Dennis Rader

By John Darwin

The BTK Killer

• BTK stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill”• Name was given to him by his own request• Actual name- Dennis Rader• Alias- Ethan Truman• Born March 9th, 1945• Murdered 10 people in Sedgwick County

Early Life

• Had four siblings, all brothers• Grew up in Wichita• From self report on childhood:

– Cruel to animals– Psychopathic tendency according to the

MacDonald Triad

Personal Life

• Married to Paula Dietz and had two daughters

• Began working at the Coleman camping equipment company, then Cessna

• Became in charge of animal control for Park City

Killings

• Various locations with different gruesome methods

• Left a letter containing a doll with her hands tied behind her back in a chair and a plastic bag over her head

• Victims were either hanged, had a bag put over there head, or some other sort of strangling

• The primary reason for his killing was for sexual relief through the killing

• Victims usually girls younger than him

The letters

• Taunting letters to the police made Rader infamous

• Letters gave detailed accounts of the killings

• He gave himself the name BTK• Sometimes would give word puzzle• Letter example

Capture

• He sent a letter asking if a floppy disk could be traced, the police responded with no, enticing him to send a floppy, which later lad to his arrest.

• A surveillance camera captured the black jeep Cherokee of the BTK killer after he dropped a letter off on a cereal box.

Evidence• a. DNA analysis of semen from fingernails of victim Vicki Wegerle match Dennis Rader• b. A pay phone used to report a murder was only a few blocks away from Rader’s working place• c. One of the letters was photocopied at the Wichita Public Library, where Rader had attended school• d. Rader lived near all but one of the victims• e. Tow of the victims also worked at the Coleman Company Rader worked for• f. Over 30 hours of tape of confessions with grisly details of 10 murders• g. Semen found on Josephine Otero matched the DNA of Rader’s daughter

Sentencing

• Because there was no death penalty allowed until 1994, he couldn’t be sentenced to death.

• He was charged with 10 counts of first degree murder

• Is allowed to have parole in 175 years• Also 10 life sentences