The television show Psych was beloved for the loveable cast of characters. This quirky team worked together to solve many crimes, apprehending several criminals. Often times, these criminals made one time appearances on the show but other times, they were reoccurring characters.
Whether the characters made a one-time appearance or became reoccurring characters on the show, certain criminals were more memorable than others. Sometimes these characters were unforgettable due to the nature of their crimes and sometimes it was due to their personalities. Check out these noteworthy criminals and the reasons they cemented their place in Psych history.
Brittany Wilcox
When 8-year-old Brittany Wilcox approached Gus and Shawn’s agency and asked them to get Santa out of jail before Christmas, they were quick to help out the tear struck young girl. Little did they know, Santa was actually Brittany’s father Carl.
The reason she was so eager to get her father out of jail is because she is actually a con artist and needed her father’s assistance to pull off an upcoming job. This young criminal certainly left an impression on Psych fans as they were shocked that this seemingly innocent little girl turned out to be the main culprit in her episod.
Sally Reynolds
The civil war reenactment episode is a fan-favorite. During the reenactment, one of the actors is murdered. When an investigation is launched, Shawn discovers that Sally was actually the intended target of the murder. Shawn begins to grow close with her and the pair are flirtatious. Although the murderer is later revealed to be someone else, Sally is still implicated as she was involved with an insurance scam.
Allison Crowley
The Yin/Yang storyline is one of the few reoccurring criminal cases on the show. As such, any of the criminals involved in this storyline stand out. When Allison is first shown, she appears to be a victim, having escaped Yin’s house. She gains Shawn and Gus’ trust and they even let her spend the night at Henry’s house.
It is later revealed that Allison was actually Yin’s assistant all along. She is even able to deliver Shawn and Gus to Yin and tie them to a chair. Luckily, she is unable to fool Juliet and after a fight, Allison is arrested.
Zapato
When a judge on the television show American Duos hires Shawn to protect him after a series of attempts on his life, Shawn and Gus are excited to go undercover. They pretend to be contestants on the show and soon discover that the attempts on Nigel’s life are being carried out by a repeat contestant auditioning under the name Bevin Rennie Llywellen.
Although the acts were carried out by Bevin, they were orchestrated by fellow judge Zapato who was tired of being ignored and overlooked because of Nigel.
The Mantis
A crime fighter referred to as The Mantis was known for taking down the Camino Drug Syndicate. Though originally thought to be a Good Samaritan vigilante, it was later revealed that this crime fighter was actually motivated by crime as he had been stealing millions of dollars in drug money.
The Mantis turns out to be a reporter for the Santa Barbara Sentinel named Reginald Parker and was one of the most successful in fooling Shawn as Shawn and Gus assisted him in taking down some Caminos before realizing that he was actually stealing from them.
Camden McCallum, Sr.
The pilot episode will always be one of the most memorable episodes of the series. In this episode, Shawn attempts to help a family after their son is believed to be kidnapped.
Shawn discovers that the son has faked his own kidnapping in an attempt to con his family out of money. Camden McCallum, Sr. also discovers this and an argument between him and his son ensues. During the altercation, McCallum Sr. accidentally murders his son.
Pierre Despereaux
Pierre Despereaux is an intelligent and sophisticated criminal who Shawn believes is the “Greatest Thief That Ever Lived.” This reoccurring criminal steals expensive items by committing elaborate crimes with a flourish. Though he originally appears as a criminal in an episode, Despereaux later returns in several different roles.
In his second appearance, he is a victim of a crime, framed by a former girlfriend. In his last two appearances, Despereaux and Shawn team up together to solve crimes. His fourth appearance ends with an air of mystery as it is unclear whether Despereaux is a criminal who has infiltrated Interpol or an undercover agent.
Marlow
Marlowe is a criminal introduced in a vampire-themed episode in which murder victims were being found drained of blood. Marlowe and Lassiter immediately form a connection.
Unfortunately for Lassiter, Marlowe is an accomplice to her brother’s crimes as he was committing the murders to obtain O-Negative blood due to a condition that requires frequent blood transfusions. Marlowe attempted to dissuade him from murdering people by stealing blood from blood banks. When Marlowe is arrested and sent to jail, Lassiter commits to waiting for her and the two later marry and have a child together.
Yin
Mr. Yin is a serial killer who works with his partner, Mr. Yang. Although Mr. Yin gets less screen time than Mr. Yang, Mr. Yin is clearly the more dangerous half of the pair. Yin is extremely unpredictable and doesn’t follow any rules, making him extremely hard to catch. Yin even evades Shawn for a while as at first, Shawn isn’t even aware of Yin’s existence.
Yin murders Mary, who is assisting Shawn in the investigation and kidnaps Juliet, tying her to the top of a clock tower. As Juliet’s life hangs in the balance, Yin drugs Buzz and kidnaps Shawn’s girlfriend Abigail, forcing Shawn to choose one person to save. He is one of the only criminals on the show to escape capture during his first appearance. Yin later returns and captures Shawn and Gus with assistance from Allison. Instead of being brought to justice by Shawn, Yin is murdered by Yang.
Yang
Mr. Yang is the other half of Mr. Yin’s serial killing duo. She operates on a strict set of rules and is obsessed with Shawn, having met him when he was about 9 years old. Mr. Yang enjoys playing a game of cat and mouse with her victims and initiates a game with Shawn. Determined to take her down, Shawn accepts. This results in the kidnapping of Shawn and Gus’ waitress. After they save the waitress, Shawn’s mother Madeleine is held hostage instead with a bomb strapped to her.
After Yang’s arrest, it becomes clear that she was working with a partner. With further investigation, it is revealed that Yang has never actually killed anyone and only went along with Yin’s plans as he was her father and she wanted to be part of a loving family. Yang has one other appearance in which she is released from jail to help Shawn and the Santa Barbara Police Department capture a criminal named Z. During this episode, she saves Shawn’s life while he is being attacked, making her the most memorable criminal of all time.