Sylar's victims

Sylar's victims
Sylar stands over a mistaken victim, Jackie Wilcox.
First occurrence:	Don't Look Back

As Sylar travels across North America, he leaves a growing number of victims.

Methods

Sylar has used several methods to attack his victims:

• Blunt force
• Decoy
• Electrocuting them
• Freezing them
• Impaling them
• Telekinetically throwing them and slicing them

Additionally, some victims have the top of their skulls cut off, and their brains removed. Sylar can replicate the special powers of his victims because he has intuitive aptitude, the ability to see how things work. (Six Months Ago)

• Mohinder Suresh discovers that Sylar owns an extensive collection of autopsy books in his apartment. It is implied that Sylar is perfecting his technique. (One Giant Leap)
• Not every victim is killed in this manner, as indicated by Sylar targeting evolved humans for brain removal in order to gain their powers.

List of Victims

Name	Description	Reference	Power Taken
Bridget Bailey	Bridget is given to Sylar by Angela Petrelli and kills her to take her power of clairsentience.	One of Us, One of Them	Clairsentience
Bob Bishop	Sylar kills Bob and takes his ability.	The Butterfly Effect	Alchemy
Elle Bishop	After a romantic fling with Elle, Sylar realizes he cannot change from the monster he is, and slices open Elle's skull before burning her corpse.	The Eclipse, Part 2	None
Gael Cruz	Sylar mistakenly opens Gael's skull, thinking he is special.	Dreams Until Death	None
A Danko team squad	When Sylar is ambushed by a squad that is attempting to capture him, he easily slaughters them all in Samson Gray's home.	A Clear and Present Danger	None
David	In July 2006, Sylar kills a white male in Chicago.	Turning Point	Unknown
Dennis	A level 5 escapee that Sylar hunts in his solo mission.	Viewpoints	None
Brian Davis	Sylar's first victim (while still known as Gabriel Gray/Gabriel Sylar) was (manually) hit from behind with a large crystal in April 2006. After Brian's murder, Sylar acquired his power of telekinesis.	Six Months Ago	Telekinesis
Echo DeMille	Throat slit at Primatech Research.	Dual	None
Derek	Sylar kills him with a brick at a shop in Mexico.	The Kindness of Strangers	None
Eric Doyle	As Doyle tries to protect Meredith Gordon, Sylar concentrates and overpowers Doyle's control over him, giving Doyle a nosebleed and causing him intense pain. At the Carnival in Central Park, Sylar faces off with Doyle to save Emma Coolidge. After Emma incapacitates Doyle with a blast, Sylar telekinetically pins Doyle to the ground and subdues him, but ties him up with light cables rather than kill him.	Dual, Brave New World	None
An FBI agent	Sylar impales the agent who was guarding Molly at FBI Headquarters.	One Giant Leap	None
Meredith Gordon	Sylar injects Meredith with adrenaline, causing her to lose control of her ability and burn to death.	Dual	None
Virginia Gray	After discovering the truth about Sylar, his adoptive mother attacks him with a pair of scissors, leading to Sylar accidentally killing her with them.	The Hard Part	None
Hank	The Company medical professional is found dead in Sylar's cell after Sylar fakes his own death.	The Fix	None
Hank (Shadowboxing)	Sylar bludgeons him with a tire iron while in control of Matt's body.	Shadowboxing	None
Alejandro Herrera	In a fight over Maya, Sylar fatally stabs Alejandro with a knife. Sylar was unable to take away his ability due to the Shanti virus.	Truth & Consequences	None
Homeland Security agents	Sylar fights three DHS agents at the Olympic Coffee Shop and Restaurant; later he slays a group of them inside their van.	Building 26	None
Bianca Karina	Sylar mistakenly breaks Bianca's neck, thinking she isn't special.	Dreams Until Death	None
Sue Landers	Sylar kills Sue on her birthday, taking her powers to determine if Arthur and Angela lied about being his parents.	Our Father	Lie detection
Dr. Livitz	Attempting to save Peter, Sylar telekinetically throws Dr. Livitz against the wall, impaling him on wall fixtures.	Eris Quod Sum	None
