Bones: The Worst Criminals From The Show, Ranked

The procedural crime drama show Bones has hooked fans since its debut in 2005 thanks in no small part to its memorable criminals and the episodes involving serial killers. A crime drama show’s main characters are sometimes only as good as their worst counterparts, and villains like the Ghost Killer and Jacob Broadsky acted as perfect counterbalances to Brennan and Booth.

There are a couple of criminals from the show that made frequent appearances and gave fans chills each time that they appeared, standing head and shoulders above the rest as the scariest serial killers on Bones.

Updated on January 20th, 2021 by Gabriela Silva: When it comes to crime shows revolving around unique and memorable serial killers, Bones has always been on the list of fan favorites. It took a different spin on solving murders. Throughout the show’s duration, the team at the Jeffersonian encountered many hair-raising murderers and serial killers. Some have stayed etched in the brains of audiences as being the worst of the worst, from the terrifying cannibal Gormogon to the master manipulator Christopher Pelant.

15 Richard Benoit

One of the many characters that appeared on Bones that fans may have forgotten was played by a star, Richard Benoit (Giancarlo Esposito) appeared in “The Man in the Morgue” and committed a number of crimes in just one episode. He was first looked into for a murder he committed when evacuating during Hurricane Katrina. When he realized that he was being closed in on, he murdered a forensic anthropologist and tried to kill Brennan (Emily Deschanel).

It only got worse as he killed another anthropologist to cover up his first murder and he even tried to frame Brennan for it. Benoit became afraid that the team would realize he was the Bokor, a Secte Rouge Sorcerer, and killed his own daughter to keep them off his tracks.

14 Jason Harkness

Many fans can agree that one of the most riveting storylines the show produced involved Gormogon (Laurence Todd Rosenthal), a ruthless killer and cannibal. His apprentices were just as evil as him too. One of them was Jason Harkness (Andrew James Allen).

As a teen, Jason was expelled from all his schools for attacking students while they slept. As community service, he would clean the building where Gormogon’s vault was. The team discovered his identity by a marking made on the skulls of the victims he ate caused by a diamond implant in his teeth and, when arrested, he hinted he had killed more people than were discovered.

13 Dr. Andrew Rigby

Cannibals are the worst and showed up many times on the show. In “The Man in the Bear,” audiences were introduced to a new cannibal, Dr. Andrew Rigby (Alex Carter), and his reasoning for his cannibalistic ways stemmed from a spiritual origin.

Rigby believed he could gain strength and even knowledge by consuming certain parts of his victims. It was thought that he had only killed two people before completing his ritual but it’s revealed that Rigby had the same disease as his patients and it was assumed he had killed more in order to try and survive.

12 Kevin Hollings

Kevin Hollings (Greg Ellis) would make just about anyone’s skin crawl in person. Appearing in “Two Bodies in the Lab”, he was a budding serial killer with a particularly horrible quirk where he would use keys to gauge out his victim’s eyes. He was the prime suspect in one of Booth’s old cases and left a distinct impression.

This was ultimately used against Booth as Hollings was used as a distraction by another killer who knew Booth well, corrupt FBI agent James Kenton, who murders Hollings and attempts to frame him for his own crimes.

11 Glen Durant

Glen Durant (JD Cullum) was a special type of criminal in the show. He appeared in four episodes and orchestrated multiple murders. What made him particularly interesting was that he came into possession of J.Edgar Hoover’s blackmail files from his stepfather.

Using them, he would blackmail government officials and would later orchestrate murder plots to get rid of anyone who was a threat. It was even revealed that he helped cover up the murders of the Ghost Killer and her father. What makes him one of the worst and most unforgivable villains on the show, however, is that he orchestrated the death of Lance Sweets (John Francis Daley).

10 Pete Geller

Pete Geller (Nathan Anderson) was a serial murderer from early on in the show’s run and appeared in the season 3 episode  ‘Mummy in the Maze’. He was also known as The Killer Clown, which is enough of an indication as to why he stands out so much.

He would dress up in a clown costume, sedate them and scare them to death. Literally. He would later mummify their bodies to use in a Halloween maze. This killer was creepy to the core.

9 Ashton Keller, Hank Belden, And Greg Brayley

The episode ‘Bodies in the Book’ was a bit of a doozy. Brennan and Booth (David Boreanaz) are called to a body found at the marina covered in red tape and, in a chilling twist, the team soon discovers the murder to mimic the made-up murder from Brennan’s book. Soon after, two more murders occur using her book as a basis.

The three killers, Ashton (Steve Braun), Hank (Jonathan Slavin), and Greg (Colby French) all used Brenan’s book because they were die-hard fans. These three really got under Brennan’s skin in a personal way, as it made her question her culpability in the deaths for having designed a part of them.

8 Jacob Broadsky

Jacob Broadsky (Arnold Vosloo) was a highly-trained army sniper who turned into a serial killer and was the main antagonist in season 6. Broadsky was also an associate of Booth’s but develops an intense hatred for him following the death of Broadksy’s accomplice.

