Carl Darlingbin is Mello’s inside man — a mafia operative planted inside the SPK itself, under the alias “Ill Ratt,” feeding Near’s internal intelligence straight back to the mafia. He keeps Mello a step ahead of Near for a while, until Near roots him out as the leak, and he dies along with the rest of the syndicate once Kira executes them all at once.
A solidly built Western man with short dark hair and a somewhat broad face, kept clean-shaven and dressed in the same formal FBI/CIA-style attire as the rest of the SPK to maintain his cover.
Deceptive and disciplined, with the composure needed to run a double life inside an elite investigative team without breaking cover for a long stretch of the story.
In 2009, Darlingbin joins the SPK under the alias “Ill Ratt,” working directly under Near while secretly funneling information about the SPK’s resources and movements back to Mello — intelligence that helps the mafia stay ahead of Near during the Sayu Yagami kidnapping. Near eventually suspects a leak, identifies Darlingbin as the mole, and exposes him. Once Near’s wider investigation ties him to the syndicate’s 108 identified members, Light writes his name into the Death Note along with the rest of the mafia; Darlingbin dies of a heart attack at 11:59 PM on November 10, 2009.
The SPK Internal Investigation (Intelligence War)
Darlingbin leaks SPK data to Mello while Near hunts for the source of the leak. Near wins, identifying and exposing him — proof of Mello’s reach into the SPK, but also of Near’s sharper analysis.
vs. Kira — The Syndicate Purge (Ch. 71)
Once exposed and tied to the mafia’s identified membership, Darlingbin is killed along with the rest of the syndicate in Kira’s mass execution.
Major: Ch. 60.
Minor: Ch. 61.
Mentioned only: Ch. 67 (as Ratt), 68 (list), 71.
Mello
His true boss, whom he supplied with critical internal SPK intelligence.
Near
His nominal superior at the SPK, and the person who eventually exposes him.
Dwight Gordon
The syndicate’s original boss, before Mello took over.
Halle Lidner and Stephen Gevanni
SPK colleagues he worked alongside while maintaining his cover.
- His alias “Ill Ratt” is a play on his true role as a “rat” inside the SPK.
- His death lands exactly one minute before midnight, matching Kira’s systematic execution of the syndicate.