Lieutenant William F. Kinderman is a homicide detective introduced in the novel and 1973 film The Exorcist, and is the central protagonist of William Peter Blatty's 1983 novel Legion which was later filmed as The Exorcist III. He is investigating the death of movie director Burke Dennings, and befriends Father Damien Karras to gain a religious perspective on the case. He is portrayed as a kind, jovial man who approaches investigations with a Columbo-like demeanor, often befriending suspects and witnesses while subtly probing for information. In The Exorcist III he investigates a series of murders linked to a deceased serial killer, the Gemini, and finds parallels to the events surrounding Regan MacNeil's possession.