Ethan Slaughter | |
---|---|
Vital Statistics | |
Title | Detective |
Gender | Male |
Status | Alive |
Occupation | NYPD detective |
Spouse(s) | Madeline Corday (ex-wife) |
Character Information | |
Appearances | Headhunters Cool Boys |
Portrayed by | Adam Baldwin |
Ethan Slaughter is a detective with the NYPD Gang Task Force who has teamed up with Richard Castle on occasion.
Slaughter is often not that much liked by other cops as he has very crude methods of finding the criminal, frequently by physically abusing contacts or suspects. He is given a wide berth as he is annoying and obnoxious; he also makes the worst partner, as he doesn't see the need for backup, nor to protect those with him.
Slaughter seems to relish his image, making several Neanderthal and caveman references with regard to himself, and with apparent pride. Due to the death of three partners, two of whom apparently did not even make it through a single day riding with him, Slaughter acquired the nickname of The Widowmaker.
Castle, while reassessing his relationship with Beckett, is drawn to this tough guy antithesis of his Muse, and wants to join him on a case, claiming it as research for his next book. Slaughter, however, is not looking for company, and is about to leave, after conning Castle out of his coat, but has a change of heart upon learning Castle is friends with the Mayor. It later emerges that Slaughter is facing a Disciplinary Board and expects Castle to give him a glowing testimonial as a character witness, in return for letting him tag along.
Castle at first relishes Slaughter's "throw the rulebook out the window" approach, but after being menaced and used as bait by his new "partner", and needing Esposito and Ryan to rescue him, Castle starts to look again at what he has and had. Slaughter is convinced that a particular gang leader is guilty of a murder he is investigating and is willing to plant evidence to frame him.
Only Beckett's intervention, and the evidence she uncovers proving the impossibility of this suspect's guilt, prevent a miscarriage of justice, and lead to the arrest of the true murderer, the victim's father. ("Headhunters")
A few years later, Slaughter had been reassigned from the Gang Task Force amid allegations that he robbed a drug dealer - a charge he vehemently denied - and was in danger of being fired and losing his pension. He teamed up with Castle to investigate the murder of his informant. ("Cool Boys")
Note[]
Slaughter is played by Adam Baldwin, and the episode is rife with lines and moments which recall his previous collaboration with Nathan Fillion, on the sadly short-lived series "Firefly".
He met his ex-wife, Madeline "Maddie" Corday, a successful opera singer, at college; both were musical theater majors. ("Cool Boys")
Unlike many detectives of the NYPD, Slaughter carries a IMI Desert Eagle MK XIX in .44 Magnum as his personal sidearm. ("Cool Boys")