless, but he's a remorseless child molester and murderer.
Laughably Evil: Carver is quite stupid, making him rather amusing despite the horrific nature of his crime.
Stupid Evil: He's very stupid, allowing Pembleton to easily get a confession out of him.
Villain of the Week: Of "Requiem for Adena".

William Mariner

Portrayed by: Andrew Parks

A sniper and spree killer.

Ax-Crazy: He's mentally ill and seems barely aware of his surroundings, yet killed multiple people.
Driven to Suicide: He ultimately shoots himself with his own rifle rather than be arrested by the police.
Villain of the Week: For "Sniper, Pt. 1."

Richard Laumer

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Portrayed by: Terry Kinney

A cartographer for the NSA suspected of murdering his biological father.

Affably Evil: He's very friendly to Pembleton and Bayliss despite being a murderer. It stems at least partially from knowing his connections will prevent him from being arrested, but it's still quite sincere.
Friendly Enemy: He's quite amicable with Pembleton and Bayliss and tries to bond with them. The two of them have none of it, despising him for escaping justice with his connections.
Karma Houdini: Ultimately, he gets another man to confess in his place and he claims his father's trust fund with no consequences.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: He claims to have killed his biological father for having an affair with his mother that haunted his adoptive father. However, it's eventually revealed he did it so he could inherit the man's trust fund.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: He escapes justice because he's too valuable to the NSA, so his superiors have another man confess in his place.
Villain of the Week: For "Map of the Heart".

Elijah Sanborn

Portrayed by: Charles S. Dutton

"I'm here forever, Detective. Forever!"

A prisoner who witnesses a murder during a prison riot investigated by Bayliss.

Actor Allusion: Charles S. Dutton was a prisoner in real life before becoming an actor.
Anti-Villain: Elijah poses an obstacle to Bayliss's investigation, but calling him a villain is a stretch. He's just suicidal from years of prison and his estrangement from his family. Even Bayliss has sympathy for him.
Bald of Evil: Downplayed. He's a murderer and bald, but he's a sympathetic character who isn't particularly evil and simply serves as an obstacle to Bayliss's investigation.
Boxed Crook: Bayliss tries to tempt him to confess who committed the murder by offering his son a lighter sentence after he's arrested for robbery. Elijah instead lies that he committed the murder so he'll get the death penalty.
Death Seeker: He confesses to murder so he'll be put on death row. After so many years in prison and of estrangement from his loved ones, Elijah just wants to die.
Earn Your Happy Ending: Or rather, Earn Your Bittersweet Ending, but Elijah gets one of the happiest endings for a one-shot character on the series. While he's still in prison, he reconciles with his daughter and the two are last seen happily smiling at each other.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Elijah isn't evil, although he is a murderer. However, one of his most sympathetic attributes is his sincere love for his family. However, his relationship with them is strained at best; his daughter hates him and his son has never met him.
Get Out!: After being fed up with his son's attitude and self-destructive embrace of being a criminal, Elijah demands he get out of his cell.
I Have No Son!: After his son proves to be a ne'er-do-well who has no remorse for his crime and is set in his self-destructive ways, Elijah demands he get out of his cell and insists he never wants to see him again.
Sympathetic Murderer: He's in prison for murdering the drug dealer who shot his wife in a drive-by shooting.
What the Hell, Hero?: When he learns Bayliss is using his son to force him to reveal the murderer, Elijah snaps and calls him out on it.

McPhee Broadman

McPhee "Cheeks" Broadman

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"I happen to know I'm better than most."

Portrayed by: Elijah Wood

Judge Andahl's sociopathic teenage son.

