Seems like Kurt Caldwell is becoming less lonely by the day, so let’s keep bringing him happiness.
What's The Work?
Dexter is a showtime series based off the books created by Jeff Linsday, most specifically Darkly Dreaming Dexter. The story follows Dexter Morgan, a vigilante serial killer who targets murderers or worse. After working as a blood splatter analyst for a long period of time, a killer called the Ice Truck Killer becomes a personal enemy to Dexter, causing the series to start.
Who are Jorge and Valerie Castillo? What have they done?
Jorge and Valerie Castillo are a married couple of human smugglers who smuggle migrants to the U.S. Before they are allowed to fully be a part of America, the families of the victims are forced to pay an expensive release fee. After being locked in a padded warehouse inside an auto salvage scrapyard, Jorge drowns them in a container before dumping their corpses in the ocean if the family doesn't pay. Because of this, the Castillo’s are extremely rich, and Jorge is on the radar as the prime suspects in numerous homicides.
During lunch with Rita, Dexter learns that her maid Yelina is saddened since her fiancé didn't arrive in Miami after leaving Cuba, but she can't call the police or else the smugglers will hurt her family. Officer Gerard gives Dexter a description of Jorge Castillo, the most likely suspect. He arrives at the auto salvage yard and uses the alias of Dave Cutler to ask for a specific car part. Dexter is kicked out when Jorge says he can't help, and Jorge tells Dexter that he is American, not Cuban. That night, Dexter breaks into the yard and enters a garage which contains mattress, clothes, and shoes. From his boat the next day, Dexter spies on Jorge living a life of luxury and takes a photograph of his wife, house, and expensive sports car. He wrongfully deduces that his wife is innocent, so he solely targets Jorge instead. A few days later, Yelina's fiancé washes to shore, dead, because she was unable to pay.
That night, Dexter hops on his boat and looks for evidence proving his guilt. After finding old cell phones and 3 dead bodies in the boat fish hold, Jorge now officially fits the code. Jorge suddenly goes to untie his boat and remove the corpses but Dexter hides in time. Not long after, Jorge has 7 more victims in his van and holds them at gunpoint and locks them in the garage. When he notices candles that lead to a trailer, Jorge goes inside and finds the pictures of victims on the wall before Dexter knocks him out with a syringe. It is then that Dexter realizes that his wife is involved as he sees her terrorizing the captives and calling them dirty. Now, both of them must be killed. Before killing the couple, they profess their love to each other and Dexter wonders how they do it. He is delightfully surprised when they say they both want the same thing and that's how they have kept their prolonged marriage. As he doesn't have enough time, Dexter only chops up Jorge's body before dumping them in the ocean.
The Ice Truck Killer later manages to dive into the ocean and retrieve Valerie's corpse. Dexter is called to the scene of the crime and is surprised when her body is found in the trailer. In order to frame Jorge for her death, Dexter takes blood from his blood side and plants it in Jorge's sock alongside a knife. While taking pictures, LaGuerta, Doakes, and Debra hear a noise in the trunk of a recent vehicle and open it to find a young boy. After the investigation ends, Jorge is fully framed by Dexter, having the skills and motive for killing his wife. When Oscar, the young boy makes a sketch of his savior, the picture turns out to be Jesus Christ, surprising Dexter and the team
Mitigating Factors?
Clearly, they are greedy individuals, but they genuinely care for one another. Before their death, Dexter asks how they remain lovers, to which the two respond that it is due to their want for money. However, this does not disprove their affection and shared interest in each other, as their final scenes show them professing their love.
Heinous Standard
The Castillo's operate a lucrative business that enables them to afford expensive items, including a scrapyard, a mansion, and several supercars. By counting every victim, we see onscreen, there are 4 killed, 8 saved, and presumably many others alongside Ernesto Rodriguez; all in only a couple of scenes. Based on how long they have been operating and the fact that they can continue paying for their lifestyle, there have been dozens of alive and dead victims. While the kill count isn't too high, they have still held many people, ranging from the elderly to kids, captive and even starve, insult, and abuse them for several hours, such as when Valerie pistol whips one of their captives for asking a question. Even those who pay are traumatized, having seen their friends taken away to be killed or suffering from the trauma of their captivity. The pair has also killed children, and we can assume from the small scenes gathered that the two may have even wiped-out families. Every time they extort, they also ruin several families, as they lose thousands of dollars and when they can't pay, they feel guilt and blame themselves, such as in the case of Yelina. Sure, not much of a confirmed kill count but the whole keeping people captive to extort their family's and killing them if they fail to pay is unique enough for me.
Verdict
Yes, why else would I make this proposal?