Spencer Farnell is a photography prodigy of Gerhardt Heltman and a serial killer.
History[]
Farnell was battered and tortured by his sisters and his grandmother, while his alcoholic mother taunted and neglected him. That and Farnell's attachment to his father resulted in his hatred of women and most of his family. Eventually, his mother died from cirrhosis, and his father crashed behind the wheel of his car while drunk. As a result, Farnell and his sisters went through the foster care system, where his sisters still abused and terrorized him, particularly to attack the fond memories he had of his father. After his sisters either disappeared or ended up with criminal records, Farnell grew up to pursue a career in art studies and became a prodigy of Gerhardt Heltman. Heltman's lessons inspired Farnell to create a photo exhibit through a series of murders that would show the mistreatment he suffered at the hands of his family. Farnell scouted for women who resembled the ones in his family with fake auditions and murdered them. The unaware Hellman was then directed to take pictures of and develop the staged crime scenes Farnell prepared, and Farnell would dispose the victims' remains while retaining the photographs.
Since Heltman was an empathetic photographer who liked to show the humanity of the people he captured in his photos, Farnell believed that this style was ruining his own style, meant to show his rage and pain. Farnell confronted Heltman at their studio, told him the truth behind the photos, and demanded that he continue. When Heltman refused, Farnell struck Heltman with a piece of rebar in a fit of rage, knocking him out. Hoping to eliminate Heltman as a witness while simultaneously using his fame as a prelude to show off his exhibit, Farnell decided to cuff Hellman to his car's steering wheel and make it crash, killing Heltman while he was unconscious. Farnell then set the studio on fire to destroy the crime scene and evidence. After Heltman was ruled out as a suspect, Farnell was tracked and arrested to prevent him from killing his final victim. When confronted in interrogation, Farrell was eventually driven to confess after Detective Goren manipulatively provoked him using Farnell's anger issues towards Heltman and his family. A.D.A. Carver arranged a plea with Farnell to return the women's remains to their families after he was charged, and Farnell took it.
Farnell pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder and was sentenced to multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole. (L&O: "The Posthumous Collection")
Known Victims[]
- Marla Kelly (suffocated; posed to look like his sister Sandy)
- Ellen Welpton (suffocated; posed to look like his sister Patty)
- Melissa Wiley (suffocated; posed to look like his grandmother)
- Janet McBride (suffocated; posed to look like his mother)
- Gerhardt Heltman (knocked out with a piece of rebar, handcuffed to a car's steering wheel, and killed with a facilitated crash)
- Maisie Renfrew (attempted to suffocate; wanted to pose her as his sister Doris)