Around this time, he also started killing animals like dogs and cats by torturing and hanging them. Under interrogation, Dennis Rader confessed to being the BTK killer. [14], Years later, during his "cooling off" periods between murders, Rader would take pictures of himself wearing women's clothes and a female mask while bound. The song "Bind Torture Kill" was released on the 2006 self-titled album by death metal band Suffocation. He also said he was bored, because his children had grown up and he had more time on his hands. In other words, the animal instinct inside Rader drove him insane, and urged him to do extreme actions in an attempt to satisfy his hunger to be animalistic. The poem expressed Rader's unhappiness about being caught, with one of the verses proclaiming, "The dark side of me has been exposed". On January 19, 1991, he broke into the house of an elderly lady, Dolores Davis, strangulated her to death, and then dumped the body under a bridge. [50], In his letters to police, Rader asked if his writings, if put on a floppy disk, could be traced or not. [56], Police obtained a warrant to test a pap smear taken from Rader's daughter at the Kansas State University medical clinic. Apparently, Rader had waited for several hours inside the home of Anna Williams but left when she still had not returned hours later. She apparently was terrified and told him to go get help. "[46] Also enclosed was a chapter list for a proposed book titled The BTK Story, which mimicked a story written in 1999 by Court TV crime writer David Lohr. Dennis Rader. Chapter One was titled "A Serial Killer Is Born." Surveillance tape of the parking lot from that date revealed a distant figure driving a black Jeep Cherokee leaving the box in the pickup. The Oteros' 15-year-old son, Charlie, came home later that day and discovered the bodies. He demanded media attention in this second letter, and it was finally announced that Wichita did indeed have a serial killer at large. DNA tests showed a "familial match" between the pap smear and the sample from Wegerle's fingernails; this indicated that the killer was closely related to Rader's daughter, and combined with the other evidence was enough for police to arrest Rader. But I think I got Rader pretty well.. The poem was titled "Black Friday", an ode to the day he was arrested. In 1966, Richard Speck committed one of the most horrifying mass murders in American history when he brutalized and killed eight student nurses living on Chicago's South Side. Police tape hangs across the street in front of Rader's house, 2005. The ten known murders are now believed to be the only murders for which Rader is actually responsible, although Wichita police are fairly certain that Rader stalked and researched a number of other potential victims. He was convicted of ten murders and received ten consecutive life sentences. [41] In October2004, a manila envelope was dropped into a UPS box in Wichita. [20][30], In an interview with ABC News in 2019, Rader's daughter Kerri said she still writes to her father and has now forgiven him, but still struggles to reconcile him with the BTK killer, stating her childhood seemed normal and they were a "normal American family". Then, in one of his communications with police, Rader asked them if it was possible to trace information from floppy disks. The oldest of four sons, he enjoyed a seemingly normal childhood, reportedly masking such disturbing behavior as hanging stray animals. Sources give Rader's place of birth as either Columbus, Kansas,[7][8] or Pittsburg, Kansas. He also liked to hang cats and watch them struggle until they died. [67] On May 3, the judge entered not guilty pleas on Rader's behalf, as Rader did not speak at his arraignment;[68] however, on June 27, the scheduled trial date, Rader changed his plea to guilty. Rader mentioned the interview during his sentencing statement. [18] On June9, a package was found taped to a stop sign at the corner of First and Kansas roads in Wichita. It was later retrieved from the trash after Rader himself asked what had become of it in a later message. In May 2004, a word puzzle was received by KAKE. Police in surrounding states such as Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas also were thought to have investigated cold cases that fit Rader's pattern to one extent or another. This was the evidence the police needed to make an arrest. Then, Rader sent an anonymous letter to the police, claiming responsibility for a killing that had previously not been attributed to him. After more than one year, Dennis Rader killed again. Rader was born on March 9, 1945, in Pittsburg, Kansas, and grew up in Wichita. Rader was formally charged with the murders on February 28, 2005. He is currently serving 10 consecutive life sentences at the El Dorado Correctional Facility. Dennis Rader was born on month day 1908, at birth place, West Virginia, to Howard Rader and Mary Ella Rader. On July 12, 1957 Gloria was united in marriage with Dennis Arnold Rader at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Frazee, Minnesota. Paula Dietz is best known as the ex-wife of Dennis Rader. Leary told Heavy: He was terribly to cruel to animals. This is a nature explanation for Rader's