"You're sorry?! Well I am too, and look where we are. Sorry doesn't change a damn thing."
Sheila Harrison is an "injustice collector"-type budding serial killer who abducted several people connected to her sister's death. She appeared in What Happens in Mecklinburg.
Background
Little is known about Sheila's personal life, other than she was born on March 28, 1989, and her mother Susan died on May 9, 2007, from ovarian cancer. Because she was eighteen at the time of her mother's death, she was able to gain custody of her younger sister Lauryn-Anne, who would go on to become a student at Mecklinburg State University. On February 16, 2013, Lauryn-Anne went to a party hosted by the Beta Delta Sigma fraternity, where she was raped by three fellow frat members Adam Richmond, Trevor Burkett, and Christopher Stafford, being also forced to drink an excessive amount of vodka by the former two. She was later dumped in front of her home, where she managed to call Sheila in her drunken state, giving the names of her rapists and constantly apologizing before losing consciousness.
Rushing home, Sheila found Lauryn-Anne and took her to the hospital. There, she slipped into a coma as a result of the attack. Her initial report documented the results of the rape, but it was later changed to "rough, consensual intercourse" by Dr. Edward Calder at the behest of Michael Smith, an old friend of his who coached the Mecklinburg State football team, which included Richmond and Burkett. However, Sheila had somehow managed to see the initial report and seethed in hatred at those who were responsible for Lauryn-Anne's condition, which had grown worse by 2014 when doctors decided that it was time to shut off her life support. By this time, Lauryn-Anne's medical bills had bankrupted her. She was also presumably enraged at the fact that the death of James Linwood, another frat member who died during the same party, received all of the attention from media sources, although this wasn't confirmed.
What Happens in Mecklinburg
"She was my responsibility."
On April 7, Sheila finally snapped and abducted Smith, taking him to an abandoned building located near the home where the party took place. Hours later, she abducted Burkett after learning from Smith that he was one of the rapists. During the abductions, she wears a pig mask to symbolize the Beta Sigma fraternity. In the episode, she is first seen blocking off the car of Christy White in a parking lot; she blames Christy for taking Lauryn-Anne to the party in the first place and later failing to visit Lauryn-Anne or give her condolences even once (even though this was merely because the two weren't familiar with each other). Christy's friend Debbie Martin steps out of the car to tell Sheila to move her car, only to wind up being attacked by her. When Christy steps out to investigate, she too is attacked and then abducted, but Sheila, not having any grudge against Debbie, leaves her behind. Later on, she approaches all three captives, beats Burkett, and then proceeds to sodomize him in front of Smith and Christy. Then, Sheila watches a video recording of her and Lauryn-Anne visiting Hollywood before going back down to the basement where she keeps her captives and removes the duct tape covering Burkett's mouth; he apologizes to her for what happened and pleads for her to let him go. Sheila responds by getting a container of hydrochloric acid, tricking Burkett into thinking it is water, and pours it down his willing mouth, severely burning it. She then releases him in the nearby woods, where he is found and rescued by a pair of hunters.
The next day, Sheila visits Lauryn-Anne at the hospital one last time; the doctors have decided to shut off her life support on that day. She asks the doctor and a therapist if Lauryn-Anne will feel anything during death; they deny she will. When the doctor asks her to sign the official papers, she angrily turns him down and asks to have a moment alone with her sister. As soon as the two leave, Sheila sadly apologizes to Lauryn-Anne for "failing [her]". Finally, she decides to sign the papers and watches as the nurse unplugs Lauryn-Anne's life support. The therapist then gives Sheila a card, telling her to contact her in the future so she can help with the grieving process, but Sheila denies it. The doctor tells her that she might change her mind, but she replies that she won't before leaving. After crying, Sheila spies on Richmond and then abducts him. When he regains consciousness, she confronts him and demands to know what he did to Lauryn-Anne. Richmond replies that he can't remember much since he was drunk, but Sheila beats him in the leg with a fire poker. Once he finally opens up with the details and then apologizes to her, she angrily turns down his apology before turning to Smith and accusing him of covering up her rape. Then, she shoves the fire poker through Smith's neck, killing him. Immediately afterwards, Sheila turns to Christy and prepares to kill her as well, despite her pleas that she had no knowledge of the rape and didn't even personally knew her. Then, Morgan and Rossi storm in and tell her that it isn't her fault that Lauryn-Anne died, convincing her to surrender. Christy is rescued, while Sheila and Richmond are both arrested.
