| “ | So what? You saved one little whore! Believe me, she'll never be the same! | „ |
| ~ Amber being unmasked |
Amber (née Brooks) Canardo is the main antagonist of the Criminal Minds episode "The Perfect Storm". She is a misogynist serial killer who tortures and murders young women with the help of her submissive husband, Tony.
She was portrayed by Nicki Aycox.
History[]
Early life[]
Amber Brooks was born in 1985. Her father and brother physically and sexually abused her for years, wile her mother did nothing to protect her. When she was 15, she escaped her home after suffering a particularly brutal rape at the hands of her father, and ran to a local hospital to report him. Her mother followed her to the hospital and told the staff she was lying, and took her home, where her vengeful father was waiting for her.
Amber finally left home at 18, but the damage was done; the abuse had molded her into a sadistic sociopath with a violent hatred of women. She married Tony Canardo and made him her submissive partner in a series of murders of young women. They also enjoyed terrorizing their victims' families by sending them images of their daughters being tortured and murdered. Finally, they get Tony's former cellmate, Joey Davin, to dispose of their victims' cars.
"The Perfect Storm"[]
When the mother their latest victim appeared on TV pleading for the return of her daughter and offering forgiveness for her captor, an infuriated Amber sent a DVD to the woman of her daughter being tortured, raped, and murdered.
Amber kills another girl, Laura Clemensen, and sends a DVD to Laura's parents, which shows her being assaulted, raped and killed. Shortly after seeing that, Laura's father dies of a heart attack.
The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) begins to investigate the murders, and theorize that they are being committed by two killers - a dominant, "alpha" personality who gives orders to a weaker, submissive one. They discover the link between the victims' cars and Davin; when they go to question him, however, they find that he has been murdered.
After Amber kidnaps Tiffany Spears, Tony asks Amber for instructions. The BAU rescues Tiffany, however, and later call Tony in for questioning. Supervisory Agent Jason Gideon believes Tony is the dominant killer, and that Davin was the submissive partner, but there are details of the crimes that do not fit that pattern. Amber goes to the BAU headquarters to bail Tony out, and Agent Aaron Hotchner observes that Tony cannot meet her gaze; he then realizes she is the dominant killer, and that Tony is the submissive partner.
After being confronted with DNA evidence, Tony confesses to committing the murders with Amber. As the local police take Amber and Tony into custody, Amber curses her victims and brags that Tiffany will never be the same after what she and Tony did to her.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Amber is the second Criminal Minds villain to hate people of their own gender; the first is Vincent Perotta, who appeared in the first season.
- She and Tony Canardo were based on real-life serial killers Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, who raped several teenage girls and young women in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They videotaped their assaults, and eventually murdered three of their victims, Tammy Homolka (Karla's younger sister), Leslie Mahaffy, and Kristen French.