Joe Macon	Sylar kills Joe in his office in Pittsburgh, PA.	Out of Town... On Business	Imprinting
Eden McCain	The Company agent is attacked by Sylar through his holding cell's glass, but shoots herself before he can take her power.	Fallout	None
Isaac Mendez	In a possible future, Hiro enters Isaac's apartment and discovers Isaac dead, having had his brain removed by Sylar. In October 2006, Isaac creates a painting that is a prophecy of his own death. After his encounter with Peter in Mohinder's apartment, Sylar kills Isaac on November 5, 2006. His wrist and ankles are telekinetically impaled with paint brushes and Sylar removes his brain.	Don't Look Back, .07%	Precognition
Tom Miller	Sylar pretends to be Rebel as Danko comes for Tom. After having Tom display his ability, Sylar removes his brain and takes his power.	I Am Sylar	Disintegration
Jesse Murphy	Sylar uses his telekinesis to trap Jesse in a bank he was helping to rob, then takes his ability.	One of Us, One of Them	Sound manipulation
Northeast Brewing Company trucker	Sylar kills the man who helped him; he telekinetically jams broken beer bottles into his body.	Road Kill	None
Nathan Petrelli	Sylar slits Nathan's throat using telekinesis. Sylar acquires Nathan's power at the same time, but does it empathically moments before killing him rather than through brain removal.	An Invisible Thread	None
Arthur Petrelli	Sylar telekinetically stops a bullet fired by Peter, then asks Arthur if he is truly his father. When Sylar realizes Arthur is lying, he projects the bullet through Arthur's head.	Our Father	None
Danny Pine	Sylar cuts off Danny's arm. He is confirmed dead.	Dual	Unknown
Primatech guards	Sylar murders at least five guards at Primatech. Four guards are seen lying dead in the hallways. A fifth guard is seen dead in a chair with his throat slit.	Dual	None
A rabbit	Sylar cuts a rabbit with a knife	Shades of Gray	None
Dale Smither	Sylar gets overly excited when learning of her power. That night, he kills her.	Unexpected	Enhanced hearing
Theodore Sprague	On November 7, 2006 Sylar uses telekinesis to crash and flip a FBI truck holding Ted, then takes Ted's ability while he is dangling upside-down and still handcuffed.	Landslide	Induced radioactivity
Chandra Suresh	In a dream, Mohinder witnesses Sylar punch through the glass partition of his father's cab and slam Chandra's head against the driver's side window repeatedly before breaking his neck.	Seven Minutes to Midnight	None
Sylar's decoy victim	In June 2006, Sylar gives his clothes to an old man as a decoy. Audrey is duped into thinking she found Sylar, and shoots the old man.	Turning Point	None
Zane Taylor	Sylar remembers the man's name from Chandra's map, and impersonates Mohinder Suresh to meet him. Sylar then steals his identity and power.	Run!	Melting
Uniformed police officer	In an unaired scene, Sylar freezes a cop guarding Molly.	One Giant Leap (unaired scene)	None
Unknown victim from Barstow	Audrey mentions a victim from Barstow, CA, who was killed in a manner similar to Sylar's other victims, but who survived long enough to say Sylar's name.	Don't Look Back	None
James Walker	On October 2, 2006, James Walker, Molly Walker's father, is found dead in his home, his head frozen and his brain removed.	Don't Look Back	Freezing
Mrs. Walker	Molly Walker's mother is found pinned to the side of the staircase with household objects, with no sign of physical contact.	Don't Look Back	None
Jackie Wilcox	Mistaking her for Claire Bennet, Sylar kills the cheerleader at Union Wells High School. This fulfills the painting by Isaac and Peter.	Homecoming	None
Candice Willmer	Sylar smashes a coffee cup over her head, and uses a shard to gain access to the brain, but he is unable to take her ability because of the Shanti Virus.	Kindred	None
Trevor Zeitlan	Sylar's second victim (while still known as Gabriel Gray/Gabriel Sylar) was telekinetically held against a wall as Sylar took his ability.	Villains	Shattering

