Article 14 – 'Rita Morgan's Tragic Death'

Miami Daily Herald Newspaper article, written by reporter Mike RePort, 3/21/10

"Dexter Morgan, Confessed Serial Killer, Commits Suicide"

"Interviews with his Colleagues and Family"

Debra Morgan is Dexter Morgan's sister. She is a Detective with the MMPD Homicide Department and before that worked with the Vice Squad for the MMPD. She is an accomplished professional based on her record as well as the many accolades this reporter has heard from her peers. She is now the guardian of Dexter Morgan's son, Harrison.

Det. Debra Morgan, whom I will refer to in this article as Deb in many places, is a person that I have grown to respect and admire; not only as a professional but as a good human being. Deb has shown great character and an inner strength that has helped define her as an individual anyone would be proud to know and call a friend. I am in a unique and precarious position of being allowed to interview her knowing that I was the one that first called attention to her brother which led to his capture then his suicide.

I have spoken to Debra Morgan on four different occasions now preceding this interview. We first met at the station to be introduced formally and talk about the interview in general. I find this approach works best for several reasons. First I feel it's important to put the individual at ease by letting them know how the process works and what to expect. This is a feeling out process for both parties to allow boundaries to be set if needed and to put forth my thoughts and expectations for the interview. The reverse is also true, in this case for Deb.

What happened in that first meeting led to several more meetings which to my surprise and I must say, Deb's also, has led to a growing friendship between us. I asked Deb in our first meeting, after giving her my "pre-interview prep talk", what she expected to achieve in granting this interview. Her answer was very insightful to her maturity and the direction in which her path in life was directed which told this reporter a lot about the person, Debra Morgan.

She replied, "To make peace with myself. I have an obligation to fulfill, raising Harrison. It's more than just an obligation, its' my choice based on my love for him as well as Dexter and Rita. Harrison needs someone to be there for him, to love him, to hold his hand and hug him as he grows older, to guide him and to teach him how to live life and smile with confidence that he is a good person and has every right to expect no less. Like me, he has a past. I need to make peace with myself so I can teach him to do the same. I look at this interview as one step towards that end. We need to get to know each other better, Mike, so when you put our words down on paper you get it right, for my sake and ultimately for Harrison."

This is how my professional and personal journey began with Debra Morgan. This reporter also has an obligation, to you the reader, and ultimately to myself, to get it right! This is my attempt to do just that.

Our second meeting took place in her home. I was invited over for lunch and a visit with her and Harrison. Our time was spent talking about Deb's life from her point of view and playing with Harrison. We prepared lunch together actually, ate then cleaned up. While we ate Deb fed Harrison his solids followed by a bottle. This was followed by a diaper change and Harrison was down for a 2 hour nap! The impact of Rita's death scene and little Harrison sitting there for all those hours on the bathroom floor hit this reporter full force. I realized at that moment why Deb wanted us to get to know each other better. This was personal, not just a "story" to report.

I told her I understood and she just smiled. She looked at me with an expression that had relaxed a little from our first meeting. She talked about her work as a Detective after that to point out that in her profession she was confronted with tragedy almost daily. She had to work each case while giving enough of herself to do her job right but not letting herself become personally involved to deeply. It was like walking a tightrope, there had to be a balance to maintain her sanity, especially now that she had Harrison.

Her childhood was fairly normal but with one regret, that her father spent a lot more time with Dexter than with her. She now understands why. Deb first lost her mother then her father early in her life. Her relationship with her father was built around his work as a police officer which inspired her to follow in his footsteps. She struggled in the beginning but soon found her own path within law enforcement which led her to becoming a detective.

After Harrison woke up from his nap this reporter played with him for several hours as Deb and I talked about random topics. As we played and talked I looked around her home noticing the little things that made this house, her home. And I must add, Harrison's home. She had baby proofed her home which according to Deb had been a real chore. She had called in reinforcements to complete the task! In the living room there were the usual furniture items of course along with a pack-in-play, a changing table with the usual supplies, and an abundance of soft toys and stuffed animals. I also noticed pictures of Dexter and Rita along with all of the kids. Deb had Harrison's family out in full view for him to see as he grew up.

