JT Tarmel

**JT Tarmel** is a born-and-bred New Yorker, who is a member a member of the NYPD major crimes unit. Tarmel often questions whether Malcolm Bright is a psychopath himself, which has become a sort of running gag in *Prodigal Son*.

## Early Life

Little is known on Tarmel's early life and upbringing.

## Season 1

JT Tarmel is working a case with Dani Powell when they are introduced to Malcolm Bright. He quickly comes to the realization that the woman was killed by a copycat of the serial killer *The Surgeon*.

Days later he accompanies Gil, Dani, and Malcolm to the morgue office. They're informed by Dr. Edrisa Tanaka the women had engaged in consensual bondage. This leads them to the apartment of their Dom, Nico Stavros. They find him tied up, and someone fires at them. The two quickly realize the bomb attached to his chair, however with it ticking clock of 90 seconds. Unable to free him, Malcolm cuts off his hands in order to save him. Gil and JT are at the hospital when they get a phone call and immediately come down to a social party. There they save Malcolm and Dani from Carter Berkhead. JT finds out Malcolm is the son of *The Surgeon*. Gill explains how the two met.

JT and Dani were called to the crime scene in the upper East side by Gil. Unfortunately, they were soon met by Malcolm who had also been called, much to JT's dismay. After visually overlooking the crime scene, Dr. Edrisa Tanaka snipped off the stitches holding the victim's mouth closed, only for multiple black mamba's snakes to exit. Surprisingly Malcolm was able to handle the situation, having owned multiple pet snakes as a child. Back at the precinct, Malcolm confronted JT about his dislike of him. Confirming he was the son of a serial killer, but that didn't make him a bad person. Stunned into silence JT awkwardly asked if growing up with a serial killer as a father was weird. Malcolm confirmed it was.

Following up on an estranged family member, they all met Liam the estranged cousin of the murdered family they'd visited earlier. He ran into a warehouse that was housing many animals on the black market. Everyone chased after him, including Malcolm who had been ordered to stay behind. The chase was cut short after Malcolm got bit by a poisonous snake.

JT and the rest of his team were called out to the forest to examine a murder victim. Malcolm showed up later and brought everyone lollipops. They quickly realized that the man had his entire brain missing. After finding out a lot of the victims were connected to the University's secret experiments using grad students and LSD, they arrived at *Dr. Elaine Brown* house to ask if she could connect any of the dots. She gave them a name Dominic Render and they began staking out her house for the next while expecting him to attack. JT and Malcolm were in the car together, when JT confronted Malcolm about not liking cops. Malcolm insisted he did, not long after changed the subject to trying to guess his first name. Malcolm went inside to ask some questions, and JT followed when he realized all the lights went out. He was very surprised to find a dead victim, and a severely intoxicated doctor pointing a gun. Malcolm was able to talk her down.

He enters a lavish New York apartment to find the dead model. JT is a fan and reveals her body was laid out in the same style as her first major advertisement magazine spread. With her now-boyfriend, Axel X as the photographer. Upon hearing Axel X is outside, Malcolm & Gil confront him. The next day at work, Malcolm talks to Dani about how horrible of a son he has been to his parents and sister *(who he hangs up on)*. Everyone discusses the case, and realize she saw her killed. Malcolm recognizes this intense stalking behavior and head back to her building. While there JT brings up that he met her once in real-life years ago. He was so excited to meet her that after, he couldn't stop smiling about it for weeks. He then points out a suspicious photographer that is way too interested in everything. They chase him down and bring him into the police station, but have to let him go when he lawyers up. Later, JT brings up the boyfriend will be leaving for Europe soon. Malcolm insists they go to the party to head them off, but they can't get a search warrant in time. Malcolm goes to the party alone and soon able to coax Ajax outside with. They are then confronted by the real killer, a friend of Ajax. He tells Ajax to leave, and despite Malcolm's taking heat beats him to die. But before he shot, the rest of the NYPD show up and arrest them both.

JT was surprised to find Malcolm at the crime scene, but with approval from Gil, he showed him into the speakeasy club. Inside were two dead bodies, one belonging to a bodyguard, and a high-end drug dealer named *Jacques Desir*

The team was working on the case after finding a body in the forest that had been stabbed over one hundred times. They suspected the mother's boyfriend, but after Dani & JT following her to the scene of the crime, she attacked Dani and was arrested on charges of murder. It was soon discovered she was trying to cover up her young son, Isaac Parker's crime after he murdered his own father in a semi-organized fit of rage. He later tried to kill the boyfriend, but was stopped by Malcolm and arrested.

JT and the rest of the team were able to go over Malcolm's profile about the recently deceased victims they found inside a junkyard. They were able to determine most were previously abusing drugs and/or alcohol before they went missing. The case was interrupted when Malcolm went to Claremont Psychiatric Hospital and was involved in a locked-down after a patient stabbed his therapist. They were on the phone with him while they fed him information about Tevin Standish. Malcolm was soon able to subdue the man in order for paramedics to enter the building.

