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.
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/