Ax-Crazy: McPhee hides it well, but he's deeply unhinged. He set a horse barn on fire in his youth, firebombed a teacher's car, and abused numerous students into downright worshipping him with cult-like devotion. It's eventually revealed he even intended to murder his own mother.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: After confessing to having murdered Marshall Buchanan because he refused to help kill McPhee's mother, he sneers that Marshall was always too moral for his tastes.
Fatal Flaw: His ego and Technophobia ultimately ends up being his undoing. He fails to consider Marshall's computer had back-ups, giving Lewis and Bayliss crucial evidence. And when Lewis starts playing to his ego, McPhee quickly confesses.
Faux Affably Evil: He puts up a polite and well-mannered front, but it's clearly a mask for how monstrous he really is.
Genius Bruiser: He's smart, albeit nowhere near as much as he thinks he is, and he's a black belt in karate. One of the witnesses Bayliss and Lewis talk to says that McPhee punched him hard enough to give him a black eye in a fit of rage.
Hate Sink: He's notable for being one of the few criminals in the series to have nothing entertaining or likable about them. He's just a smug, racist Spoiled Brat who thinks he's better than everyone else.
Just Between You and Me: Lewis exploits McPhee's ego by pretending to be awed by how he outmaneuvered him and Bayliss, and lets McPhee dig his own hole as he gives Lewis enough information to prove his guilt.
Manipulative Bastard: He convinced several younger boys that he was abusing them to make them stronger, and used it to mold them into his willing slaves.
Politically Incorrect Villain: He murdered a black student for not "knowing his place", and compliments Lewis for knowing his when he acts submissive to Broadman.
Privilege Makes You Evil: He comes from a wealthy background and he's had all his crimes swept under the rug thanks to his mother's influence. The result is that he's a sociopathic monster and one of the evilest criminals in the series.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: He's escaped prosecution for his past crimes because of Judge Andahl's connections.
Self-Made Orphan: He wanted to murder his own mother for unknown reasons.
Smug Snake: He's well-versed in the law thanks to his mother, and he's deeply smug and thinks he's untouchable. Ironically, Lewis and Bayliss are able to get him to confess fairly easily.
The Sociopath: He's outwardly charming, but has no empathy for anyone around him and is prone to impulsively hurting or even trying to kill people for no reason. He even tries to murder his own mother.
Spoiled Brat: He's been given every possible advantage and he's had everything handed to him. McPhee has a deep sense of entitlement as a result, and is one of the most obnoxious suspects the detectives have to deal with.
Teens Are Monsters: He's only a teenager, but he's a murderous sociopath who killed another teenager and has a laundry list of crimes under his belt.
Technophobia: McPhee detests computers and arrogantly refuses to learn anything about them. This ends up as the root cause of his defeat, when he got his minions to erase Buchanan's hard drive without considering the possibility that there were back-ups.
Villain of the Week: For "The True Test".
Would Hurt a Child: He's nearly college-aged, and murdered a much younger teenager for refusing to murder McPhee's mother for him.

Alex Clifton

Lt. Commander Alex Clifton

Portrayed by: Michael Gaston

A Naval officer Bayliss suspects of killing his own family.

Ax-Crazy: He murdered his own family just because he couldn't handle change in his life.
Control Freak: He killed his ex-wife essentially out of outrage when she suggested that they get back together, disrupting his life further when he'd only just adjusted to their divorce. Bayliss and Pembleton take advantage of this to enrage him during the interrogation by messing with his attempts to keep his uniform jacket carefully folded.
Disproportionate Retribution: He understandably was upset when his ex-wife wanted to get back together after he'd just adjusted to being divorced. However, he immediately takes it overboard by murdering his entire family out of spite.
Extreme Doormat: He's so repressed he's described as almost emotionless, and his wife left him because he never fought with her. However, this only lasts until his sense of control is messed with. He's quite calm and accepting when Pembleton and Bayliss interrogate him until they start messing with his jacket, and he killed his family in a fit of rage because his ex-wife wanted to get back together.
Family Annihilator: He murdered his ex-wife and his two young sons. Pembleton in particular is unable to comprehend why anyone would murder their own children.
Mercy Kill: Pembleton, unable to understand why someone would kill their own children, asks if he had shot them as a mercy kill. Clifton shoots this down, but declines to answer why he did kill them.
Riddle for the Ages: It's never revealed why he killed his children, and Pembleton is so disgusted by him he doesn't bother to ask him.

