Colin Bramwell was a killer sniper (officially called a "Long Distance Serial Killer") and hitman who was hired by Eric Carcani. He appeared in Final Shot.
Background
Bramwell was a sniper for the South African Special Forces. In 2008, he worked with Eric Carcani in Mombasa. He was later kicked out from the special forces when he was suspected of stealing important government documents. Carcani later contacted him with a contract to kill his ex-wife Maya, and Bramwell entered the U.S. a week prior to "Final Shot", using a tourist visa.
Final Shot
Upon arrival, Bramwell then begins hunting down Maya. As a result, he investigates the circle of women who protects her from her husband. He forces Alice Emerson, the counselor who supervised Maya's case, to give him the name of Rebecca Schroeder, a "community angel" who sheltered Maya for a brief moment of time. He then kills Alice in the middle of Archer Plaza, along with five other victims in order to cover his tracks. He then murders Rebecca Schroeder at a gas station after she gives him the location he needs, also killing two other people. In order to keep his focus on his main target Maya, Bramwell uses a technique called fantasy integration, creating a fantasy where he is keeping Maya safe from her husband and teaching her on how to be a good lookout. The fantasy ends when he sees Maya walk out of her apartment, desperate for fresh air. Bramwell, apparently getting caught up in the fantasy, abruptly pauses for a moment, reminiscing on the imagined feelings he thought he had for Maya. Before he can pull the trigger, he is shot and killed by Hotch, who is also using a sniper rifle.
Modus Operandi
Bramwell would shoot his victims with a .308 Nemesis Arms Vanquish rifle equipped with a telescopic sight and a suppressor.[1] To ensure that the attacks appeared to be at random and committed by an inexperienced shooter as part of a series of terrorist attacks, he would shoot other random people before and after killing his target (timing the kills so then he would still be able to shoot his target before he or she could successfully flee). He also also intentionally fired bullets at nearby objects so they could give off the appearance of missed shots. He usually shot his victims once in the head, neck, and chest, which were considered vital areas for military snipers, or "kill shots". The exceptions to this are Rebecca Schroeder, who received two gunshot wounds to the neck and hand, the latter being because he wanted to destroy the cellphone she was holding as a forensic countermeasure for their communications; and Daniel Bukowski, who received two gunshot wounds to the back.
During the Archer Plaza massacre, he fired from an upper floor of a nearby building, using a glass-cutter to carve a hole in a window that would be used to steady his rifle as he fired shots. During the gas station shooting, he fired from the shelter of a van that was parked at a second gas station located on the other side of the street and timed his shots to avoid passing cars.
Profile
The unsub is a male Long Distance Serial Killer who is an extremely skilled marksman with a God complex and derives pleasure out of remaining unseen and determining the fates of people from a distance. He is criminally sophisticated and methodical, concealing his method of ingress and egress, and leaving little evidence behind in his sniper perches, suggesting a great deal of experience, so he possibly has a military or law enforcement background, possibly even Special Forces. His victims initially appeared to be targets of opportunity, but it later became clear that one or more of them are targets of choice, while the remaining victims were all collateral damage used as a forensic countermeasure. This means that there is some unknown connection between one or more victims at the first and second crime scenes. The unsub is likely in his late 30s to 40s, as evidenced by him having the means and patience to plan and execute these attacks. If he still has specific targets on his list, he will not wait long to attack again.
Real-Life Comparison
In a way, Bramwell being hired by Carcani to kill his ex-wife and also killing numerous innocent people to make it look like a disorganized murder spree bears some resemblance to a theory that John Allen Muhammad, one of the two Beltway Snipers, performed his shooting spree in order to eventually assassinate his own ex-wife and use the Beltway murders to hide his connection to her. This theory was also referenced by the BAU during their profile of him. Also, like Muhammad and his partner Lee Boyd Malvo, who killed most of their victims at or near gas stations, Bramwell committed his second sniper shooting at a gas station.
Known Victims
- Presumably killed numerous unnamed victims while working for the South African special forces
- 2013:
- October 8:
- Six killed in the Archer Plaza massacre. They are:
- Axel Greiner (shot in the neck)
- Daniel Bukowski (shot twice in the back[2])
- Alice Emerson (target victim; had handled Maya's case; shot in the chest)
- Melanie Chen (shot in the back of the head)
- Ricardo Hernandez (shot in the chest)
- Kyle Yates (shot in the chest; survived, but later died of his gunshot wound at a hospital)
- Three killed in the gas station shooting. They are:
- Rodney Anvil (shot in the head)
- Rebecca Schroeder (target victim; was Maya's "community angel"; shot twice in the neck and hand)
- Sean Tramen
- Six killed in the Archer Plaza massacre. They are:
- October 8-9: Maya Carcani (Carcani's wife and the final target victim; attempted)
- October 8:
Notes
- Mike Colter, the actor who portrays Bramwell, previously portrayed a mass murderer in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Appearances
References
- ↑ Curiously, however, gunshots could be easily heard during the plaza massacre and the gas station shooting, even though suppressors are meant to silence gunshots.
- ↑ After the first shot is fired, Bukowski can be seen running in the background, falling to the ground as soon as the second shot is fired, implying that he had been shot. The scene cuts to him apparently getting up, only to fall again as soon as the third shot is fired.