Richard L'Italien
Encyclopedia
Richard L'Italien is a fictional character in the HBO series Oz
. He is portrayed by Eric Roberts
.
for the murder of a woman named Jennifer Miller, although he later confesses to many additional murders. A misogynist
, L'Italien is unrepentant of killing dozens of women, which somewhat shocks Father Ray Mukada, who goes out of his way to attempt to help L'Italien. L'Italien is also notable as the first prisoner in the series to be sentenced to death, as both Donald Groves
and Jefferson Keane
are serving life sentences for previous murders.
is sentenced for murder within the prison and is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection
a day after Keane's execution. L'Italien shows no remorse
for his crime, and does not seem to take his sentence seriously. He nevertheless decides to appeal
.
Once Keane is dead, Warden Leo Glynn
informs L'Italien that his appeal has been denied. L'Italien then confesses again to Jennifer’s murder to a confused Glynn. L'Italien then reveals he previously killed another woman, but was never caught, Glynn says he'll tell the authorities, but L'Italien states he's not finished yet, and calmly lists the names of 37 more victims, all of which are women.
In conversation with Father Ray Mukada
, L'Italien explains that, in his eyes, a true man is a "man of power" who is never controlled by anyone. He also reveals he used to frequently attend the Bohemian Grove
, a men's club in San Francisco, until a Supreme Court
ruling forced the club to admit women.
L'Italien reveals that he murdered his victims because he is afraid of being "owned" by a woman. Mukada realizes there is nothing more he can do for L'Italien except absolve his sin
s. As L'Italien is strapped down and injected, he becomes afraid and attempts to relax with a yo-yo
which he has been playing with throughout his duration in the episode.
version his surname has been strangely changed to "Marsigliese" (Marseillaise), as the national anthem of France
.
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
. He is portrayed by Eric Roberts
Eric Roberts
Eric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...
.
Character Overview
He appeared in the episode "Capital P" where he is put on death rowDeath row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
for the murder of a woman named Jennifer Miller, although he later confesses to many additional murders. A misogynist
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
, L'Italien is unrepentant of killing dozens of women, which somewhat shocks Father Ray Mukada, who goes out of his way to attempt to help L'Italien. L'Italien is also notable as the first prisoner in the series to be sentenced to death, as both Donald Groves
Donald Groves
Donald Groves is a fictional character on the HBO prison drama Oz, played by Sean Whitesell.-Character overview:Prisoner 97G414. Convicted July 3, 1997 - Two counts of Murder in the first degree. Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole. Convicted later August 21, 1997 - One count of Murder in...
and Jefferson Keane
Jefferson Keane
Jefferson Keane aka Tizi Ozuo is a fictional character in the HBO prison drama Oz played by American actor Leon Robinson.-Character overview:...
are serving life sentences for previous murders.
Season 1
L'Italien is already on death row when Jefferson KeaneJefferson Keane
Jefferson Keane aka Tizi Ozuo is a fictional character in the HBO prison drama Oz played by American actor Leon Robinson.-Character overview:...
is sentenced for murder within the prison and is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
a day after Keane's execution. L'Italien shows no remorse
Remorse
Remorse is an emotional expression of personal regret felt by a person after he or she has committed an act which they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or violent. Remorse is closely allied to guilt and self-directed resentment...
for his crime, and does not seem to take his sentence seriously. He nevertheless decides to appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
.
Once Keane is dead, Warden Leo Glynn
Warden Leo Glynn
Leo Glynn is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz. He is the warden of the Oswald state correctional facility-Character overview:...
informs L'Italien that his appeal has been denied. L'Italien then confesses again to Jennifer’s murder to a confused Glynn. L'Italien then reveals he previously killed another woman, but was never caught, Glynn says he'll tell the authorities, but L'Italien states he's not finished yet, and calmly lists the names of 37 more victims, all of which are women.
In conversation with Father Ray Mukada
Father Ray Mukada
Father Ray Mukada is a character on the HBO television series Oz, played by B. D. Wong.right|thumb|B.D. Wong as Father Ray Mukada.-Character history:...
, L'Italien explains that, in his eyes, a true man is a "man of power" who is never controlled by anyone. He also reveals he used to frequently attend the Bohemian Grove
Bohemian Grove
Bohemian Grove is a campground located at 20601 Bohemian Avenue, in Monte Rio, California, belonging to a private San Francisco-based men's art club known as the Bohemian Club...
, a men's club in San Francisco, until a Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
ruling forced the club to admit women.
L'Italien reveals that he murdered his victims because he is afraid of being "owned" by a woman. Mukada realizes there is nothing more he can do for L'Italien except absolve his sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
s. As L'Italien is strapped down and injected, he becomes afraid and attempts to relax with a yo-yo
Yo-yo
The yo-yo in its simplest form is an object consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a length of twine looped around the axle, similar to a slender spool...
which he has been playing with throughout his duration in the episode.
Curiosity
In the ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
version his surname has been strangely changed to "Marsigliese" (Marseillaise), as the national anthem of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.