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| “ | Guess what? You're never gonna catch him 'cause I taught him everything I know. Everything. And that is enough to keep him always just out of your reach... | „ |
| ~ Roberta about her son (and fellow serial killer) Everett. |
Roberta Lynch is the overarching antagonist of the Criminal Minds episode "Chameleon", as well as of the show's 15th and final season. She is an incarcerated con artist and "Black Widow" serial killer who seduced and murdered several men for their money, and who warped her son Everett into becoming a serial killer as well.
She was portrayed by Sharon Lawrence, who also portrayed Linda Fusco in Monk and Maggie Peterson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Overview[]
Roberta is a narcissistic psychopath who preys on lonely, vulnerable men - marrying them for their money and then killing them once they have outlived their usefulness. She has a son, Everett, whom she teaches to con and murder people. Eventually, however, she is arrested for fraud and the murder of her boyfriend, and imprisoned for life.
As an adult, Everett uses his daughter Grace - Roberta's granddaughter - in his crimes, including several murders. The Behavioral Analysis Unit team interviews her in order to get insight into her son's mind, but she laughs at them, claiming that they will never catch him because she "taught him all he knows". Roberta is eventually transferred to a federal prison in return for information about Everett. When Special Supervisory Agent David Rossi tells her that Everett has killed Grace, the usually unflappable Roberta is devastated, bursting into tears.
Roberta arrives at the BAU and is interrogated by Agents Tara Lewis and Jennifer Jareau, with her lawyer present with her. Roberta says she wants to help, but they know the only reason she wants to is to exact revenge against Everett for killing Grace. Nevertheless, she is granted parole in return for her testimony, and is released from prison.
Roberta makes her way to Reno and manages to get in contact with Delvin Weaver, her ex-husband and Everett's father; after finding out where to find Everett, she shoots Delvin dead. Walking in with a gun, Roberta finds Everett at the house in which she spent her teenage years. Everett takes a very much alive Grace hostage and forces Roberta to take her to the basement, where he shows Olivia the cremated remains of one of his victims. After the BAU and SWAT arrive outside, Agent Spencer Reid starts speaking to Roberta on the phone. Through his guidance, Roberta convinces Everett let Grace go, but he also fires a warning shot at Reid.
Alone together in the basement, Roberta holds her son at gunpoint, intending to kill him and then herself. Everett knocks her unconscious and takes her gun, which he uses to set off an explosion before escaping through secret tunnels. The SWAT team and Reid move in once Rossi tells them about Roberta's intentions. However, the entire house explodes, killing Roberta and six SWAT agents.
Trivia[]
- Roberta is inspired by multiple real-life criminals:
- Betty Neumar, a.k.a. "The Black Widow Granny", a serial killer of her husbands for their life insurance policies.
- Sante Kimes, a.k.a. "The Dragon Lady", a serial killer and con artist, including with romance scams, assisted by her son Kenneth, Jr., who testified against her.
- Aileen Wuornos, a.k.a. "The Florida Highway Killer", a serial killer of men she robbed while she worked as a prostitute, abetted by her live-in girlfriend and having a son as a product of rape.
- Belle Gunness, a Norwegian-American serial killer of men she scammed, presumed to have died in a house fire with her family, in spite of believes she faked her death and fled.
External links[]
- Roberta Lynch on the Criminal Minds Wiki
