Peter Leshansky

Dr. Peter R. Leshansky is a delusional serial killer who appeared in Unholy Alliance in Profiler.

Background
Peter Leshansky worked as a computer engineer for the military and earned a Ph.D. in physics. He's one of several people who collaborated on a project to develop the programming for a prized missile guidance system, the Windstorm. He had an abnormal obsession with the I Ching, or The Book of Changes, an ancient Chinese book of philosophy derived from Taoism that can be used to answer questions about the future and unknown, which he frequently did with the help of three Chinese flip coins; his obsession was evident in the medallion he wore around his neck in his profile photo, that of Yin and Yang, a symbol also derived from Daoism. His mind soon became erratic and unhinged, and he developed a delusion where the I Ching would instruct him to kill people as part of his destiny and theirs, the delusion so severe the walls of his house were covered with hexagrams and his home littered with papers with equations all over them. In 1986, he soon became a serial killer, murdering three people based on what interpreted from the I Ching in varying methods, always posing them, drawing hexagrams predicted from the flip coins on the backs of their necks, and taking items from them postmortem. His supervisor, Colonel Henry Deems, was privy of Leshansky's crimes and assisted in covering up his and Leshansky's involvements. Eventually, Army Private Gary Gunn murdered his ex-girlfriend, Lisa Wilson, and posed her in the same manner as Leshansky's victims, attempting to frame him for the crime; instead, Deems incriminated Gunn for Wilson's murder as well as framed him for Leshansky's murders. The plan succeeded, and Gunn was convicted and imprisoned, soon after.

Unholy Alliance
One night, Leshansky asks another question, "instructing" him to kill someone with purple kneepads. While out walking, he sees Max Turner rollerblading after just getting groceries and notices he's wearing kneepads of the color "prophesized". Leshansky ducks out of sight until Turner gets closer to him, and then he fatally blitz-attacks Turner with a single stab to his heart before performing his usual ritual, also taking Turner's kneepads. He calls Deems, who helps with yet another cover-up and even closes Turner's eyes, leaving behind his print on Turner's eyelid. The VCTF investigates, and Bailey Malone, recognizing the M.O. as the murders Gunn was wrongfully convicted for, reopens the investigation along with the rest of the team. Soon after, Leshansky murders Keith Hines, entangling him in vines until he suffocates to death. As the VCTF closes in on him, Deems goes over to Leshanky's place and gets into an argument with him over the murders. Realizing Deems to be a liability, and implied under the motivations of another warped prediction, Leshanksky proceeds to drown Deems in his bathroom sink, something Samantha Waters predicts with the I Ching and three flip coins herself. Malone, John Grant and accompanying officers arrive at the house and arrest Leshansky and Deems, ordering for a medic for Deems and Leshansky frantically rambling philosophical and scientific gibberish to the non-listening ears of the agents and officers.

Modus Operandi
Leshansky targeted random people he came across whom he believed the I Ching told him to kill based on the "prophecy" given him. His method of killing was different for each victim, from strangulation to drowning to suffocation. Postmortem, he would draw on the back of their hands or necks the hexagram correlating to the answer from the I Ching he believed told him to kill, and then he would pose them on their knees laying back with their palms facing upward. He would sometimes cover and even mutilate them, like entwining them in vines or pulling some of their teeth, and he would even take items from them, like a watch, a belt, even a pair of kneepads.

Known Victims

 * 1986:
 * Unidentified male victim (strangled; watch taken postmortem)
 * Unidentified female victim (drowned; purse taken postmortem)
 * Unidentified female victim (beaten with her own belt; belt taken postmortem)
 * 1996:
 * Max Turner (stabbed once in the heart and traced an "Oppression" hexagram on him; poured tequila on him, cut his hair, pulled some of his teeth, and took his purple kneepads postmortem)
 * Keith Hines (entwined in vines, suffocated, and traced an "Oppression" hexagram on him)
 * Henry Deems (attempted; drowned in Leshansky's bathroom sink; possibly would've drawn a "Misfortune" hexagram on him; was rescued)

Trivia

 * Leshansky must be based of notorious serial killer Herbert Mullen - both are serial killers with paranoid delusions of an apocalypse if people aren't murdered as "sacrifices", killing them in a variety of different ways and not sticking to a specific type of person to kill.