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| “ | God put me on this Earth to break Satan's grip on the lives of these young girls! | „ |
| ~ Skags justifying his murders. |
Billy Skags is the main antagonist of the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Savior". He is a fanatically religious serial killer who targets prostitutes, believing that he is saving their souls by sending them to Heaven to "meet their Father".
He was portrayed by Lee Tergesen, who also portrayed Joe Owens in The Purge, Chet Donnelly in the TV series Weird Science, Dale Schrader in Criminal Minds, Richard Beck in Chicago P.D., and Tobias Beecher in Oz.
Overview[]
Skags is a Christian religious fanatic who believes that God put him on Earth to save "fallen women" such as prostitutes. Over time, he comes to believe that he has been chosen by God to kill prostitutes in order to rescue them from lives of pain and misery and send them to Heaven, where they can "meet their Father".
He makes his living as a minister, preaching an apocalyptic, "fire and brimstone" reading of fundamentalist Christianity.
In "Savior"[]
Skags begins his reign of terror by attacking prostitute Gladys Dalton and trying to kill her, but she gets away. His next victim, Maggie Ortiz, is not so lucky; he overpowers and strangles her. He leaves a homemade prayer card with the image of Zadkiel, the archangel of mercy, by her body.
Soon afterward, he attacks and murders another prostitute, Abby Mannion, in the same manner, leaving another prayer card by her body. After briefly suspecting one of Mannion's clients, Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit question Spud, another prostitute working for her pimp, who gives them a sketch of the man who attacked her and killed Mannion, as well as the make and model of his car.
A report of an assault being committed by a man fitting the suspect's description sends Benson and Stabler to the scene, where Skags is attacking Spud. They arrest him, but he claims that he was trying to save her soul and get her to quit prostitution. When Stabler shows him pictures of his victims, he denies killing them, but says that they are better off dead and that "the killer" did them a favor. Stabler, a devout Catholic, appeals to Skags' faith by praying with him and asking God to forgive his sins, which ultimately persuades Skags to confess to the murders.
During Skags' trial, Benson tries to get Dalton to testify against him, but she refuses out of fear that her pimp will kill her. Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot charges her with prostitution to compel her to testify. Dalton, who was forced into prostitution at age 12, tells the jury about the years of abuse she has suffered at the hands of men like Skags, and then tells them what Skags himself did to her. Skags flies into a rage and attacks Dalton, who is pregnant, causing her to go into premature labor; the baby later dies. Skags, meanwhile, is found guilty of murder and attempted murder, and imprisoned for life.
Trivia[]
- Skags' crimes are inspired by the Bra murders, where the strangulation killings of sex workers were attributed to a preacher who left a playing card in the vicinity of each victim.
External links[]
- Billy Skags on the Law & Order Wiki
