10. The Trinity Killer Was Based On A Real-Life Serial Killer
Whilst Dexter Morgan himself has more fictional than real-life precedents, there are some elements of non-fiction that wormed their way into the show over the years. Chief among them was the inspiration for John Lithgow's creepy Trinity Killer from the fourth season, a regular suburban dad nobody suspected of being a terrifying serial killer. The shows writers have admitted that Arthur Mitchell was actually heavily inspired by Dennis Rader, better known as the BTK Killer. The notorious American murderer had a lot of similarities with Lithgow's character, not least of all his seemingly innocent nature. Both were also active in the church, their religious obsessions both covering up and inspiring their murders. Each serial killer had a routine they followed in their acts as well, with the Trinity Killer's ritualistic binding, torturing and then killing being very much in line with the modus operandi of the BTK Killer.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
