This 'Beyond the Gates' Character Just Met a Brutal End as the 'Impaler' Storyline Claims Its First Victim
Beyond The Gates fans were stunned today as this first major death of the year took place as the Impaler storyline ramped up.
When 2026 began, the CBS soap opera launched a topical storyline about an illegal organization targeting the residents of Fairmont Crest through an illegal plasma ring.
The storyline kicked off as Smitty Smith (Mike Manning) and Jacob Hawthorne (Jibrie Hordges) discussed a story that investigative journalist Smitty was working on. As things progressed, Smitty and Jacob focused on uncovering the organization's structure.
Smitty explained he believed the hierarchy starts with "The Impaler," whom he describes as "brutal." He then identifies a potential "Underboss." The third tier includes Ren Tolliver (Donny Carrington), whom Jacob has already encountered. According to Smitty, Ren oversees the "soldiers" responsible for carrying out orders, including those tasked with procuring blood, while couriers operate at the lowest level of the organization.
Since the beginning of the storyline, Jacob has gone undercover working for Ren as "Rishad". Throughout his journey, he identifies lab tech Grayson Perez (Jordi Vilasuso) as a courier at the hospital who obtains Plasma and delivers it to the ring.
Jacob eventually confronted Grayson and got him to admit who he was working for. Grayson reveals that his boss is Grayland Memorial Chief of Staff Dr. Lia Whitmore (Cecelia Specht).
Now the night of the cotillion, the "vips" of the blood ring are making their move. Derek Baldwin (Ben Gavin) caught Grayson stealing plasma from the free clinic. Grayson claims that he is doing this to keep Derek's ex, Ashley Morgan (Jen Jacob), safe, but Derek doesn't believe him and follows him to the warehouse to make the drop.
While at the warehouse, Jacob spots Derek and forces him to stay hidden and safe. Lia confronts Rishad, and Jacob's true identity is revealed. When Ren gets spooked and orders Rishad to kill Grayson, Jacob attempts to place Ren under arrest, but a shootout occurs.
The police stormed the premises and attempted to help, but Derek was shot in the incident. He was rushed to Garland Memorial Hospital, but despite the doctor's best efforts, he did not survive and died during surgery.
This is the second major death to have occurred in Beyond the Gates following the alleged death of Dr. Doug McBride (Jason Graham) in September of last year.
Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS with episodes streaming weeknights on Paramount+.
Viewers can catch up on all of the drama from Fairmount Crest from the beginning of the series on Paramount+ or for free on Pluto TV's dedicated 24/7 Beyond the Gates FAST channel.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 12:03 PM.