I might be dropping suspicious details in this character to make him a potential suspect for the murders. Largely he's just a writer who dislikes not being able to control his empathy so he sticks to the safety of The Known. Routines, people he knew before these weird abilities showed up, etc.
Naturally this means, as his writer, I want all of his safety upset.
The pair of them are the same age, perhaps they grew up together. Neighbors, schoolmates, etc!