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I'm so tired. [...] There's been so much upset. In the world really, I think it's just so tragic. All of it. ...I miss you. I Just do.
Lowe to Archer

Maggie "Mags" Lowe is a delusional assassin, stalker, and serial-turned-spree killer who appears in the Season One episode of Criminal Minds, "Somebody's Watching".

Background[]

"It's just never gonna be the same as it was. It's just never gonna be the same."

Not much detail is disclosed about Lowe's past, other than she was friends with Lila Archer, having attended Juilliard in NYC with her, and shared her dorm room with her for one weekend after the heat to Archer's apartment was cut out. What happened during that weekend is only hinted at by Lowe (who may have been merely caught up in her delusions and therefore provided false information), but ultimately left unsaid. As a result, she developed a homosexual and extremely morbid fascination with Archer. When Archer became an actress, Lowe became her production assistant. She then began stalking her and killing anyone who wronged her in some particular way or threatened her career. First, Lowe killed Wally Melman, a producer who turned Archer down for a role in favor of an actress named Natalie Ryan and then murdered Chloe Harris, another actress whom she saw as a potential rival for Archer, over a month afterward. Archer was completely unaware of Lowe's activities.

Somebody's Watching[]

"Why did you have to bring these people here?!"

At the beginning of the episode, Lowe, disguised as a script courier, delivers a manila envelope to Natalie Ryan. As Ryan answers the door to retrieve her script, Lowe shoots her at point-blank range in the forehead. Ryan's fiancé, a producer named Jeremy Collins, walks in to see her dead, and Lowe kills him as well. At the scene of the murders, Gideon and Reid meet Detective Owen Kim, who tells them that two other murders have occurred similar to that of the present crime scene. The victims were also an actress and her producer; Gideon agrees to help with the case. During the investigation, Gideon is told that another actress, revealed to be Archer, had not only received threats, but strange gifts as well. The team realizes that they may be dealing with a stalker. Archer tells them she receives Red Anemones (her favorite flower) on the 7th of every month. The first suspect is Michael Ryer, Archer's manager; however, he is found dead in his office. Also found is an envelope with sensitive pictures of Archer, which were taken by a paparazzi named Joseph Martinez, shifting the investigation onto him. While at Martinez's apartment, the team finds close-up photos of Reid. Theorizing that he may be the next victim, they leave the apartment to ask Archer more questions. Suddenly, a motorcycle rider passes and a bullet strikes Detective Kim; his shoulder is wounded and he is taken to the hospital.

Reid later notices a strange artwork on Archer's wall and realizes it is actually a cut-up collage of her life; she explains that her producer had given it to her. The team interrogates him under the belief he is the stalker, only for him to reveal he originally received the work from Lowe, Archer's production assistant and friend, causing them to realize that Lowe is the culprit. The realization is confirmed when Archer's phone rings and it is Lowe. According to Garcia, the call is coming from inside the house. As Reid turns back to Archer after his conversation with Garcia, they hear Lowe slam down the phone in another room. Reid asks Archer how she could have gotten in, and Archer explains Lowe has keys to her place. Reid draws his gun to look for her, since he knows that she will be armed. As they go from one room to another, Lowe steps from around a corner and puts her gun to Archer's head, trying to get her to go with her.

Mags revolver

Lowe holds Archer at gunpoint with her revolver.

When Reid tells her not to shoot Archer, Lowe replies that she would never hurt her because she loves her and created her, to which Reid responds Archer doesn't love her back because she loves him before telling her to tell Lowe about how they kissed in the pool. Hearing it from Archer causes Lowe to snap; she pushes her away and turns the gun on Reid, who then disarms her. Now heartbroken, Lowe begs him to shoot her, but Reid assures her that they can get her help, seeing that after feeling betrayed, she still couldn’t bring herself to kill Archer. It is very likely that Lowe was institutionalized afterwards due to her current mental condition.

