Does Dexter Morgan kill Paul Bennett? Details from Dexter, explored

Paul Bennett is a character on the TV show Dexter who is known for his abusive ways with his ex-wife and kids. The main character, Dexter Morgan, is a serial killer, but he doesn't directly cause Paul's death. Dexter arranges things so that Paul ends up dead. This character, played by Mark Pellegrino, enters the scene in Season 1 Episode 6, "Return to Sender."

Initially, we see him as the ex-husband of Rita Morgan. Even after getting out of jail, Paul keeps bothering Rita. This has an impact on her relationship with Dexter. Paul's behavior affects not just Rita but also her relationship with Dexter. Dexter deals with it cleverly and isn't the one pulling the trigger.

Dexter knocks out Paul and sets him up with heroin. This sends him back to prison, from where he somehow continues to threaten Rita. In Season 2, Paul is killed by another prisoner while in jail. Dexter didn't commit the murder, but he put him back in that environment.

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Paul Bennett’s abusive past and conflict with Dexter

Paul Bennett is a character known for his temper and history of mistreating Rita Morgan (Julie Benz). A former heroin user and convict, Paul's violent past included assaulting Rita. One time, he r*ped and beat her so badly that their daughter Astor had to call the cops.

Despite being a frankly terrible person, he had a strong bond with his children, especially Cody, who always hankered for his attention. After being let out of jail because of overcrowding, Paul tried to reconnect with Rita and the kids. However, he quickly turned possessive and hostile, especially towards Dexter.

In Season 1 Episode 10, "Seeing Red," he breaks into Rita's house in a drunken fit. This leads to a confrontation where Rita hits him with a baseball bat to protect herself. Dexter then steps in and drugs Paul, setting the stage for his arrest.

Paul eventually figures out that Dexter is the one who caused his problems. Paul Bennett begs Rita to help him by finding his missing shoe, which could serve as evidence of Dexter's interference. But she doesn't believe him.

Tragically, she finds the shoe after he dies, and gets suspicious of Dexter.

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Paul Bennett’s death was still a consequence of Dexter’s actions

Paul Bennett's death in Dexter Season 2 doesn't happen because of Dexter's typical method of handling threats. But his involvement definitely leads to it. In the first episode, Paul is killed in prison by an inmate who hits him with a pipe. This event shows how risky this world is.

People can get hurt or even die because of his actions. Rita feels guilty and relieved after Paul is gone. At first, she's upset with Dexter for meddling. But then, she sees it as a way to escape from Paul Bennett's bad behavior for good. Yet, the doubts Paul had about Dexter started to grow in her mind. This causes more tension between Dexter and Rita in the seasons to come.

Dexter doesn't seem too upset about what happened to Paul. He believes he did what needed to be done to keep Rita and her kids safe. So, even though he has rules for who he kills, he's willing to manipulate situations if they benefit him.

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Revisit Paul Bennett on Showtime, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.

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