JT was called to Malcolm's house along with the rest of the team after Malcolm got a phone call from his father's old phone that hadn't been used in 20 years. He questioned how no one realized the phone was still being paid for, and Jessica just shrugged that that's how business managers are, not overly concerned with a 20-year old Bill. At work, while discussing the profile of Paul Lazar, JT pointed out his embarrassment of Dr. Edrisa Tanaka's flirting with Malcolm. The next day he brought in a box for Malcolm and they soon realized it had a severed hand inside. It was accompanied by a phone call from Paul for Malcolm.

JT works a case about a sex cult with the rest of the team. While on duty Malcolm asks him what he does with his wife on date night, and he admits he and his wife, Tally play pool every Friday night. He is then very annoyed to find Malcolm arrive with his date at the same pool spot the next Friday night. He watches in embarrassment as, *(upon her request)* Malcolm profiles Eve Blanchard, only for her to leave in tears.

JT was called to fancy hotel right before Christmas, giving up his wife's famous dessert. Inside they were greeted with murder-suicide from one of the best, and well-known cops around. He was such an advocate for good police work he had booted out many bad cops. However, Malcolm insisted it was a double murder. Back at the precinct they were interrupted with an old colleague of Malcolm's from the FBI. She accused Malcolm of constantly blaming the mothers of the Cavaliers to which JT hilariously excused himself. Days later he was with skill when they took information from the den mother of the prostitute.

While listening to a quick summary of the last 12 hours Dani and JT were annoyed to be stuck doing grunt work by FBI Colette Swanson. while going over the scrapbook from Matilda's house Dani recognized the cabin and connected it to the one Malcolm had always been trying to locate. She convinced Colette that that is where Paul Lazar would be holding Malcolm and they assembled a SWAT team. However, it was in vain because neither were there.

As part of a sting operation, JT gave his personal testimony to an internal investigator of the NYPD looking into Malcolm's mental breakdown. Wanting to determine if he was fit to return to work after being kidnapped and cutting off part of his own hand. He took this opportunity to voice his concerns about his colleague.

While investigating an elaborately set up attempted murders in the style of the classic book *The Count of Monte Cristo,* He catches a blade before it strikes Malcolm in the face. JT agrees to watch the Taylor family's wedding on TV with his wife.

The entire team was discussing the *Carousel Killer* when Martin Whitley called in with information and was put on speaker. He immediately began his own sly inquiry about the team before his son hung up on him. While tracking down the killer at the hospital, JT punched *Cory Wheaton* out and pinned them against the wall before arresting him.

The team investigated a serial killer who embalmed her victims so perfectly they looked real. They all accompanied Edrisa to a mortician's convention in the hopes of flushing out the killer. Unfortunately, Edrisa was later held at gunpoint but saved herself and Malcolm.

The entire team is called into a high-end jewelry robbery that left the manager murdered with a single gunshot wound. Malcolm shows up last and they explain the entire event, and he profiles that the shooter was a rogue team member. They are interrupted when Vijay Chandasara, an insurance agent who happens to be Malcolm's childhood. Back at the precinct, they are once again interrupted by Vijay, who is very adamant about wanting the return of the jewels for the company he represents. Gil, though insisting they are after whoever is behind the murders, as a second one is called in.

While exploring the murder of a father at a famous mommy bloggers house, Malcolm is able to determine and he and Tally are expecting their first child. He swears his colleague to secrecy until they are ready to announce, to which he happily agrees.

JT and the team are called to investigate a ballot dancer who dropped dead during a private performance at a banquet hall. After another is left blind, the trail briefly leads to wealthy businessman Nicholas Endicott. However he is found innocent when they arrest the real killer, after he holds the lead ballerina hostage.

Malcolm is informed his girlfriend killed herself, only to determine it was murder. Gil visits an old mob friend, and track down the professional killer in the area, who points them in the direction of a more intimate killer with a closer connection. They quickly realize, Eddie, Martin's new attendee, is the killer and attempted to kill Martin too. The entire team accompany each other to Malcolm's apartment, where he is arrested for the murder of Eddie.

Malcolm makes bail, despite his DNA found under the victim's fingernails. His mother has hired him a team of lawyers, and he has to wear ankle monitor at all times. The team confront Malcolm if he had escaped, as his father's lawyer was randomly murdered. Malcolm admits he did, and they bring him in for questioning. While there he pleads this case, that Nicholas is behind everything. Gil agrees to let him go, citing they don't have enough evidence to hold him. Later the team is called down to the hospital after Gil was stabbed by Nicholas.

## Season 2

Tarmel was a victim of racism, a plotline first introduced in episode one, and later in episode. JT and Tally welcomed their newborn son at the end of the two.

## Notes

* JT is revealed to have been married to Tally Tarmel for 7 years.
* JT and his wife play pool every Friday night at Amsterdam Billiards.
* His wife and himself are expecting their first child.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Pilot
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Annihilator
3. ↑ Fear Response
4. ↑ Designer Complicity
5. ↑ The Trip
6. ↑ All Souls and Sadists
7. ↑ Q&A
8. ↑ Family Friend
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Pied-A-Terre
10. ↑ Silent Night
11. ↑ Alone Time
12. ↑ Internal Affairs
13. ↑ Wait & Hope
14. ↑ Eye of the Needle
15. ↑ Death's Door
16. ↑ The Job
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Stranger Beside You
18. ↑ Scheherazade
19. ↑ The Professionals
20. ↑ Like Father...
21. ↑ Alma Mater