The identity of the New York Ripper is one of the biggest mysteries of Dexter: Resurrection, and his name is finally revealed in the season finale. The New York Ripper is a notorious serial killer who claimed many lives in the streets of New York until he suddenly stopped killing. His case remains unsolved, and it has long been an obsession of Detective Claudette Wallace, one major new character introduced in the first season of Dexter: Resurrection.
The series gives many indications that the New York Ripper will be Dexter’s next big villain. Little is known about him besides his modus operandi. Over the course of the TV show’s first season, many theories circulated about the true identity of the New York Ripper, implying that he could be a character the audience is already familiar with. The final episode of Dexter: Resurrection offers more clues about the New York Ripper’s name, but also raises new questions.
Who Is the New York Ripper in Dexter: Resurrection?
Claudette and Melvin talk to Harrison in Dexter: Resurrection.
Paramount+ with Showtime
There are several mentions of the New York Ripper in Dexter: Resurrection, but the clues about his true identity are scarce. He is the target of Detective Claudette’s obsession, who’s haunted by the unsolvable nature of the case for years. Although the series never shows the killer, it delves into some details of the case. It’s been five years since the Ripper last claimed a life, but he still actively torments the loved ones of people he killed, sending them distressing messages with details of his killings.
According to Claudette’s investigation, the New York Ripper only operated in Manhattan. His killing method is among the most cruel ever depicted in Dexter. All of his victims were found with multiple sharp-force and avulsion injuries. The Ripper seems to target only young women and is believed to be a Caucasian man in his mid-thirties to forties. The only source of speculative evidence about his profile comes from the menacing recordings he sends to relatives and friends of his victims.
The New York Ripper claimed at least twenty-two lives before going into inactivity, some of his first killings taking place over thirty years before the events of Dexter: Resurrection. Leon Prater has a spot dedicated to the New York Ripper in his trophy room, suggesting that he might have been a guest of Prater’s serial killer circle in the past. One of the Ripper’s murder weapons sits among Prater’s true-crime memorabilia: a bloody manhole cover hook. Prater probably knew more about the New York Ripper than the NYPD could ever find out, but Dexter killed him before he could reveal the Ripper’s secrets. Charley and Al, aka Rapunzel Killer, are two other possible characters who might have met the Ripper in the past.
Aware of Claudette’s obsession with the New York Ripper case, Dexter leaves Prater’s file about him for her to find. Although the full contents of the file will only be revealed in Season 2 of Dexter: Resurrection, a crucial piece of information about the New York Ripper is finally revealed: his name of Don Framt. This shocking reveal proves many fan theories wrong, as the New York Ripper is apparently a character Dexter fans have never seen before.
Is Don Framt the New York Ripper’s Real Name?
Dexter and Prater sit on a bench and talk in Dexter: Resurrection
Image via Showtime
With so many mentions of the unseen New York Ripper in Dexter: Resurrection, fans came up with their own theories about the killer’s identity. Many believed the New York Ripper could be someone from Dexter’s past, or a seemingly harmless character introduced in the sequel series. It’s understandable that many fans were disappointed with the anticlimactic Don Framt reveal at the end of Dexter: Resurrection. The Ripper’s true identity is unceremoniously revealed in the form of a name in a file. No glorious entrance, no sneak peek, not a glimpse at what his face might look like. The New York Ripper mystery enters a new phase, and fans have until Season 2 to come up with new theories.
There’s a chance fans were only given a name because there’s more than meets the eye. Don Framt could still be someone fans have already met in Dexter: Resurrection. However, the existence of the file in Prater’s trophy room debunks most fan theories. The idea of characters like Charley’s mother and Dexter’s friend Blessing being the Ripper seems too much of a stretch now. Similarly, the theory that Claudette’s NYPD partner, Detective Melvin Oliva, is the New York Ripper is no longer viable.
The scene where Claudette and Oliva are alone in Prater’s trophy room with the Ripper’s file right in front of them is fueled by an accidental tension. Surely many fans feared Oliva would grab the Ripper’s manhole and attack Claudette on the spot, revealing his dark identity. However, Oliva is the one who shows Claudette the Don Framt file, and he looks just as surprised. Other names are still in the picture. A widely circulated Dexter: Resurrection theory connects the New York Ripper to Jonah Mitchell, the son of Dexter’s infamous Trinity Killer.
Fans cited a scene in Dexter Season 6 where Jonah swings a hook in front of a customer menacingly. The idea that the Dark Passenger runs in the family has also been addressed in Dexter several times. It would be eerily symbolic to have the son of Dexter’s most infamous serial killer as the main antagonist of the sequel series. In addition, recent reports tease the finished script for a potential Trinity prequel series. Bringing Jonah Mitchell back would be the perfect setup for another Dexter spin-off.
However, it’s more likely that Don Framt is simply an entirely new character in Dexter: Resurrection. This gives showrunners a chance to bring a veteran actor as good as Peter Dinklage to play Dexter: Resurrection’s next villain. It also allows the show to create a refreshing backstory that fits the show’s fascinating New York setting.
The New York Ripper Has the Potential to Outshine Dexter’s Most Notorious Villain
Dexter: Dexter Morgan prepares to execute Arthur Mitchell.
Considering Dexter: Resurrection spent a good chunk of its first season teasing the New York Ripper, it’s safe to assume the killer will have an unprecedented impact in Season 2 or later seasons. The slow-burning pace of this storyline suggests that the Ripper will not be just another villain, but Dexter: Resurrection’s overarching antagonist. Similarly, Dexter faces many terrifying villains in the original series, but none of them come close to matching the impact of the Trinity Killer on Dexter’s life and the show as a whole.
Introduced in Season 4, Arthur Mitchel, aka the Trinity Killer, caused a dreadful collision between Dexter’s personal life and his dark affairs. The Trinity killed in four cycles: the murder of a 10-year-old boy to represent Arthur’s own loss of innocence, a young woman who bleeds to death in a bathtub to recreate his sister’s death, a mother of two forced to jump to her death to represent his mother’s suicide, and a father of two bludgeoned to death to represent Arthur’s father.
Dexter becomes dangerously obsessed with the Trinity Killer, focusing too much on Arthur’s twisted family dynamics and forgetting to protect his own family. Dexter eventually kills Trinity, but not before Arthur murders Rita and leaves Dexter’s son Harrison in a pool of his mother’s blood. He is never the same after the Trinity Killer’s death. Not only does Arthur destroy the only thing that brought out his human side, his family, he also traumatizes Harrison, mirroring the origin of Dexter’s own Dark Passenger.
To dethrone Arthur Mitchell as the greatest Dexter villain won’t be an easy feat, but the showrunners have the perfect opportunity to shake things up with the New York Ripper. There are so many mysteries surrounding the Ripper that his name may not even lead anywhere. His motivations, his final death toll, as well as the reasons he stopped killing but still torments the family of his victims are only a few of the questions that come to mind. Should Dexter and the New York Ripper meet face to face, it may be the start of a new memorable vendetta in Dexter: Resurrection. To amp up the tension, Detective Claudette’s obsession with the case will make her an even bigger threat to Dexter and Harrison.
Release Date
July 13, 2025
Network
Paramount+ with Showtime
Michael C. Hall
Dexter Morgan
