The Copycat Killer Cast

Lifetime’s “The Copycat Killer” has a familiar serial-killer setup but gives the investigation a useful complication: the person expected to solve the new murder could also be framed for committing it. Dr. Eleanor “Ellie” Douglas once built her reputation by catching the Sigil Slayer. Years later, a murder staged in his signature style forces her to reconsider everything surrounding the case while police suspicion begins drifting toward her.

Melissa O’Neil leads the Jim Donovan-directed thriller, with Greyston Holt and Peter Facinelli occupying two particularly important positions in Ellie’s investigation. Alex Castillo, Karen Knox, Ronnie Rowe and Emily Stranges round out the principal supporting cast.

Melissa O’Neil as Dr. Eleanor “Ellie” Douglas

Melissa O’Neil plays Dr. Eleanor “Ellie” Douglas, the criminal profiler at the center of the movie. Ellie successfully helped capture the Sigil Slayer, but surviving the case did not leave her eager for another round of publicity. She has become reclusive by the time she agrees to appear at a true crime conference.

Everything changes when one of her admirers is murdered using the Sigil Slayer’s recognizable method. Ellie suddenly has to profile someone who appears to understand both the killer and her own history remarkably well. Worse, the evidence begins making her look less like the investigator and more like a suspect.

Related: The Copycat Killer Filming Locations

O’Neil will be immediately familiar to viewers of ABC’s “The Rookie,” where she plays Lucy Chen. Before that long-running role, she starred as Two, also known as Portia Lin, in “Dark Matter” and appeared in “Condor,” “iZombie” and “Rogue.” Her career started much differently, however. The Calgary-born performer became the first female winner of “Canadian Idol” before moving heavily into theater, including “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Les Miserables.” ABC also credits her as a Juno nominee and Dora Award winner.

Greyston Holt as Julian Duffy

Greyston Holt plays Julian Duffy, a journalist who becomes increasingly close to Ellie after the new murder. Current program descriptions characterize Julian as charming but also make his intense interest in the profiler deliberately uncomfortable. That places him in a useful position for a mystery built around trust.

Julian offers Ellie support when public attention and the investigation begin closing around her. At the same time, a journalist fascinated by both Ellie and the Sigil Slayer case naturally has reasons to keep digging into details she might prefer to forget. The movie can therefore use their attraction without allowing the audience to become completely comfortable with him.

Holt has spent much of his career moving between dramas, thrillers and genre television. He played Clayton Danvers across three seasons of “Bitten,” Ray Prager Jr. in “Durham County” and Jay Ross in “Chesapeake Shores.” More recent viewers may recognize him as Paulo Bonetto in “The Night Agent” or from “Riverdale,” “Lou” and “House of Chains.”

Peter Facinelli as Glenn Boyd

Peter Facinelli plays Glenn Boyd, the figure Ellie must confront as her old case comes back into focus. Public descriptions connect Glenn with the killer who nearly ended Ellie’s life, making his scenes central to understanding why the new crimes are so disturbing for her.

The new murderer appears to be borrowing from an established playbook, which means Ellie cannot simply study the fresh evidence in isolation. Going back to Glenn forces her toward the person and memories she has spent years avoiding. It also creates the obvious question hanging over any copycat story: how much does the original killer actually know?

Facinelli remains best known internationally as Carlisle Cullen in all five “Twilight” films. Television audiences also know him as Dr. Fitch Cooper in “Nurse Jackie,” while earlier credits include “Fastlane” and “Can’t Hardly Wait.” His later career has expanded into directing and producing as well as acting, including the thriller “On Fire.”

Alex Castillo as Detective Lisa Deloria

Alex Castillo plays Detective Lisa Deloria, one of the law-enforcement figures involved as Ellie’s situation becomes increasingly complicated. The character’s presence is particularly important because this is not simply a case where the profiler can operate comfortably beside the police. Ellie herself is being pulled under suspicion.

Castillo has accumulated an extensive television resume, including appearances in “Yellowjackets,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Untamed,” “The Girlfriend Experience” and “Rookie Blue.” She also played Detective King in the Lifetime true-crime drama “Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey.” That makes another investigative role a natural addition to her filmography.

Karen Knox as Vale Talbot

Karen Knox portrays Vale Talbot. Public pre-release material confirms the character name but has revealed considerably less about Vale’s precise place in the mystery, making it better not to spoil or invent a connection that has not been established.

Knox is a Canadian actor, writer and director whose work stretches beyond performance. Her directing credits include “Adult Adoption” and “We Forgot to Break Up,” while she has also worked on “Slo Pitch,” “Homeschooled” and “Wynonna Earp.” Her work behind the camera has received Canadian Screen Award recognition, while “We Forgot to Break Up” earned a Directors Guild of Canada directing honor.

Ronnie Rowe as Kenneth Barrow

Ronnie Rowe plays Kenneth Barrow, another character connected to the central mystery. As with Vale, official cast listings establish the role without providing enough pre-release information to describe Barrow’s loyalties or importance without wandering into speculation.

Rowe is especially recognizable as Lieutenant R.A. Bryce from “Star Trek: Discovery.” He also gave an acclaimed lead performance in the Canadian drama “Black Cop” and appeared in “The Porter,” “Reacher,” “Akilla’s Escape” and “The Man from Toronto.” His work in “Black Cop” earned him the Vancouver Film Critics Circle award for best actor in a Canadian film.

Emily Stranges as Christine Sanford

Emily Stranges completes the currently credited principal lineup as Christine Sanford. The production has kept Christine’s role relatively quiet before broadcast, which makes her another character best approached without assumptions about whether she is connected to Ellie, the conference or the investigation.

Stranges is a Toronto-based actor and filmmaker whose television credits include “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent,” “Pretty Hard Cases,” “Murdoch Mysteries” and “The Hot Zone: Anthrax.” She has also worked extensively as a voice performer, including the “Bakugan” franchise. Her own professional biography notes more than 30 on-screen acting credits.

The strength of “The Copycat Killer” cast is that several performers arrive with considerable crime and thriller experience without making the mystery too easy to read from casting alone. O’Neil anchors the film as a profiler who can no longer trust the evidence around her, while Holt and Facinelli give her two very different men to scrutinize. Around them, Deloria, Vale, Barrow and Christine expand the suspect pool, which is exactly what a 90-minute Lifetime whodunit needs.