Elisabeth Rohm is returning to the world of crime drama, only it’s the real-life kind.
The former Law & Order star is talking about her new true-crime podcast, Killer’s Vault. The new series promises to give a chilling inside look into the minds of some infamous killers.
Rohm’s time as Serena Southerlyn
Rohm initially gained attention in the first season of the WB series Angel. She played Kate Lockley, a cop who helps Angel only to be thrown to discover he was a vampire. This set up a tense working relationship.
There had been plans for Kate to play a larger role in the series and even become an antagonist for Angel. Before that could happen, Rohm landed the role of Serena Southerlyn on Law & Order.
With a total of 85 episodes, Rohm is one of the longer-serving members of the cast, tied with Alana de la Garza as the longest-serving assistant district attorney for the original series.
Cool in court, Serena could be a sharp investigator, aiding Jack McCoy on cases. But, sadly, all her work is overshadowed by her controversial exit.
In the Season 15 episode titled Ain’t No Love, Serena is fired by Arthur Branch, who argues that she’s too clouded by her emotions on cases. Out of nowhere, Serena asks if this is actually about her being gay.
This had never been indicated throughout the series and seemed created just to spark up an otherwise dull exit. It’s since become one of the most mocked moments of the series.
Rohm and her new podcast
Since leaving Law & Order , Rohm has been busy with several TV shows such as Heroes, The Client List, and The Last Ship. She also directed the Lifetime movie The Girl in the Basement.
Now, Rohm is working with former NYPD Detective Robert Cea for this podcast which uses personal letters, phone calls, and other items of notorious killers, many of which have never been released to the public before.
Among those chosen are Gerard Schaefer, John Wayne Gacy, Richard Ramirez, David Alan Gore, and “Toolbox Killers” Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris. Eric Roberts provides the narration for the letter segments.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Rohm related she was drawn to the project by the murder of her uncle when she was a teenager. “It really had a haunting effect on my family.”
Rohm admitted she was put through an emotional wringer by the material but felt it offers insight to how these infamous criminals came to be.
“[[The show]] is sensational, shocking and disturbing, it’s also responsible and intelligent. And I feel like it’s going to speak to pretty much anybody and everybody that’s interested in understanding the way a serial killer thinks.
”If you’re an adult or a parent or a responsible human being, hopefully it makes you even more conscious. There’s an origin story of pain and abuse. Then there is an origin story of miscues and terrible parenting. And then the evolution of the building of that serial killer, it sort of gets ratcheted up moment after moment, and unfortunately kill after kill. And through these letters, you really have an understanding of how these monsters came to be.”
With season 1 underway, Rohm dropped hints the second season will feature more infamous names like Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz and Charles Manson.
While she tangled with vampires and ruthless crooks on television, Rohm is showing she still is drawn to some true real-life monsters.
Killer’s Vault season 1 now streaming.