Broadsky is hunted by the team because he goes rogue and kills people that have escaped the justice system. In the end, he even tries to kill booth but kills poor intern Vincent Nigel-Murray instead.

7 Mihir Roshan

Mihir Roshan (Ravi Kapoor) made his appearance in season 11, “The Monster in the Closet.” Prior to this, authorities believed Dr. Zack Addy (Eric Millegan) of the Jeffersonian to be the serial killer known as The Puppeteer, and he manages to keep his true identity in the dark for quite some time.

Roshan’s murders were first introduced to the team after he killed a social worker and lived with the body before disposing of it. He would taxidermy his victims, dressing them like dolls and hoisting them up, hence the nickname. In another creepy twist, he also killed a young woman and dressed her up like Brennan. When he is discovered, he even tries to kill Zack but fails, allowing Zack to get the upper hand. But, when Zack spares him, he tries to kill Zack again before Booth shoots Roshan in the back just in time.

6 Gormogon and Arthur Graves

Gormogon is a killer that made fans feel genuinely uneasy–perhaps more than any other–and became the main villain of season three. He was a cannibalistic serial killer whose main identifier was the teeth marks he left on human bones. Along with Gormogon was his former master, Arthur Graves (Joe Jefferson). They are a part of a secret society with Graves being the most successful one.

Gormogon is also one of the worst villains for being able to manipulate Zack into becoming his apprentice. Zack helps Gormogon commit murder and erase the evidence. He even frames Zack for the murder of his former apprentice A scene that haunts fans is Gormogon in his lair having a human dinner and exposes his sharp teeth.

5 Roger Flender

The actor who played Roger Flender in Bones may look familiar. He played the role in season 10 for two episodes but was also detective Randy Disher in the crime show, Monk. Roger Flendor was the manager of a bakery but behind closed doors was a ritualistic serial killer. His disturbing calling card was a symbol carved into the victim’s chest.

Flender’s bakery helps ex-convicts after his own experience with his family as a child. When he discovers that his nephew dies due to an overdose, he finds the one responsible and kills him. He then becomes a serial killer who murders anyone who wishes to sway his “disciples” (bakery employees) away from his teachings for a better life. Though he sounds like he has good intentions, there’s something just very off about Flender and what’s worse is that another man is very nearly executed for his crimes.

4 Howard Epps

Howard Epps (Heath Freeman) was an earlier criminal during the show’s first season and reappeared in season two. He’s one of the killers who really gets under the team’s skin, provoking Brennan to break his wrist and then murdering a firefighter to escape from prison, where he was housed on death row for his murderous crimes.

Epps manages to almost kill Cam after hiding a vial of poison in the severed head of his wife, and then he gets into Booth’s head by ending his own life in front of him, causing him to feel guilty about the incident on top of the worry that he already felt for Cam.

3 The Ghost Killer

The Ghost Killer was a prolific serial killer who managed to avoid authorities for years with Christopher Pelant (Andrew Leeds) leading Brennan to her before his death. They examine six of her killings and her latest being Stephanie McNamara (Kelly Rutherford). After investigation, the team discovers McNamara to have been the Ghost Killer.

She kept her victims’ fingernails as souvenirs to replace those that she lost during her traumatic childhood caused by her father. It can be argued that she’s a villain who beat the team as, in the end, she was killed by a man falsely accused of one of her murders before they could close in on her.

2 The Gravedigger

Heather Taffet became one of the show’s most prolific serial criminals, not to mention one of the scariest female murderers in film and TV history, and all while she was under the cover of being a prosecutor herself. She evaded suspicion due to her using her ex-husband’s last name. As The Gravedigger, she abducted victims and held them for ransom. Two of her victims never paid the ransom and subsequently died and the bodies were never found.

Having almost killed both Brennan and Hodgins (T. J. Thyne) very early on, Taffet was one of the most detestable villains on the show even after they were captured. She represents herself at trial but is gruesomely shot and killed by Broadsky outside the courthouse.

1 Christopher Pelant

Christopher Pelant was the worst of the worst when it comes to serial killers in the show. Pelant was a skilled hacker who evaded his previous murders by erasing his identity and creating a new one. Calling himself a “hacktivist”, he used his skills to infiltrate government websites, taking down the Senate website and Department of Defense network, and stole everything he needed to know about the Jeffersonian team.

Pelant was a master manipulator who used detailed information that he’d gathered to even convince a young woman to commit several murders for him. He’s smart enough to frame Brennan and he’s the one that ultimately points them to the Ghost Killer.

About The Author

Gabriela Silva
(477 Articles Published)

Gabriela Silva is a List writer for Screen Rant with experience in all things television, film and pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University with previous years experience interning for Cliché Magazine.

With her passion for movies, television and entertainment, she’s interviewed some great actors from Cress Williams of ‘Black Lightning’ to Tati Gabrielle from ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.’

Her love for entertainment reaches a broad range of interests from 90s thriller movies, guilty pleasure teen dramas, action-packed MCU movies to popular K-dramas. You’ll most likely find her binge-watching a new television show or movies on Netflix into the early morning.

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