Modus Operandi[]

Lowe targeted people who had wronged Lila Archer in some way or posed a (perceived) threat to her career. She usually killed her victims by shooting them execution-style with a .22-caliber Harrington & Richardson Model 929 revolver, the shots being directed to the forehead. The only exception to this was Jeremy Collins, who was shot three times in the chest out of necessity, since he stumbled upon his fiancée Natalie Ryan's murder and had no connection to Archer whatsoever. Her victims were often attacked at some point during their weekly routines; Wally Melman was killed outside a massage parlor he frequented, while Chloe Harris was killed while walking her dog along her usual route.

Profile[]

"That was the happiest time of my life. [...] The happiest time. And you don't know anything about me at all. ...And I did everything for you. [...] You, you, YOU!"

The unsub was originally believed to be a single man, aged in his late twenties to early forties, who would be a meticulous and intelligent loner who can easily blend in regardless of the location, and knows how to cover his tracks. Unlike most serial crimes, the unsub shows absolutely no sexual component or signature, while the type of victim and weapon uses, a small and efficient .22-caliber handgun, indicates that he is an assassin, specifically a type 4. Type 4 assassins usually suffer from some sort of mental disorder, and are frequently delusional. Usually, this type of offender concludes in either suicide, or them killing the object of their affection if they feel rejected.

When the unsub's connection to Archer is discovered, he is profiled as having erotomania, meaning sufferers of that condition believe someone, usually of a higher social class, is in love with them. Originally just a stalker, the unsub evolved to killing people, and became something of a violent guardian angel to Archer, eliminating her competition in an attempt to further her career. When the authorities became involved in the case, the unsub's agenda altered, and his focus shifted from those around Archer to her directly, which is not atypical behavior for stalkers. Anyone with even the vaguest association to Archer would be in danger if the unsub mistakes them as competition for her affection. The unsub probably has a job that offered them a lot of free time that he uses to spy on Archer and prospective victims. Communicating with Archer through letters means he has started to feel like she owes them, and the tense used in letters implicated he knows her personally.

Real-Life Comparisons[]

Lowe is similar to Mark David Chapman - Both are erotomanic and mentally ill stalkers and assassins who were fixated on a celebrity, had interactions with their obsessions shortly before their attacks on them, shot their victims with revolvers, shot at least one (and Chapman's only) victim multiple times, and later attempted to kill said celebrities (though only Chapman succeeded).

She is also vaguely similar to Robert John Bardo - Both are erotomaniac assassins and stalkers who were fixated on an actress, were enraged at an actress' career as their motive (though Lowe was angry at a different actress), and killed their targets of rage with a revolver at their houses (though Lowe also killed another victim incidentally). Also, Maggie's jobs on Lila Archer's projects could be a reference to Bardo's attempt to confront Rebecca Schaffer on the set of one of her movies.

She also shares similarities with John Hinckley, Jr. - Both are erotomaniac stalkers and assassins who had a fixation with a female actress, shot their victims with a revolver, stalked their fixated actresses, and attacked others because of them (though for different reasons: Hinckley tried to kill Ronald Regan in an attempt to impress Jodie Foster, while Lowe killed people she perceived as threats to Lila Archer's career).

Known Victims[]

  • Unspecified date-March 2006: Lila Archer (stalked only)
  • 2006:
    • January 10: Wally Melman (a producer who had turned down Lila for a part)
    • February 28: Chloe Harris (an actress and potential rival of Lila)
    • March 27: The shooting at Natalie Ryan's house:
      • Natalie Ryan (an actress picked by Wally Melman instead of Lila; killed along with Jeremy Collins)
      • Jeremy Collins (a producer and Natalie Ryan's fiancé; incidental; shot three times in the chest)
    • March 28: Michael Ryer (Lila's manager)
      • The drive-by shooting:
        • Derek Morgan (attempted; shot at, but missed)
        • Detective Owen Kim (attempted, but survived; was non-fatally shot in the left shoulder)
      • The standoff at Lila Archer's house:
        • Lila Archer (held at gunpoint and intended to kill)
        • Spencer Reid (attempted; tried to shoot, but was subdued by him)

Appearances[]

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