Maria LaGuerta

Maria LaGuerta is a recurring character on the television series Dexter, and one the two main antagonists of Season 7 (alongside Isaak Sirko). She is the police Lieutenant and later Captain of Miami Metro Police Department.

She is portrayed by Lauren Vélez.

Personality

LaGuerta is very ambitious and politically driven. When she loses her job to Esme Pascal, LaGuerta begins sleeping with Pascal’s fiancée Bertrand to get back at her, causing her to have an emotional breakdown. Pascal is replaced and LaGuerta stops sleeping with Bertrand out of guilt for what she had done which was why she refuses to speak ill of Pascal to then-Captain Matthews. (She also doesn’t need Bertrand any more.)

She is very determined to maintain her position no matter the cost, such as blackmailing Captain Matthews into promoting her. She is also very manipulative, telling Matthews that she will make the call girls case go away, but instead uses Debra when she digs into the case. When it connects back to Tom, Maria sells him out to the board and has him forcibly retired to gain his position. Debra comments on how it was a very low thing she did to Tom, even asking, “How do you sleep at night?!” LaGuerta replies, “Very nicely, knowing that from now on you will do as I say or I’ll find someone who will.” This shows that Maria is often more than willing to betray or use anyone to get what she wants, regardless of who she is close to.

Despite her duplicitous and manipulative nature, however, she is often compassionate, thoughtful, loyal, and has a strong sense of justice. LaGuerta is willing to bring down her former lover Miguel Prado when she learns he might have killed Ellen Wolf and is willing to prove that Sergeant James Doakes was not the Bay Harbor Butcher. She comforts Debra when Joey Quinn is arrested for the murder of Stan Liddy (though later released because of Dexter), telling her to “have faith.” When Debra is feeling bad about how Travis Marshall got away, Maria tells her that she did a good job in trying to catch him. She does admit that what she did to Matthews was wrong, but feels it had to be done despite Deb’s statements of how she really did it for herself (which was true).

LaGuerta has a strong trust in Dexter since she suspends Quinn for investigating Dexter for the murder of Rita Morgan. LaGuerta also has Dexter sign papers for the official marriage between herself and Batista. Also, she only trusts Dexter when she is investigating the murder of Ellen Wolf.

LaGuerta first dislikes Debra, but then appears to somewhat like her due to her detective abilities. At one point, LaGuerta wants to adopt a Cuban boy, but changes her mind after locating his uncle. LaGuerta is also obsessed with the Bay Harbor Butcher since she believes that Doakes is innocent.

Biography

Maria thought of herself as good friends with Dexter. However, her obsession with the BHB ruined everything. She knew Sergeant James Doakes was on the trail of the Bay Harbor Butcher and the Bay Harbor Butcher is Dexter Morgan. What they didn’t know, Dexter only takes out serial killers and criminals. James figured out Dexter that Dexter was the Bay Harbor Butcher. He thought he would do the world a favor to arrest him or kill him, while getting recognition. However, before Doakes could do this, Lila West found Doakes imprisoned in the cabin and killed him. Dexter pinned the Bay Harbor Butcher murders on Doakes.

For a long time, Maria knew Doakes wasn’t the Bay Harbor Butcher and finally figured out it’s Dexter. She even arrested him and had enough evidence to put him away. She didn’t see the big picture, that Dexter’s victims were all criminals. She only cared about protecting law and order. Cops like her can end up dead, demoted, or fired. Luckily for Dexter, he already made the switch and pinned the frame-up to LaGuerta. Her career was likely over. She had only one more chance to get Dexter, by getting some close to him to help – his adoptive sister Debra. However, Debra stuck up for him.

Maria was lured by Hector Estrada to a shipping container where Dexter planned to kill them both. Debra found the kill site and attempted to stop Dexter from killing Maria, something she considered reprehensible. Maria ordered Debra to kill Dexter and told her she was a good cop and a good person. Dexter gave in and told Debra to do what she had to do. Extremely torn, Debra chose to shoot Maria. Afterward, Debra quit the police force and began drinking heavily and taking painkillers. Later, Debra underwent therapy and she imagined shooting Dexter. If she had let Maria live, her life would probably be even more miserable. Maria would be bullying her, and Dexter wouldn’t be taking down the serial killers and criminals that Miami P.D. cannot touch.

Trivia

• Maria is the second of only two female main antagonists in the entire show, the first being Lila West.

External Link

• Maria LaGuerta at the Dexter Wiki