- "I kept my men safe, and I was obedient to my calling. My perfect obedience is through my suffering, my death and ultimately, one day, my resurrection."
- ―Flender
Roger Flender or The Deity was the ritualistic serial killer in Season 10. His nickname is derived from the Masonic symbol he carved into the chests of his victims.
History[]
Roger Flender was the manager of Sunrise Bakery, a bakery that employed ex-convicts. After experiencing the incarceration of his father when he was a child, he started Sunrise Bakery so no one else would go through what his family went through. At some point in his life, Flender was a Mason. Flender discovered that his nephew, Kyle Martin, died of a drug overdose because of his boss, Leonard Barnes. After subduing Barnes with a pipe, Flender sliced his jugular vein, causing him to bleed out, so Flender incinerated his body in the furnace of the Scovell Iron Works Factory. He took it upon himself to murder and "purify" anyone who tried to lead his "disciples," the employees of Sunrise Bakery, away from righteousness.
The Baker in the Bits[]
- "Because, I believe in all of my men. And since you have no proof, I think you're looking in the wrong place. And if locking me up is what it takes to show that I'm on their side, so be it."
- ―Flender[src]
Flender was seen chasing after Connor Freeman in the beginning of the episode. Flender's father was a former convict, so Flender built Sunrise Bakery for ex-convicts looking for a job so their families wouldn't have to go through what he went through. He discovered that the FBI was looking into the murder of Connor Freeman after he died in an explosion. Flender planned to have them arrest Alex Rockwell for the murders of his other victims. He planted a Khukuri knife in Alex's car and victimized himself to make the evidence more incriminating against Alex.
The Verdict in the Victims[]
Flender was seen with Booth and Brennan volunteering to be brought in as a suspect to try to persuade the judge to stay Rockwell's execution, to no avail. Angela discovered that his nephew, Kyle Martin, died of a drug overdose while working for the first victim, Leonard Barnes. They deduced that Flender killed Leonard Barnes, his first victim, to avenge the death of his nephew.
The Masonic Symbol for Deity
The team discovered that all the victims had a ritualistic symbol carved into their chests. Hodgins identified it as the Masonic symbol that represents The Deity. A Khukuri blade and a Masonic compass were used to carve the symbol into his victims' chests. Hodgins stated that the point in the center represents an individual brother while the circle itself signifies the boundary line to his duty to God and Man.
The team went to Roger Flender's home to look for the real murder weapon and the compass, which had the DNA of all five of his victims. Booth, remembering that Masons were stone and brick builders, discovered that Flender hid his ritualistic instruments behind a brick wall. Flender was sentenced to death for the murders, and Alex Rockwell was released after he was framed for his crimes.
Victims[]
- Leonard Barnes (beaten with a pipe; exsanguination)
- Ted Widmer (exsanguination)
- Douglas Nabors (exsanguination)
- Connor Freeman (attempted, blown up)
- Alex Rockwell (framed; released)
- Tracy Taylor (exsanguination)
Modus Operandi[]
Roger Flender killed people who tried to lead his men (employees) away from righteousness. He severed their jugular veins with a Khukuri Knife, a Northern Indian ritualistic slaughter knife. Before they were dead, he carved the Masonic symbol for "Deity" onto their chests with a Masonic compass, carved out their tattoo's with the Khukuri knife, and he hung their tattooed flesh on hooks. After their deaths, they, with the exception of Connor Freeman and Tracy Taylor, were incinerated in a fire. The murder sites were built on sacred land: the Scovell Iron Works Factory was built over the land of a Monastery built in the 1700's, and the Water Treatment Plant where Tracy Taylor was found was built over holy land that belonged to the Kiskiack Tribe. The burning of the bodies of Leonard Barnes, Douglas Nabors, and Ted Widmer, at the Scovell Iron Works Factory was a type of purification. Tracy Taylor was "purified" after being soaked in a barrel of ammonia at the Water Treatment Plant. He hid his weapons behind a brick wall in his house, further reinforcing his role as a former Mason, rather than dispose of them because he considered them holy. If the situation ever arose, he would sacrifice himself as a martyr for his men, who he believed were innocent for any crimes they were accused of, no matter the situation or the severity of the crimes. The Masonic symbol he carved onto his victims' chests served as his signature and his alias, The Deity.
Trivia[]
- Roger Flender had to have been a Mason before he started Sunrise Bakery. He could have been able to retrieve the Khukuri knife and the Masonic compass if he was a Mason first.
- His father was a criminal, like the people he hired to work at Sunrise Bakery.
- He was the second ritualistic serial killer introduced in the series. The first was The Gormogon.
- While called a khukuri knife on the show, the actual blade more closely resembles a pesh-kabz. A khukuri (or kukri) sweeps the other direction and is significantly thicker and heavier.