Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dexter: Original Sin and Dexter season 7.Harry Morgan’s (Christian Slater) days as a Narcotics detective inDexter: Original Sinsaw him hunt for Hector Estrada, but the prequel show didn’t explain just how important the drug kingpin is. Thecast ofDexter: Original Sinincludes several characters from the original series. Major characters like Harry and Debra obviously pop up in the story of Dexter’s early days as a serial killer, but there are also some more minor figures who play a much more important role in the prequel series. Some of them only appeared in a few episodes ofDexter’s eight seasons, and viewers may have forgotten who they were.

One character who was somewhat forgettable inDexterbut should prove to be indispensable inOriginal Sinis Hector Estrada. InDexter: Original Sinepisode 2 and 3, Harry recruited Laura Moser (Brittany Allen) to work as his criminal informant in the search for Estrada, a major drug dealer in Miami. While Laura herself is memorable for being Dexter’s mother, Estrada’s name doesn’t carry nearly as much weight. Despite not having a huge role in the original series, Hector Estrada was one of the biggest reasons Dexter became a serial killer in the first place, and everyone should know why he’s so important toOriginal Sin.

Laura Moser (Brittany Allen) in Dexter: Original Sin season 1, episode 1

Hector Estrada Is The Drug Lord Who Killed Dexter’s Mother, Laura Moser

Hector Estrada & His Men Killed Laura For Working As Harry’s Criminal Informant

In bothOriginal Sinand the originalDexter, Hector Estrada had a major effect on Dexter.Estrada eventually found out that Laura was working as a criminal informant for the police, which caused him to order two of his men to brutally murder Laura in a shipping container. Unfortunately, both of Laura’s sons - Dexter and Brian - were present for the execution, and they were left sitting in a pool of their mother’s blood for days. Harry Morgan eventually found the shipping container and rescued the boys, and he adopted Dexter as his own son.

Hector Estrada is played by Nestor Serrano inDexterand by Carlo Mendez inDexter: Original Sin.

A composite image of Dexter looking on in front of Dexter standing with this father in Dexter: Original Sin

The reason Hector Estrada is such an important part of Dexter’s development is because Laura’s murder created Dexter’s dark passenger. Dexter was traumatized by watching his mother getting butchered and then sitting in her blood for days, and it created his infatuation with blood. That, in turn, created his desire to kill, which eventually led to him becoming a serial killer.In a way, Hector Estrada is the reason Dexter became a killer, and he indirectly killed himself almost 40 years after he killed Laura.

Dexter Kills Hector Estrada In Dexter Season 7 After Killing The Rest Of Laura’s Murderers

Maria LaGuerta Got Hector Released From Prison So She Could Catch Dexter

Years later, inDexterseason 7, Dexter finally got a chance to take revenge against Hector Estrada for what he did to Laura Moser. Dexter had already killed one of the men responsible for Laura’s death - Santos Jimenez - but he had to wait until Estrada was released from prison to kill the leader. Jimenez had turned on Estrada at some point in the past, and he entered witness protection while Estrada went to jail.Then, when Maria LaGuerta was trying to prove that Dexter was the Bay Harbor Butcher, she had Estrada released to tempt Dexter into killing him, which he did.

Is Hector Estrada Really The One Holding Jimmy Powell In Dexter: Original Sin?

Hector Estrada May Have Been Arrested For Kidnapping Jimmy Powell, Not Murdering Laura Moser

There’s a chance that Hector Estrada may have an even bigger role inOriginal Sinthan he already does.Original Sinrevealed that Judge Powell’s son, Jimmy, had been kidnapped, though it didn’t show by who. Captain Spencer (Patrick Dempsey) suggested that the cartel may have kidnapped Jimmy because of the judge’s history of being tough on drugs.If Spencer is right, then it could very well be Estrada who kidnapped Jimmy. He’s the only cartel member the show has mentioned so far, and the original series never specified when Estrada went to jail, only that he did sometime before the beginning ofDexter.

Dexter: Original Sin Season 2 - Confirmation & Everything We Know

Showtime’s Original Sin explores the life of Dexter Morgan in the early 1990s, and now the prequel series has scored a season 2 renewal.

There are, however, a few hints that Estrada went to jail in the immediate aftermath of Laura’s death. InDexterseason 2, which takes place 15 years afterOriginal Sin, Francis suggested that Jimenez had been under witness protection for 34 years, which would also mean that Estrada had been in jail for a similar amount of time.It seems possible that Spencer was wrong, and that someone other than Estrada and the cartel kidnapped Jimmy Powell. Whoever is ultimately responsible will likely have to worry about not only the police catching them, but also Dexter himself.

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F is for Fuck-Up

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Business and Pleasure

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Code Blues

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Though someone else could have kidnapped Jimmy Powell, the chance to give Harry Morgan another run-in with Estrada in the present seems like too good of an opportunity forOriginal Sinto pass up. It would bring up so many emotions about Laura and her murder, and it would also cause such an interesting conflict with Harry trying to hide the truth about Dexter’s mother. Tying Estrada to Jimmy’s kidnapping would also perfectly connect Harry’s flashbacks with the current storyline inDexter: Original Sinthat the show may do it just to take advantage of all the story opportunities it creates.

Dexter: Original Sin

Cast

Dexter: Original Sin explores Dexter Morgan’s early years in 1991 Miami as he transitions from student to avenging serial killer. Guided by his father, Harry, Dexter crafts a moral code and navigates a forensics internship at Miami Metro Police, all while controlling his darker impulses.

Dexter

Dexter is a television series following Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Police who secretly leads a dual life as a vigilante serial killer. Released in 2006, the show focuses on Dexter’s internal conflict as he hunts down criminals who elude justice within the legal system.