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| “ | You took my money, and you hoarded my servers for your little crusade, and none of that is free. Even those women knew that. | „ |
| ~ Nichols threatening Shane Wyeth. |
John Nichols is the main antagonist of the Criminal Minds episode "The Black Queen". He is a computer hacker, thief, and serial killer who begins killing again after a long hiatus in order to prevent the execution of his former partner-in-crime Sam Russell.
He is portrayed by Jeffrey Combs, who also portrayed Herbert West in the Re-Animator film series, The Scarecrow and Doctor Moon in the DC Animated Universe, Brainiac in Injustice 2, Weyoun and Brunt in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Shran in Star Trek: Enterprise, Kite Man in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Dr. Vannacutt in House on Haunted Hill, Milton Dammers in The Frighteners, Dr. Vannacutt in the House on the Haunted Hill duology, Shran in Star Trek: Enterprise, Gyrus Krinkle in Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, Shepard Lambrick in Would You Rather, Crawford Tillinghast in From Beyond, and the Rat King in the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series,
Early life[]
Nichols is a serial killer who, along with his partner-in-crime Sam Russell, raped and murdered several prostitutes. The pair were also first-class computer hackers who excelled at breaking into the computer systems of major corporations and robbing them blind. Nichols was the "silent partner" of the two; no one but Russell knew of his involvement. When Russell was finally caught, he was sentenced to death. Nichols convinced him to take all the blame for the murders in return for drugs and prayer beads filled with their victims' hair so he could relive the experience of killing them, along with a promise to eventually get him out of prison.
Nichols stopped killing for 10 years, until Russell's execution date neared. He then started killing again in order to create reasonable doubt of Russell's guilt. He also allied himself with an anarchist hacker group called "Star Chamber" that electronically stole from major corporations, and protested Russell's execution, claiming that he was innocent. Nichols had nothing but contempt for Star Chamber's idealism, but got involved with them in order to free Russell, Nevertheless, Nichols became a fierce rival of the group's leader, Shane Wyeth, resenting him for giving the money they stole to charity rather than giving him what he felt was his share.
In "Black Queen"[]
Nichols kills two prostitutes, strangling one and stabbing another according to his and Russell's respective killing signatures, in order to cast doubt on Russell's guilt two weeks before his scheduled execution. He then leads Star Chamber in hacking into the U.S. Department of Justice's website and leaving a message that Russell is innocent, and that his victims "died in vein". Penelope Garcia, technical analyst for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) and a former member of Star Chamber, agrees to infiltrate the group in order to find out if they are behind the murders.
Meanwhile, Nichols strangles and stabs another prostitute to death. He then learns from Wyeth that the BAU has profiled the killer as a member of Star Chamber, and Nichols figures out that he has been talking to Garcia, his former lover and protégé. He drugs Wyeth with Oxycodone, preparing to administer a lethal dose. Just then, however, the BAU rushes in, having found out Nichols' identity from data Wyeth gave to her, as well as the records of an online purchase of Oxycodone that Nichols made in Wyeth's name. They revive Wyeth and arrest Nichols, who is then presumably sentenced to death.
Trivia[]
- Nichols is inspired by multiple real-life criminals:
- Lonnie David Franklin, Jr., a.k.a. "The Grim Sleeper", an executed, formerly dormant serial murderer/rapist of black women in prostitution in Los Angeles, who was arrested once resurfacing; Franklin, Jr. was known for leaving murdered women in alleys filled with trash.
- Andre Crawford, one of the "Southside Stranglers", a serial rapist/murderer briefly suspected of solely being behind the murders of another "Southside Strangler", Hubert Geralds (the inspiration for Russell), due to similar M.O.s while murdering women in prostitution, before their different crimes each was responsible for were identified.
- Alvin Johnson, a serial killer with confirmstion to have conspired in at least one murder with serial killer Wilbur Lee Jennings.
- Jack Unterweger, a.k.a. "The Austrian Ripper", a serial killer of women, mostly women in sex work, previously assumed to have been more than one murderer, due to changing M.O.s of strangulation and stabbing.
- Veronica Compton, an accomplice of one of the "Hillside Stranglers", serial killer/rapist Kenneth Bianchi, attempting to commit a copycat murder in the interest of the releases of him and his cousin and the other serial killer/rapist, Angelo Buono, Jr..
External link[]
- John Nichols at the Criminal Minds Wiki
