Maria LaGuerta is the Homicide Division’s lieutenant. The fictional character Maria is seen as a determined and very tough woman commanding the whole Homicide Division. She has displayed consistent hatred with Dexter’s foster sister Debra. However, as the series went on, it was revealed that Maria’s hatred to Debra gradually doused off. Her relationship to Dexter, however tells another story. In season one of Dexter, Maria was seen constantly flirted with Dexter.

At the end of season one, however, it was seen that Maria only treats Dexter like a close friend. Also, the season one ender episode revealed how Maria was removed from service. The tough Maria LaGuerta is played by American actress Lauren Velez. Lauren was born on November 2, 1964 at Brooklyn in New York. She has a twin sister. During the beginning of the 1950s, Lauren’s parents decided to move from Puerto Rico to New York City where she as well as her twin sister was born. Lauren belongs to a big family of ten. She and her siblings lived in the mid-class neighborhood in Rockaway in Queens. She spent most of her childhood in that house that was bought by her father who worked as a police officer in New York City Police Department. Aside from Dexter, Lauren also appeared in Ugly Betty and Serial.