Some Dexter props are so iconic that they deserve to be displayed in true Leon Prater fashion.
Over the course of its eleven unforgettable seasons, Dexter has accumulated countless props, each carrying a piece of the show’s legacy. Most of these items have been carefully preserved by Showtime and the production company, stored away like relics. But some props are simply too iconic to stay hidden. Among the most memorable of them all is the legendary Trinity Killer hammer, first introduced in Dexter Season 4.
This weapon made its debut in Episode 5, “Dirty Harry,” when Arthur Mitchell purchased the hammer from a local Miami hardware store. As part of his ritualistic “kill cycles,” Mitchell used the tool to recreate the brutal murder of a middle-aged man, a symbolic representation of his own father. The hammer itself was a Grant 24-ounce steel framing hammer, model number 514.
Later in the season, after Dexter’s complex relationship with Arthur began to unravel, the hammer took on new significance. Dexter used it to frame Stan Beaudry as the Trinity Killer, ensuring Arthur’s capture and ultimately claiming him as his next victim. The prop later appeared in the possession of Miami Metro and the FBI as evidence in the Trinity case, but it seems like its journey didn’t end there.
Years later, in Dexter: Resurrection, the infamous hammer resurfaced in the hands of Leon Prater, the billionaire collector of serial killer memorabilia. In Episode 4, “Call Me Red,” fans were thrilled to see the hammer once again, displayed among Prater’s collection. This surprising reappearance inspired one of the show’s writers to give the prop an even more symbolic resting place: the Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 writers’ room.
Earlier today, executive producer Scott Reynolds shared a photo of the hammer proudly mounted on the wall of the writers’ office, framed and accented with blood spatter. “Just put up the Trinity Killer hammer (from Prater’s vault) complete blood spatter, in my Dexter: Resurrection S2 office,” Reynolds wrote, teasing fans that writing for Season 2 is officially underway.
The hammer isn’t the only gruesome artifact decorating the Dexter writers’ room. Another prop, a table lamp made of human skin, inspired by real-life serial killer Ed Gein, has also found a place there. The lamp first appeared in Dexter: Original Sin, during a fantasy sequence in Episode 7, “The Big Bad Body Problem.” It later returned in Dexter: Resurrection, displayed in Prater’s vault alongside other macabre treasures. The design was so disturbingly well executed that the writers couldn’t resist bringing it back.
With the Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 writers’ room now officially open for just over two weeks, fans can expect Scott Reynolds and the creative team to continue teasing behind-the-scenes glimpses like this.