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"Don't you forget that you never see the bullet that takes you down."
―Broadsky

Jacob "Jake" Ripkin Broadsky aka the Hand of God was the main antagonist of season 6.

Profile[]

Jacob Ripkin Broadsky is a sniper-turned-assassin associate of Booth's who shot and killed the Gravedigger, a serial killer, with a handmade .338 Lapua Magnum in "The Bullet in the Brain". One of the best and most highly trained snipers in the world, Broadsky was a recurring character in Season 6 as the "Anti-Booth" just as the Gravedigger was the Anti-Brennan. After being identified as the killer, he went on the run and essentially became a serial killer in his own right who kills people he arbitrarily deems unfit without going through a trial.

According to his Personnel Records, Jacob Broadsky was born in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 13, 1970. He received Special Forces training in the military and graduated at the top 16 of his class at Fort Stewart. Broadsky served as a Sergeant Major in the first Gulf War, training counter-snipers. Afterwards, he moved to a hostage rescue unit in Dallas, Texas along with one of his associates, William Preston. A year later, Broadsky was indicted for murder after going rogue during a mission, shooting and killing a masked gunman before he got the official go-ahead. He asserted that he had done it to save the hostage's life and done so within the restrictions of his job description, but his superiors thought otherwise and called it murder. However, his unit believed he was innocent for killing the masked gunman and began nicknaming him the "Hand of God". Before he could be charged, he went into hiding. Preston described Broadsky as someone who hunts, loves to kill, and would "get a kick" out of stealing an identity. He also said other snipers he knows would send him things like copper, which he uses to create handmade bullets for his sniper rifles, though he has been known to meet directly with his associates for more advanced cutting edge weapons.

In "The Killer in the Crosshairs", he kills Walter Coolidge, a counterfeiter who recently escaped the justice system for his part in the murder of three undercover cops, inciting Booth and Brennan to try and stop him before he strikes again. They determine that he has a girlfriend in the U.S. Marshall office that is providing the names of all his victims and her name is Paula Ashwaldt. Because they caught her she kills herself and Broadsky blames Booth. He attempts to kill Gregory Allen, a crooked cop who took a bribe from a drunk driver to cover the death of a mother and two children, but is stopped by Booth and his rifle is destroyed as a result.

In "The Hole in the Heart", Broadsky tries to kill Booth in the Jeffersonion Lab (using an infrared scope to see body heat through the wall). However, he accidentally kills Vincent Nigel-Murray, when Murray answers Booth's phone while Booth is attempting to set up a tracking system to trace Broadsky's location. By the end of the episode, Booth is able to capture Broadsky. Tracking him to the docks, they engage in a sniper-to-sniper fight where Jacob's broken hand would put Jacob at disadvantage, but he has the high ground. Booth incapacitates Jacob, shooting him in the leg, and keeps him alive by stepping on his wound until the paramedics arrive.

Modus Operandi[]

Broadsky found potential targets, who were usually criminals, and got access to the first two with help from Paula Ashwaldt. Afterwards, he would call an enemy of the target who would be willing to pay to have that person eliminated and name a price. When they accepted, he would kill the target by shooting him/her with his rifle, which was loaded with copper bullets made by Broadsky himself.

Victims[]

Clients[]

  • James Kent (hired him to kill Heather Taffet)
  • Raul Ortiz (hired him to kill Walter Coolidge)
  • Unknown client (hired him to kill Gregory Allen)

Accomplices[]

Notes[]

  • It should be noted that during his killing spree he actually killed more innocent people than criminals.
  • It was never revealed what happened to the land that Broadsky purchased in Booth's name. More than likely it was seized by the F.B.I.
  • To date, Broadsky is the first recurring antagonist to survive his story arc. The second is Glen Durant.
  • Broadsky could be considered as both the Anti-Booth just as Heather Taffet was regarded as the Anti-Brennan, but can also be seen as the Ra's Al Ghul to Seeley Booth's Batman (Based on the Nolan films), as Broadsky taught Booth all that he knows but considered himself above the law and went rogue killing those he viewed as criminals.
  • In "The Movie in the Making", Arastoo mentioned Broadsky as a Serial Sniper when he explained Vincent Nigel-Murray's death while standing next to Vincent's commemorative plaque.
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