Modus Operandi
"At first I wanted you to suffer, but there's not much point to that now, is there?"
Sheila targeted the people responsible for Lauryn-Anne's rape and covering it up. Wearing a pig mask to symbolize the Beta Sigma Delta fraternity mascot, she would incapacitate her victims in parking lots at nighttime (except for Adam Richmond, who was abducted during the daytime hours) with a taser before abducting them and taking them to the condemned house located near the house where the rape took place. There, she would hang them from the ceiling of the house's basement, cover their mouths with duct tape, and torture her victims through by beating them with a fire poker. In the case of Trevor Burkett, she also sodomized him with the fire poker and poured hydrochloric acid down his mouth (references to her sister's rape and forced alcohol consumption) before releasing him and leaving him in a forest. When she killed Michael Smith, she stabbed him through the neck with the same fire poker.
Profile
Judging by the usage of a taser to subdue victims and also the torture by poisoning with hydrochloric acid, the unsub is a female injustice collector who is on a mission to punish those she deemed responsible for the rape of her sister and the following cover-up (although it was initially believed that the unsub was targeting general victims associated with the unrelated death of James Linwood). The pig mask she wears is the same one worn by pledges of the Beta Sigma Delta fraternity as a reminder of that night. The victims are being tortured as revenge for their role in Lauryn-Anne's rape. One of the captives, Trevor Burkett, escaped or was released after being forced to drink hydrochloric acid, which seems to symbolize the excessive alcohol Lauryn-Anne was forced to drink, and by scarring these victims, this will ensure that the world will never forget what they had done.
The unsub is exhibiting a high level of sexual assault and torture, which is usually atypical for female offenders, although it is seen when years of built-up rage and anger are involved. Injustice collectors believe they have been dealt a lifetime of unfairness and that nobody treats them with the respect they deserve, but in reality, they are simply masking insecurities and fears by solely placing the blame on others. This means that the unsub's next target will probably be another fraternity member or someone who attended the party. It could also be someone from the university whom the unsub perceives as having a role in Lauryn-Anne's torment; even the loosest affiliation could be magnified in the unsub's psyche. Her other victims are most likely still being held captive and undergoing severe torture.
Known Victims
- 2014:
- April 7:
- Michael Smith (covered up Lauryn-Anne's rape; abducted, presumably beaten, and later fatally stabbed through the neck with a fire poker two days later)
- Trevor Burkett (one of Lauryn-Anne's rapists; abducted, beaten and sodomized with a fire poker, and later poured hydrochloric acid into his mouth; was released the next day, but possibly died afterwards)
- April 8:
- Debbie Martin (incidental; assaulted with a taser while abducting Christy White)
- Christy White (took Lauryn-Anne to the party; abducted and attempted to kill with a fire poker; was rescued the next day)
- April 9:
- Adam Richmond (another of Lauryn-Anne's rapists; abducted, beaten in the leg with a fire poker, and intended to kill; was rescued)
- Christopher Stafford (another of Lauryn-Anne's rapists; intended to abduct; abandoned the plan when he was taken into custody)
- April 7:
Notes
- Sheila shows some similarities to Chris Shelton. Both were injustice collectors who targeted and killed their victims to avenge the death of a close relative caused by a crime; Chris wanted to avenge his son while Sheila sought to avenge her sister.
- Sheila wearing a pig mask and a robe may be a reference to Amanda Young, a female accomplice of the Jigsaw Killer who wore similar attire. More noteworthy, Tobin Bell, the actor who portrayed the Jigsaw Killer in the Saw franchise, appeared in the previous episode.