Julius Cummings

Portrayed by: R. Emery Bright

An armed robber killed shot Ed Danver's fiancé.

Arch-Enemy: To Danvers.
Ax-Crazy: Downplayed. He's mostly stable in demeanor, but he killed Danvers' fiancé because he was angry Ed didn't give him his wallet.
Bald of Evil: He's bald and a vicious armed robber.
Beard of Evil: He sports a goatee and he's a ruthless murderer.
Driven to Suicide: After Danvers threatens him in his cell, Cummings commits suicide by hanging himself. Ironically, there wasn't enough evidence to convict him.

Bennett Jackson

Portrayed by: Melvin Van Peebles

A murderous undertaker.

Affably Evil: He's friendly and cooperative with Bayliss and Pembleton, and is apparently a great boss to work for.
Beard of Evil: He sports a bushy beard and is a possibly necrophiliac murderer.
Creepy Mortician: He's a mortician who steals the corpses he tends to to keep him company. He murders his neighbors for trying to report it to the police for disturbing his privacy.
Evil Old Folks: He's an elderly man and a deeply disturbed murderer.
I Love the Dead: It's heavily implied and speculated by Bayliss and Pembleton that he was having sex with the corpses he stole.
Villain of the Week: Of "The Documentary".
Villains Never Lie: He never actually lies to Bayliss and Pembleton. He immediately admits to murdering his neighbors, and while he doesn't tell them about his grave-robbing, he makes no attempt to deny it once they confront him about it.

Alan Schack

Portrayed by: Neil Patrick Harris

A drug dealer who attends Brodie's college.

Bad Boss: When one of the drug dealers working for him started using too much of Alan's products, Alan forced his underling to play Russian Roulette with him. However, Alan rigged the game so that the gun was loaded, resulting in it killing the underling while framing the death as a suicide.
Big Bad Ensemble: Of "Valentine's Day", alongside Ben Row. They're both the villains the detectives have to take down, but they're completely unrelated to each other.
Faux Affably Evil: He tries to come off as polite, but he's so transparently slimy and repulsive that it doesn't work.
Jerkass: He's quite rude, sleazy, and openly misogynistic. Howard even comments that even if he isn't guilty, he's still a jerk.
Kick the Dog: He establishes his credentials as one of the nastier Villains of the Week on the series by attacking Brodie with a pipe and beating him with it, causing him to be hospitalized.
Smug Snake: He's quite smug and very sure the detectives can't prove his guilt. He very quickly crumbles once they show him they have video evidence of his drug dealing.
Spoiled Brat: He's implied to be this, given his comment he affords his house because of "very generous parents".
Villain of the Week: Of "Valentine's Day", alongside Ben Row.
You Have Failed Me: He murders one of his drug dealers for using too much of his own supply and negatively impacting Alan's profits.

David Tarnofiski

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20240127_234643.png

Portrayed by: Steve Burns

A bullied teenager who murdered his primary tormentor.

