Who Is the New York Ripper?

Dexter: Resurrection season 1 ended with an on-brand bloodbath.

Nearly 20 years ago, viewers first met Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), the serial killer hunter who targets murderers in his spare time. The adventures of the anti-hero have been depicted in the original Showtime Dexter series, Dexter: New Blood, Dexter: Original Sin and most recently, Dexter: Resurrection.

Dexter: Resurrection brought the titular murderer to New York City, where he became entangled with Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage), a wealthy businessman obsessed with serial killers.

As if Prater wasn’t enough, Dexter also had to contend with the billionaire’s bodyguard, Charley (Uma Thurman), and repair his relationship with his son, Harrison (Jack Alcott), who shot Dexter in the final episode of Dexter: New Blood.

In addition to Dinklage and Thurman, Dexter: Resurrection included other guest stars such as Eric Stonestreet, Neil Patrick Harris and John Lithgow.

The season 1 finale of Dexter: Resurrection premiered Sept. 5 on Paramount+ with Showtime, concluding with more bloodshed and some unanswered questions, specifically about a certain serial killer who has so far evaded capture.

Here’s the Dexter: Resurrection season 1 ending explained.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Dexter: Resurrection season 1 finale!

How did Dexter: Resurrection season 1 end?

In the Dexter: Resurrection season 1 finale, Dexter is trapped in a vault in Prater’s mansion as the billionaire throws a grand black-tie gala affair in the same building.

Prater planned to leave Dexter to die in the locked room, but Dexter is able to call his son Harrison, who sneaks into the party and frees him from his potential tomb.

Once Prater learns that Dexter has escaped, Prater holds Harrison hostage, offering Dexter sums of money. In a twist, Harrison manages to stab Prater with a sedative that Dexter slipped him episodes before, and Prater collapses.

Later, Dexter sets up a kill room in the vault where he was held, and he murders Prater by stabbing him to death.

Is Dexter still alive at the end of Resurrection season 1?

Yes, Dexter is alive at the end of Dexter: Resurrection season 1.

After killing Prater, Dexter flees the mansion and steals the billionaire’s yacht. He sails it up the river, disposing of Prater’s chopped-up body in the water by the Statue of Liberty.

Dexter also stole Prater’s files on various serial killers, which gave him a list of potential targets he could pursue next.

Who was the New York Ripper in Dexter: Resurrection?

Over the season, the serial killer nicknamed the New York Ripper had been hinted at. The identity of the murderer is unknown, but Prater is fascinated with him and even has one of the Ripper’s weapons on display in his shrine.

In Prater’s files on serial killers, Dexter discovers the one on the New York Ripper, where it is revealed that his real name is Don Framt, a name unfamiliar to Dexter and viewers.

Dexter leaves the file for Detective Claudette Wallace (Kadia Saraf) to find. The New York Ripper has eluded capture for years, and his reveal could be setting up the killer as a possible antagonist in a future season.

What happens to Charley at the end of Dexter: Resurrection?

While trapped in Prater’s vault, Dexter finds files filled with incriminating evidence of Charley’s crimes. He threatens to AirDrop the images to the crowd of cops attending the gala if Charley doesn’t let Harrison go.

Charley decides not to kill Harrison and instead confronts Prater to tell him she knows about his files on her. She quits working for the serial killer superfan, but demands that he continue to cover the cost of keeping her sick mom alive.

“I’m going to disappear, you’re going to keep paying for my mother’s medical care, and all of our secrets stay secret,” Charley tells Prater. “Or we can go scorched earth. Up to you.”

Charley is last seen leaving New York with her mother, putting Prater in her past.

Will there be a Dexter: Resurrection season 2?

A second season of Dexter: Resurrection has not been officially announced, but in August 2025, Variety reported that Paramount was preparing to start a writers’ room to work on a potential season 2.