We know that in One Chicago, characters come and go – but some of the hardest goodbyes are the ones who were taken from us way too soon. Which characters have died in Chicago P.D. over the years? Below, we’ve compiled the most shocking deaths in the series that we’re still not over.
Chicago P.D. is NBC’s drama series, co-created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead, that follows the personal and professional lives of patrol officers and Intelligence Unit detectives at the Chicago Police Department’s fictional 21st District. Chicago P.D., which is wrapping up its 10th season, is the first spinoff of Chicago Fire before Chicago Med and Chicago Justice. In April 2023, the procedural was renewed for Season 11 for the 2023-2024 year, according to our sister site Variety.
See who’s died in Chicago P.D. – and most importantly – learn why the showrunners decided to kill off these characters. (Plus, see which deaths the writers left until the last minute.)
How Did Alvin “Al” Olinsky Die in Chicago P.D.?
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How Did Alvin “Al” Olinsky Die in Chicago P.D.? Detective Alvin “Al” Olinsky (played by Elias Koteas) was an integral part of the intelligence unit before his death. In the show’s fifth season, Olinksy was arrested for murder after his DNA was found on the body of Bingham, the man who killed Voight’s son Justin and who Voight subsequently killed. While in prison, Al was stabbed by Andre Velasco, a gang member of the Latin Scorpions. In Season 5, Episode 22, “Homecoming,” Olinksy died in the hospital after significant blood loss from the stabbing.
In an interview with TV Line in May 2018, Chicago P.D. showrunner Rick Eid said that the decision to kill off Olinsky was a creative one. “From a creative perspective, it was a decision that evolved organically from the ongoing storyline between Voight and Woods. The writers and I kept coming back to this idea that Voight’s decision to kill Bingham should cost him something,” Eid told our sister site. “Over time, we landed on the notion that Olinsky should be the person to pay for Voight’s sin because Voight admired and loved him so much.” Eid also added that it was challenging to kill Elias. “Elias is a terrific actor and a good person. He’s also been an important part of the show since the very beginning. So this part of the process was really challenging.”
How did Justin Voight die in Chicago P.D.?
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How did Justin Voight die in Chicago P.D.?Justin Voight was the troubled son of Hank Voight on Chicago P.D. We first saw Justin get into trouble in Season 1 of Chicago Fire, when Hank tried to cover up his son’s drunk driving which resulted in a boy being paralyzed. After their relationship was strained after the death of Voight’s wife and Justin’s mom, Justin continued getting into mischief and was an accessory to the murder of a local gangster. But just as he was trying to clean up his act and started a family of his own, he ended up being murdered. Voight found his son shot in the head in the trunk of the car. Justin was taken off of life support at the hospital.
Olmstead explained how Justin’s death impacted his father, Voight. “We have a Voight that is hell-bent,” Olmstead said. “[He’s] a guy who is completely blinded and will do anything legal, illegal. If I have to pay money, I will. If I have to pull a gun, I will. He’s cautioned by people upstairs and he says, ‘You’ll have to put a bullet in my head to stop me.’ He’s just going 100 miles an hour looking for who did this to his son, which affects everyone.”
How did Nadia Decotis die in Chicago P.D.?
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How did Nadia Decotis die in Chicago P.D.?In Season 2, we were devastated by the loss of Nadia Decotis (Stella Maeve) – who was extremely close to Detective Erin Lindsay. Nadia, who was an underage prostitute and drug addict, finally turned her life around with Lindsay’s help. She even got a job as an administrative assistant with the Intelligence Unit by answering calls and running errands. Nadia was abducted, raped, tortured and murdered by serial Killer Gregory Yates.
Chicago P.D. showrunner Matt Olmstead told The Hollywood Reporter in April 2015 that it wasn’t originally their plan to kill Nadia off. “All along, we wanted Lindsay to find a character and be to that character like what Voight was to her. To reclaim somebody and give them an opportunity and try and help that person get back on their feet and that was what happened. Everything we had planned was paying off.” However, Olmstead said that it became apparent that Nadia’s death would really put some “teeth” into the crossover with Law & Order: SVU, where we saw her serial killer tried for his crimes.
How did Sheldon Jin in Chicago P.D.?
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How did Sheldon Jin in Chicago P.D.? The second major death in Chicago P.D. was Sheldon Jin (Archie Kao), the Intelligence Unit’s first tech and surveillance expert. In Season 1, it was discovered that Jin was also working for the CPD’s Internal Affairs Division under the direction of Sergeant Edwin Stillwell. Jin was told to look into Voight’s computer for incriminating evidence. Stillwell ultimately killed Jin in the Season 1 finale. In a July 2014 interview with TV Guide, showrunner Matt Olmstead that he wanted the death to shake everybody up. The showrunner also revealed that neither Archie nor the creators of the show knew that Jin was going to die until they realized his death couldn’t be avoided.
“[Archie] didn’t know nor did we. It’s one of those things where the story told was headed in that direction in terms of needing to have a cliff-hanger and a big impact of a season finale and also just show the ramifications of that police work and that unit and street level and no one’s guaranteed anything,” Olmstead explained. “It started to kind of gain momentum; like this character can’t survive this.”
How did Julie Willhite die in Chicago P.D.?
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How did Julie Willhite die in Chicago P.D.? Although we didn’t know Julie “Jules” Willhite (Melissa Sagemiller) for very long, her death still had a huge impact on the entire team, as itt was the first major death for the Intelligence Unit. Jules was partnered with Antonio Dawson and had a close relationship with fellow Detective Erin Lindsay. She was also a loving mother and wife, which made her death that much harder. She was killed when the team was trying to take down Pulpo, a drug lord and criminal. After Jules and Dawson entered the building, Voight was notified that the building was occupied and ordered them to turn back. One of Pulpo’s men shot through the door and struck her in the neck. Jules passed away in the hospital shortly after.
