Meet Israel Keyes, The Real Life Serial Killer Who Inspired Criminal Minds: Evolution’s Main Unsub!

DCS
November 25, 2022

Returning for a second season, “Criminal Minds” will feature the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit facing up against their worst adversary yet. Elias Voit serves as the primary antagonist for the first season of Paramount+’s “Criminal Minds: Evolution,” and he is portrayed by seasoned horror actor Zach Gilford (“The Purge: Anarchy,” “Midnight Mass”). In this technologically advanced, COVID-influenced remake of the old CBS show, the BAU discovers a network of serial killers that Voit deliberately built and supported online.

Although we still don’t fully understand Voit’s plans, we do know that he was an active assassin ten years ago. He (at some point) started a family, as seen in Episode 2, “Sicarius,” and is seen residing in a big, lovely home with his wife and kids. Theoretically, David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) believes that Voit began communicating with serial murderers in other parts of the country during his spare time as a mechanism for him to carry out his violent impulses while under lockdown. Voit creates and disperses “death kits” that include deadly supplies like duct tape, wire, and guns in order to enable the crimes of others. Although Voit is probably a blend of numerous different killers and the writers’ imagination, one inspiration is specifically highlighted in Episode 2.

Kill kits were also used by Israel Keyes

Elias Voit’s death kits are similar to those used by the terrifying real-life serial killer Israel Keyes, as noted by Paget Brewster’s Emily Prentiss. In contrast to Voit, who kept his tools in black, foam-filled luggage, Keyes kept them in plain, orange barrels, as seen in this image from the FBI website. According to CBS News, it’s believed that Keyes killed 11 people, who are shown in the rough and gruesome paintings he painted while he was incarcerated. Keyes committed suicide before all of his misdeeds were brought to justice.

While Keyes’ kits appear to have been made out of convenience, Voit’s kits are intended for his fellow murderers. According to CBS News, Keyes disbursed the containers across the nation while on the road so that they might be found whenever the impulse to murder struck. Similar to Voit, Keyes didn’t have a “victim profile,” picking his victims seemingly at random and digging up kits as needed. The FBI still believes there may be undiscovered Keyes kill kits, therefore they urge the public to report any they come find to the police right once rather than handling them. He used rented cars frequently to avoid being discovered, which is another trait he had in common with Voit and his supporters.