All You Need To Know About ‘Dexter’ - Series That Allegedly Inspired The Shraddha Murder Case

(Trigger Warning: This article contains detailed information about a heinous murder. Reader discretion is advised)

The Delhi murder case has everyone under its grips. Some are still in disbelief over how a human being can brutally dismember the lady he loved and store her body parts in a refrigerator.

Accused Aaftab Poonawala was recently arrested by Delhi Police for murdering his live-in girlfriend Shraddha Walker. Horrifying details of the same came to light. Turns out, Aftab murdered her in May and over the course of 18 days, he cut her body in 35 pieces and would go out in the wee hours of the morning to scatter them in the forest area around Chhatarpur.

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Another intriguing detail that took many by surprise was his confession about how a web series ‘Dexter’ inspired him to commit the murder in this manner.?

While some people on the internet confused this with the cartoon Dexter’s laboratory, others were quick to recall the plot of the show which also involved a serial killer.

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For those who are unaware about the show, here’s everything you need to know. Scroll!

Dexter revolves around a man who is a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police. Courtesy his profession, he has access to crime scenes where he picks up clues and checks the DNA to identify the culprits. The twist in the tale is that Dexter has compulsions to kill those who are guilty more like a vigilante killer. His dead father Harry, who was a policeman, created a code when he identified Dexter’s problem - he taught Dexter to focus his urges on killing only those culprits who had possibilities of escaping justice in the legal system. He also taught him techniques that would refrain Dexter from getting caught.

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Season 1

We are introduced to Dexter Morgan, who is leading a dual life of a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Homicide Department and a serial killer. He is a pro at faking human interaction in order to appear normal. He is very caring for those who are dear to him and would go to any lengths to protect them. The first season falls in line with the first novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter - which features a mysterious serial killer called Ice Truck Killer. He tests Dexter which unfolds a dark truth about his reality and what he is actually capable of. He murders the killer when he abducts Dexter’s sister Debra.

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Season 2

Season Two picks up a month after the events of the first season. Dexter’s murder spree has been exposed to everyone. The killer in this season is dubbed the "Bay Harbor Butcher". Dexter also falls in love with a woman who is revealed to be similar to him - she also has a dark and sinister side to her.? In the finale, after murdering the real killer, Dexter frames a dead police department member as the Butcher.

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Season 3

Dexter befriends a public official Miguel who is the DA for Miami and a peculiar character in his own right. The two get pretty close and Dexter is perplexed about whether he should reveal his secret life to Miguel or not. Parallely, his sister Debra, after serving the Ice Truck Killer is now working with Detective Joey Quinn to investigate a new string of murders connected to an accused who is known as The Skinner. Dexter also marries his old love Rita.

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Season 4

Season Four shows Dexter turning into a family man. He is now a husband and father apart from being a serial killer. This season features The Trinity Killer, who is a seasoned killer making a comeback after 30 years.

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Season 5

This season revolves around the Barrel Girl murders. In the quest to find the murderers, Dexter meets the only victim who survived. She insists on helping him take down the guilty men who have raped, tortured and killed many women to satisfy their needs. Without knowing their identities, Debra tracks them down but later decides they have done the world a service, and lets them walk free.

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Season 6

Season Six follows Dexter and Miami Metro's investigations into bizarre ritualistic killings featuring overtly religious apocalyptic symbolism. In this very season, Debra walks in on Dexter while he is murdering the killer.?

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Season 7

Dexter admits to Debra that he is a serial killer, a shocked Debra helps him cover up the murder by setting fire to the church. She then tries to cure Dexter of this need to kill. The head of a crime syndicate arrives in Miami to find out who killed one of his associates. He makes Dexter his target. In the finale, Debra is forced to kill an innocent person to hide Dexter's secret.

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Season 8

Debra is in shambles from her guilt. Dexter comes face to face with his past when he meets Dr Evelyn Vogel, a psychologist also known as the ‘psychopath whisperer’. She claims to have helped Dexter’s dad Harry structure his code - ‘Code of Harry’. The finale also features a new serial killer on the loose who removes pieces of his victim’s brains. Dexter realizes he is experiencing new emotions and his need to kill is diminishing.

Debra is shot and suffers a stroke. Dexter then turns off her life support and buries her at sea. In the end, Dexter fakes his own death and moves to an unknown location. It remains unknown whether Dexter continues to kill or not.

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Dexter’s Connection With The Delhi Live-In Partner Murder Case

Following Dexter’s modus operandi that involved cutting his victims’ bodies and placing the dismembered parts inside black garbage bags, Aftab also stored Shraddha’s body parts which he later disposed off in the forest. In his confession, he had revealed that he took inspiration from this award-winning series.

This case has once again kick-started the debate on how fiction might play a part in influencing young minds. As per many studies, violent TV shows can cause excessive aggression and may lead to antisocial behavior in human beings. No matter how much one denies, more often than not, it’s natural to get influenced by what one sees on the screen. The bigger discussion remains whether such kinds of shows should be stopped altogether or do people need to be taught how to not get influenced by such shows/movies.