It apparently goes both ways, sadly. It seems inevitable that at some point, a popular series with a sympathetic serial killer as the main character would be blamed for inspiring copycat crimes in real life. In Dexter's case, there were two high-profile murder cases whose perpetrators were said to be following in the character's footsteps. Aspiring filmmaker Mark Twitchell apparently adopted the persona of Dexter, idolising the character and even starting a fake Facebook account under the character's name. He was found guilty of the planned and deliberate murder of 38-year-old Johnny Altinger, after posting a status stating Dexter is patiently waiting for his next victi... uh, play date buddy. Turns out he really did inhabit the character's mind to a degree. Meanwhile, young Andrew Conley said the show inspired him to strangle his 10-year-old brother, the court report saying he watches a show called Dexter on Showtime, about a serial killer, and he stated, 'I feel just like him.'. Conley actually placed a plastic bag over his brother's head after killing him, just like Dexter does.