Darryl Kern is the main antagonist of the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Manhunt". He is a serial killer who commits a series of brutal murders in New York City and Canada.
He was portrayed by R.E. Rogers, who also portrayed Tommy Callahan in a later SVU episode, "Goliath".
History[]
A sadistic psychopath, Kern joined the US Army because he believed that its only purpose was to kill people. He was dishonorably discharged after committing multiple infractions, including animal torture. Kern befriended another soldier, Marvin Posey, and the two began to kidnap, rape, torture, and kill women in New York.
After Kern kidnapped another woman, he left her with Posey while he went to work. The woman managed to escape, however, and called the police. Kern and Posey fled and killed a farmer on the Canadian border. He and Posey then took over the ranch and built a military bunker in preparation for what Kern believed to be an impending race war.
Soon after, Special Victims Unit detectives John Munch and Odafin Tutuola begin to investigate Kern's crimes after a witness - who, unbeknownst to them, is Posey using an alias - comes forward about the latest victim's kidnapping in order to throw the police off their trail. Ultimately, however, Kern grows tired of Posey and brutally murders him before leaving the farm and kidnapping a woman and her daughter. Munch and Tutola arrive at the farm and find several of Kern's victims buried on the property, but are too late to catch Kern himself.
The Canadian police arrest Kern for shoplifting, and rescue his hostages. Munch interrogates Kern, who brags about being one step ahead of the police for over a year; he then gloats that he will not be executed, as Canada does not extradite criminals to death penalty states on capital charges. Assistant District Attorney Alex Cabot manages to convince the trial judge to extradite Kern's shoplifting case to New York City, however, which means that she can also try him on the capital charges. Kern is then returned to New York to stand trial for multiple murders, for which he is presumably found guilty and executed.