I asked Deb about the pictures and her plan for telling Harrison about his past. I told her if she wasn't ready to talk about that yet that I understood. She did answer and here is what she told this reporter.

"I will always talk to Harrison about Dexter and Rita in a loving way. They are his parents. He will grow up with that in his mind first. I will tell him that they died young and loved him dearly. When he asks how they died, depending on his age I will tell him one of two stories. When he's young I will just say that they died in a car accident. Only when I think he's ready or by some chance he hears something before I'm ready to tell him the truth, then I will let him know what happened.

I want him to grow up with a firm belief that his mom and dad loved him and no matter what else he learns that will always be there for him. I will tell him about Rita first then Dexter. Rita was an innocent victim. Her death was tragic and he should remember her for her love for him. Astor and Cody will help me with this part. I will tell him about her love for her children and her willingness to help others, her kindness. He will know about his mother.

When I tell him the whole truth about Dexter I will start by saying that he was two people in one; one very troubled and the other struggling to become normal. We all knew the struggling Dexter up until the very end. I hope that I can convey the good side of his father to him, the side that I knew, the side that Rita knew, the side that we all loved. That will be first and by starting now I hope that is the Dexter he keeps in his heart, like I do.

The other Dexter that I will talk about will be the troubled side of him and how that started through no fault of his own. Harrison needs to know and I will be the one to tell him. He needs to be able to deal with his own feelings and vent. Part of the time I spent with the counselor provided by the department was to talk about this very point, how to help Harrison deal with this knowledge so that he can understand and not let it define or consume him.

This gets back to me saying that I need to make peace with myself now so that I can help Harrison do the same. This is true for Astor and Cody also. Their counselor is working with them now about how they feel and letting their emotions out so they can be discussed. What Dexter was, his troubled side, will not define the rest of my family. I won't let that happen! And Damn anyone that tries to make it otherwise!"

Deb's inner strength is formidable. She is a very focused young lady with a mission. A mission like any other parent, to raise her kids so they are ready to survive on their own in our complicated world. My respect and admiration for her grew that afternoon as I hope you, the reader, has also.

Deb is still a mom in progress, according to her. One part love, one part determination, and one part "don't (mess) with my kid attitude. Her use of the language is informative and entertaining at the same time. Feel free to use a thesaurus for the word, mess, as used in this context! Start with letter, F, it will save you some time. I was very impressed with the way she handled herself with Harrison. Deb is a loving and caring mom. Yes, I called her a mom, she is now. This is new for her of course but if you didn't know the story about how she recently became a mom you would never be able to tell that this was new to her.

When I left her home later that evening I felt that I had just made a new friend. The afternoon had passed too quickly and to tell the truth I was a bit sad that I had to leave. This reporter was becoming involved at a very personal level with his story, and very happy to do so. Life is not predictable and no matter how we try to keep everything neat and tidy, stuff happens. This story in its entirety is proof of that.

Our next meeting was the following day in my home. This is the first time this reporter had allowed such a meeting. In so doing I had to ask myself several questions and feel comfortable with the answers. I was about to let the subject of my next interview enter into my private world, one that I have kept apart from my professional world all these years. In so doing I would be obligated to report it to you the reader, another first. I came to the conclusion that this was the time, it felt right. My friendship with Deb and my feelings for Harrison were growing, a very pleasant experience.

For the record I'm an older gentleman with grandchildren and am truly blessed with a very loving wife. We have been married now for 36 years and are looking forward to many more. I spoke with my wife first to ask if going this way with an interview in our home was okay. She told me that she wanted to meet Deb and Harrison and would be very happy to meet them in our home. Of course Harrison may have cemented the deal for her after I told her how cute he is! Grandma's are like that.

