Russell Tillman is a park employee, who is the prime suspect of two murders, as well as a rape. He is portrayed by Dan Donohue.
Background[]
Tillman had a long sheet, which include offenses like animal cruelty, indecent exposure, and a peeping tom incident in Texas. He also had sociopathic issues, that landed him three months in psych ward. It was discovered that he possessed violent urges towards women but was able to keep them under wraps.
He moved to Chicago where he got a job as a park worker while renting from a man named John Gleason. During an argument, his roommate threatened to throw him out but Tillman ended up murdering him. He proceeded to dismember Gleason, knowing full well his claims of self-defense from a wheelchair bound man would not be believed. However, he was aware that he could be tracked through fingerprints so he kept the hands and head in the freezer.
He continued to cash in the well-fare checks from Gleason for extra money, withholding his death from the state.
Sanctuary[]
Tillman was working in the park, when he spotted a young woman named Zoey Sims and his violent urges were aroused, and he decided to fulfill them. He followed Zoey and after she got to a secluded spot, he attacked her and proceeded to rape her before killing Zoey by strangulation. He then left the scene but saw two boys Miles Vincent and Jaylen Hines discovering the body and ran away.
After Zoey was discovered in the park, Tillman was questioned by Officer Kim Burgess on what he saw, and he feigns shock before revealing that he saw two black boys in the area and pins the blame on them. He also gave a fake number to the cops, so that he couldn't be tracked down.
Intelligence reviews the camera footage of the park, spotting Zoey before her death and seeing Tillman following her, realizing that he is the culprit. His DNA is proven to be a match along with his history. The squad searched his home to find him gone but the dismembered head and hands of his roommate Gleason, realizing he murdered him and was still cashing in his checks. They decide to wait for his return.
After he comes back, he spots several unfamiliar cars and realizes they are cops. Figuring out they know the truth; he flees the home in his truck and is pursued by the cops to the woods, quickly abandoning the truck to flee. During the pursuit on foot, Tillman hides in the woods before coming across Det. Alvin Olinsky alone and pulls out his shotgun, ready to shoot him. However, Kim tackles him from behind, saving Olinsky. Kim proceeds to aggressively cuff the man, who complains but Olinsky tells him to shut it, or he'll do worse. He is then arrested and taken away.
In interrogation, Det. Jay Halstead and Sgt. Hank Voight interrogate Tillman on Gleason' murder and he claims nobody would believe him on his statements of self-defense with Gleason, so he disposed of the body. He explains the head and hands were kept because they could link back to him. Voight believes Tillman has had these urges for years and has tried to reign in his urges but the event with Gleason is what led to Zoey's rape and murder. Tillman sticks to his story of it being the two black boys in the church. Disgusted, Voight tells him that he has been a cop for years and the one excuse he hates is when people blame the black kid and silently threatens him to come clean. Scared, Tillman looks to Halstead for help by bringing up that he needs medical attention, but an equally disgusted Halstead tells him not to look at him before Tillman is subjected to harsh punishment by Voight by snapping his shoulder back.
Tillman screams in agony, as Voight admonishes him and orders Tillman to talk, because of what his crimes has led to: two innocent boys being accused and a church getting burned. Staring down the angry Sergeant, he complies and reveals he has had these violent tendencies for years and has tried to keep them in control but when he saw Zoe in the park, he couldn't help himself. Tillman voiced that he was aware that it would be a matter of time before the cops came for him after Gleason's murder, so he figured he had nothing left to lose and acted on his urges. Tillman relishes the experience, stating it was more than he had hoped it was. His words leave Halstead and Voight disgusted, especially at how he was willing to let two innocent boys take the rap for it. As a result, a furious Voight tortures Tillman more for his crimes, with the latter screaming in agony.
As a result, Tillman is charged with double murder, rape, and dismemberment being incarcerated for the rest of his life. His arrest also exonerated Miles and Jaylen who were released once the truth was revealed.
Killed Victims[]
- John Gleason: (Retired Sanitation Worker): Killed in an unspecified way and then his limbs were dismembered by Russell Tillman.
- Zoey Sims: (Saleswoman): Raped and Strangled by Russell Tillman.