List of Attempted Victims

Name	Description	Reference
Claire Bennet	In a locker room Sylar forcibly throws Claire aside to focus on Jackie Wilcox; Claire is promptly saved by regeneration. Sylar finds Claire in Costa Verde and removes the top of her skull. He takes her ability of regeneration, but notes that he cannot kill her.	Homecoming The Second Coming
Noah Bennet	Sylar telekinetically throws his former captor against the repaired glass window. Sylar throws Noah across Kirby Plaza. Sylar restrains Noah and attempts to kill him by cutting his throat before Hiro Nakamura intervenes.	Distractions How to Stop an Exploding Man The Eclipse, Part 2
Sandra Bennet	At the Bennets' home, Sylar causes Sandra to be thrown into a glass bookshelf.	Distractions
Audrey Hanson	When the agent draws her gun on Sylar and orders him to stop, she is somehow hurled backward. Sylar then makes her point her gun at her own head. Matt arrives and fires several shots at the suspect, ending the ordeal.	One Giant Leap
Maya Herrera	When Maya realizes Sylar killed her brother, he shoots her in the chest before she can lose control, killing her. However, she is later brought back to life with some of Claire's blood.	Powerless
Captain Lubbock	In the House of Mirrors at the carnival, Sylar electrocutes Captain Lubbock. Sylar walks away before Lubbock is killed by Edgar.	Tabula Rasa
Ando Masahashi	Ando arrives at Isaac's loft to battle Sylar, but Sylar sneaks up behind him and attempts to cut his throat. However, Hiro comes in and quickly saves Ando from being killed.	How to Stop an Exploding Man
Hiro Nakamura	Sylar tries to finish Hiro by throwing him across Kirby Plaza, but Hiro teleports away before crashing into the building behind him. When Hiro alters time to save Charlie Andrews, Sylar repeatedly attacks him, but Hiro freezes time each time to free himself and makes a deal with Sylar who agrees after detecting Hiro's tumor.	How to Stop an Exploding Man, Once Upon a Time in Texas
Matt Parkman	After Matt fires several shots at Sylar, Sylar stops the bullets telekinetically, then projects them back at Matt. Matt later recovers from his wounds (presumably through hospital care).	How to Stop an Exploding Man, Four Months Later...
Angela Petrelli	When Sylar regains his body, he makes Angela and Peter dine with him. After he finishes a pie, begins to open Angela's skull but Nathan's memories take over him and he turns back into Nathan.	Thanksgiving
Peter Petrelli	Sylar pursues Peter at Homecoming. He grabs Peter, and they both fall off the bleachers at Union Wells High School, onto the pavement below. Peter, lying twisted and mangled on the ground, absorbs Claire's power of regeneration and survives. Sylar telekinetically pins Peter to the wall and unsuccessfully attempts to cut the top of Peter's head off. When Peter starts to regenerate, Sylar is startled long enough for Peter to break free, but Sylar impales him in the back of the head with a shard of glass, killing Peter before Mohinder subdues him. Peter is able to regenerate after Claire removes the glass. Sylar telekinetically chokes Peter, then uses a parking meter to hit him. However, Niki Sanders takes the meter and knocks Sylar to the ground before Peter absorbs her enhanced strength and uses it to beat on Sylar. Sylar battles Peter and Nathan in the Stanton Hotel, throwing Peter to the floor, but not before he successfully takes shape shifting from him, leaving him with some cuts and bruises. Peter later defeats Sylar by injecting him with a tranquilizer. Sylar attacks Peter and Angela at Thanksgiving dinner after regaining control from Nathan's mind. He pins Peter to the wall and attempts to cut open Angela's head, but Nathan manages to regain control and fly away before he can do anything else. Sylar attacks Peter, disguised as Nurse Hammer, in order to get revenge on him, but Peter tricks him and neutralizes his powers. Sylar attempts to fight Peter physically, but is defeated.	Homecoming Parasite .07% How to Stop an Exploding Man An Invisible Thread Thanksgiving The Fifth Stage
Daniel Simmons	Sylar tortures him in order to know where his father is.	A Clear and Present Danger,Trust and Blood
Samuel Sullivan	Sylar pins Samuel against his trailer and tries to kill him, but is grievously injured by Samuel before he can harm him.	Let It Bleed
Mohinder Suresh	Sylar pins a bloodied Mohinder to the ceiling of his New York apartment.	Parasite
Molly Walker	After failing to locate her at her parents' home, Sylar attempts to abduct James Walker's daughter from FBI Headquarters in Los Angeles.	One Giant Leap

Victims from Alternate Timelines

• Sylar killed Charlie Andrews in the original timeline in 2006, but Hiro Nakamura from the year 2009 has since changed the past, manipulating Sylar to help him save her. (Once Upon a Time in Texas)

Explosion Future

• Sylar kills Claire Bennet in 2006 (String Theory), and an alternate dark-haired Claire in 2011, stealing her ability to heal. (Five Years Gone)
• Sylar kills Candice Willmer and steals her ability to create illusions. (Five Years Gone)
• Sylar kills Nathan Petrelli and steals both his identity and his ability to fly. (Five Years Gone)
• Sylar kills D.L. Hawkins and steals his ability to phase. (Five Years Gone)

Exposed Future

• Gabriel explodes and destroys Costa Verde, causing the deaths of 200,000 people, including Knox, Daphne, and Mr. Muggles.(I Am Become Death)

Memorable Quotes

"We've pieced a trail across a dozen states. All people impaled by household objects. Bones broken. All without any traceable sign of physical contact. But only some of them involve any mutilation of the head or neck, so they don't see the connections."