Deb arrived with Harrison, a stroller, a diaper bag, and a handbag big enough to carry some extra supplies just in case of an extra long visit. Of course we were already prepared having a grandson about the same age as Harrison. The ladies hit it off well right from the beginning. As I watched them talk and play with Harrison I thought of Rita. I thought about Astor and Cody. I cried and had to leave the room. How could so much tragedy be inflected on one family? The enormity of the weight that Debra was now shouldering hit me full force. No one should have to be in this position but yet here she was. She did not choose this but accepted it fully. How could she not? If not for her what would become of Harrison?

In my book, Deb is a hero. I realized then that if Deb would allow us into her life we would be there for her and Harrison as well as Astor and Cody. The rest of the visit went well with my wife inviting them back again for another visit to meet the rest of the family. After Deb and Harrison left I shared my thoughts with my wife, she agreed. This reporter is truly blessed indeed.

Our next meeting started in one location and continued on to a second. The first was with her attorney concerning Harrison's adoption. I accompanied her along with Angel and Maria Batista while my wife and my daughter along with our two grandson's babysat little Harrison in our home. Deb had been granted temporary guardianship immediately after Dexter's arrest. The next step in the process was to adopt Harrison. The attorney had asked that Deb bring in who she wanted to name as Harrison's God Parents and anyone else she knew would be there to offer support and care for her and Harrison. This reporter was most surprised and honored when Deb asked that I accompany her to this meeting; with the full support of my family I might add.

The attorney would file the paperwork and notify all of us when the next step would require us to be there. The attorney was confident that the adoption would be granted, and to jump ahead a bit, it was. The adoption was a defining moment that made it all the more real and final, that Harrison was Debra's son now. Life moves on.

The second location that day was a picnic that the MMPD had put together in Harrison's honor. My entire family was there as well as the entire Homicide department. The day in part was one of remembrance and honoring the memories of those that were no longer there. No one would be forgotten and no one would forget how each of the departed had affected so many lives in so many ways. This was a gathering to confront and accept what was and move on. This happened over the course of an hour or so, so naturally that the festivities that followed felt like the beginning of a new event.

Harrison was passed from one person to another coming full circle back to Deb. Each gave him a hug and a kiss to welcome him into his new beginnings, a new and fresh start in life with hope and love. At this point Deb made a short statement.

"I love you all and thank you all for being here for Harrison and me. I want to thank Rita for showing me how to be a loving mom. She will always be in my heart and be my passenger sitting on my shoulder looking out for Harrison, to guide me, to be my conscience. Now if we don't eat soon I'm gonna freak out and kill a (messing) hot dog just for openers!"

Deb's language again, no further comment required. The rest of the day was a picnic day, fun and games, family and friends. It was good.

It was at the picnic that Deb and I discussed Astor and Cody in more detail. They were at their grandparent's home for the time being and are under the care of a counselor as mentioned previously. Their grandparents had been given temporary custody until such time that Deb could be in a better situation concerning Harrison and the family could decide together where the best place was for them to live. It was the general consensus that it would be with Deb.

Deb has been in constant contact with them and hopes that she can adopt them as well. Time is on their side and for the immediate future will remain with their grandparents. It was agreed that some time should pass and allow the kids to continue in counseling before anymore changes took place. Their world has been changed forever. They are loved and cared for and only time will tell how they handle this.

Our next meeting was for the formal interview at Deb's home. We met and chatted for a while when it occurred to us that we didn't need to have a formal interview. Her story had been laid out for you, the reader, in the paragraphs preceding this one already. We decided then that each of us would make a final statement for this series of articles and call it a day.

Debra looked at ease when she spoke, "My new family is what is important to me now, not the past; my life is all about the future. I feel at peace with myself now. I'm blessed that I can be there for my little guy, Harrison. I love Astor and Cody so much and want them to be here too. We all just need a little more time. It will happen."

This reporter has made a new and very dear friend. This series of articles are now concluded and I thank everyone for their support and patience. Take care.

Article 14 – 'Rita Morgan's Tragic Death'