Alas, Poor Villain: Neither Munch nor Gharty take any satisfaction from his confession, realizing he is not a cold-blooded killer but a child who has been pushed to the limit.
Because You Were Nice to Me: Part of what makes David confess his crime is that the investigators were friendly to him, which he thanks them for before answering where the weapon of the crime is.
Broken Bird: David is a genuinely friendly, geeky kid. Unfortunately, being bullied and sexually assaulted while receiving no help from the authorities caused the poor boy to snap and murder his bully.
Bullied into Depression: David is depressed to the point of suffering suicidal ideation from the bullying he suffered, even saying at one point that maybe he should have shot himself with his father's gun.
Challenging the Bully: David's initial objective was to confront his main tormentor, Mark McCarren, but not to kill him. McCarren decided to provoke him and David snapped, and killed him.
David Versus Goliath: His victim and primary bully Mark McCarren was quite muscular and strong, and his torment of David was overlooked by the school administration. David on the other hand was a skinny geek who couldn't really fight back against Mark physically or his school's incompetence and negligence. Unfortunately for Mark, David found a third way when he found his father's gun and killed him with it.
Defiant to the End A non-lethal variation. David makes it clear to the detectives with a proud smile on his face that he in no way regrets what he did, even though they make it clear that there is no way back from that point.
David: I ain't sorry about a damn thing.
Does Not Like Spam: David doesn't like sports, with the implied reason being his school's fixation with sports and the fact that he was picked on by the athletes there.
The Dog Bites Back: He killed Mark McCarren after being Bullied into Depression for months while being neglected by adults at school.
Dissonant Serenity: He talks about killing his abuser with the same serenity that someone would talk about the weather, even getting into random conversations that have nothing to do with the subject.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Or rather, their papa in his case. Calling him a bad guy is an exaggeration, but David is a killer who doesn't feel guilty about killing someone and who maintains a proud smile the entire time. The only thing that disturbs him is the detectives mentioning his father, whose involvement in his problems seems to be his only concern.
Friendless Background: David mentions that he had no friends, as no one wanted to hang out with someone who was bullied by the most influential and powerful person in school.
Friendly Enemy: He gets along very well with Munch and is very cooperative with the case, even though it clearly won't end well for him if Munch gets him to admit it.
Graceful Loser: David is quite cooperative and is the only person in that school who is 100% honest with the detectives. When he finally confesses, he smiles and thanks them for being kind to him.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In a move to make fans of another Steve Burns role uncomfortable, David interacts directly with the camera in the same way Steve would when interacting with “his friends”.
Meaningful Name: Perhaps accidental, but the culprit in the school case is not the first David to kill a "giant" considered untouchable. His surname, Tarnofski, being of Jewish origin does not help.
Mellow Fellow: David behaves disturbingly calm during interrogation. Even though he is confessing to killing someone, his reaction to Munch saying his life would change? Smile and say he has zero regrets.
Nice Guy: Ironically, he's one of the most genuinely collaborative people in the episode, which only makes his ending more painful, not just for those watching but also for Munch and Gharty.
"Not So Different" Remark: When Munch is interrogating him, David gives details on how McCarren bullied him, and asks Munch if he knows what that's like. Munch, a victim of bullying himself, says quietly, "Yeah, I know what that's like".
Perpetual Smiler: David maintains a calm smile during the interrogation. He tries to temporarily stop smiling during the confession, trying to feel guilty, but immediately returns to the same cheerful tone as usual.
Pants-Pulling Prank: Played for Drama. The trigger that leads to McCarren's death is a painfully realistic example of the trope, when he stripped David naked without his consent (which counts as sexual assault) and threw him into the women's locker room exposed for all to see. The aftermath ends with a traumatized David running home and taking his father's gun to kill him.
Saw It in a Movie Once: David seems to believe that there is someone watching the interrogation from behind glass as he has seen it happen on crime TV shows, which Munch confirms is not happening in that way.
School Bullying Is Harmless: No. David makes it clear how the bullying has mentally destroyed him to the point that the interrogation room where he is admitting to having killed someone is where he feels safest.
Speak Ill of the Dead: David is the most open person to insult McCarren after he is dead, while the others force themselves to say good things about him. Considering McCarren's abuse of him, it's hard not to agree with him.
Sympathetic Murderer: He’s a kind and cooperative guy, but was driven to murder after being bullied and sexually assaulted. When this is revealed, neither Munch nor Gharty can blame him for getting to that point.
Villain of the Week: Of "Full-Court Press".

Characters / Homicide Life On The Street Criminals

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