- Audrey Hanson (One Giant Leap)

"You know, three months ago, my job made perfect sense to me. And then I pulled the Sylar case. Crime scenes with no fingerprints. Bodies frozen; brains removed."

- Audrey (to Matt) (Seven Minutes to Midnight)

"At least six of the people on this list are dead, all of them from the same killer. James Walker in Los Angeles was killed nine days ago. Charlene Andrews two days ago, Midland, Texas."

- Mohinder (to the FBI) (Fallout)

"That sound in your heart, what is it?"

"Murder."

- Dale, Sylar (Unexpected)

"You're not a killer Peter...I am."

- Sylar, (seconds before killing Arthur Petrelli) (Our Father)

"Wow. So you're like a serial killer."

"I'm not a serial killer."

"But you've got a pattern. You go after specific victims, you collect mementos..."

"Okay, technically, I'm a serial killer."

- Luke Campbell, Sylar (Building 26)

"How many of them are there? A dozen? ... Two dozen?"

- Sylar, (to Samuel) (Tabula Rasa)

"How many people have I killed... hundreds I suppose."

"And all of this because of an agreement you made with the defendant?"

"Yup, he told me if I saved the waitress I could have the cheerleader and everybody else I wanted to kill."

"And as long as you saved his girlfriend you could kill some more, willy nilly."

"Willy nilly."

- Sylar, Adam (Pass/Fail)

"All I know is that once I'm free from the temptation of my ability..."

"Mm-mm? You're going to be normal? I'm sorry, that ship sailed 50 murders ago."

- Sylar, Matt (The Art of Deception)

Notes

• In an interview with writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite, they said that three months ago is both when Audrey took the Sylar case, and when Sylar's murders attracted major attention.
• Audrey Hanson mistakenly attributes the death of Dr. Robert Fresco to Sylar. (Nothing to Hide)
• Audrey Hanson states that eight murders are linked to Sylar, which would exclude murders done after the killing of the unnamed FBI agent. (Nothing to Hide)
• Audrey Hanson states that she's pieced together a trail connected to Sylar across a dozen states, implying that he's killed at least 11 people before killing James Walker and his wife. (One Giant Leap)
• Sylar is seen wearing the same broken wristwatch as Chandra's killer in Mohinder's dream (Seven Minutes to Midnight). Assuming the dream is accurate, Chandra Suresh is likely one of Sylar's victims. If so, then why he was killed in such a different fashion from the others likely has some significance.
• Eden McCain believed that Sylar was Chandra's killer; she tells Mohinder she's going to take care of his father's killer right before her encounter with Sylar. (Fallout)
• Mohinder tells the FBI that six people on the list have been killed, including Charlie Andrews and James Walker. (Fallout) Brian Davis and Trevor Zeitlan are also on the list. Two other victims prior to Charlie had their brains exposed, implying they may be the remaining two victims from the list.
• Sylar tends to assume the identity of his victims. He has used the identities of Zane Taylor, Nathan Petrelli, James Martin, and Isaac Mendez to his advantage after killing them. He has also used Mohinder's identity when falsely identified by Zane, and Micah's identity when falsely identified by Tom Miller.
• Sylar has killed at least 50 people. In Pass/Fail, the Sylar in Hiro's subconscious claims he may have killed hundreds.

Gallery

• 
  Sylar's first murder weapon was a crystal from his shop.
  (Six Months Ago)
• 
  James Walker was frozen in his own home.
  (Don't Look Back)
• 
  Charlie's encephalectomy occurred in an alternative timeline at the Burnt Toast Diner.
  (Seven Minutes to Midnight)
• 
  Isaac, in the future timeline Hiro saw, was killed in his studio.
  (Don't Look Back)
• 
  When she attempts to stab Sylar with a pair of scissors, Virginia Gray is accidentally stabbed and killed in the ensuing struggle.
  (The Hard Part)
• 
  Sylar prepares to take Ted's Induced radioactivity...
  (Landslide)
• 
  ...and three years later, takes out all of Costa Verde, CA
  (I Am Become Death)
• 
  Sylar takes Claire's ability while she retains consciousness.
  (The Second Coming)

See Also

• For a complete gallery of Sylar's victims, see the gallery.

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Sylar's victims for fan-created theories and other speculation.