gruesome acts. The next year, Rader graduated from Wichita State University with a degree in administration of justice. The church he attended, his office at City Hall, and the main branch of the Park City library were also searched. The Worlds Most Elusive Serial Killer, Sedgwick County 18th Judicial District collection of legal documents on the Rader case, KAKE Collection of articles and videos on BTK, Dennis Rader's listing on the Kansas Department of Corrections, When your father is the BTK serial killer, forgiveness is not tidy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dennis_Rader&oldid=1133681933, Rader's case is portrayed in Episode 1 of, A character based on Rader played by actor Sonny Valicenti appears in the. He made his first appearance via videoconference from jail. He did credit the killer with having done "admirable work". [43] Before this, it had not been definitively established that Wegerle was killed by BTK. Between 1974 and 1991, he killed ten people in Wichita and Park City, Kansas, and sent taunting letters to police and media outlets describing the details of his crimes. Brian Rader Family, Parents, Siblings. In total, Rader would be eligible for parole after 175 years of imprisonment, in 2180. ", "Is The Clovehitch Killer Based On The BTK Murders True Story? He is known as the BTK killer (or the BTK strangler). But he blew his own cover through an insatiable desire for attention.. Her body was found a few days later. Its still a puzzle. The police answered his question in a newspaper ad posted in The Wichita Eagle, saying it would be safe to use the disk. It is believed that he worked briefly for Cessna, the aircraft manufacturer, in late 1973 or early 1974. Rader has always maintained that he was not physically or sexually abused as a child, according to an ABC News interview with his daughter, Kerri Rawson. Ramsfield told Rolling Stone that even after six years of conversations with him, I dont think he told me everything, and I dont think he always told me the truth. The victims' families disagreed with this decision. Rader also twice shot her brother, Kevin, though he survived. The police department replied that there was no way of knowing on what computer such a disk had been used, which was in fact not true. The police answered his question in a newspaper ad posted in the Wichita Eagle saying it would be safe to use the disk. The increased police vigilance made Rader a bit wary and he did not kill again for a few years. Rader pled guilty to the murders on June 27, 2005, giving a graphic account of his crimes in court. Altogether, over 1300 DNA samples were taken and later destroyed by court order. William Elvin Rader, Dorthea Mae Rader (born Cook), er, Rader, Rader, Rader, Rader, Rader, Rader, over thc couple's property and all his retirement benefits to, "Wichita (ap) The woman who was married to serial killer, over the couple's property and all his retirement benefits to, Ellensburg, Kittitas Valley County, WA, USA, Apr 1 1950 - 4810 Kechi Township, Sedgwick, Kansas, United States, Mar 9 1945 - Pittsburg, Crawford, Kansas, USA, William Elvin Rader, Dorothea Mae Rader (born Cook), Rader, Rader, Rader, We're Related to Royalty and Famous People. All of his known crimes occurred in the state of Kansas. [72] His statement has been described as an example of an often-observed phenomenon among psychopaths: their inability to understand the emotional content of language. [82], Interview with Misty King; A&E Documentary SpecialThe BTK Killer Speaks, A&E Documentary Special The BTK Killer Speaks, obsessivecompulsive personality disorders, List of serial killers in the United States, List of serial killers by number of victims, "The BTK Killer Brutally Murdered 10 People. Rolling Stone also reported that according to the book, as a child Rader would get aroused when he was spanked, and when he would see chickens waiting to get slaughtered. He then became a dogcatcher and supervisor in the Compliance Department at Park City. It contained the driver's license of Nancy Fox, which was noted as stolen from the crime scene, as well as a doll that was symbolically bound at the hands and feet with a plastic bag tied over its head. Though born in Pittsburg, Kansas, he grew up in Wichita. [51] When investigators drove by Rader's house, a black Jeep Cherokeethe type of vehicle seen in the Home Depot surveillance footagewas parked outside. The BTK killer is now the subject of an episode in the second series of the Netflix documentary Catching Killers, airing on February 9, 2022. [10][11] He also exhibited zoosadism by torturing, killing, and hanging small animals. Between 1974 and 1991, he killed ten people in Wichita and Park City, Kansas, and sent taunting letters to police and media outlets describing the details of his crimes. 2 Dennis Rader brutally murdered ten people, including two children, over a 17-year stretch He had even set a date, October 2004, and was stalking his intended victim. Rader's killing spree began in January 1974, when he targeted the Otero family, who had been living in Wichita for less than six months. 2023 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. Rader was a census field operations supervisor for the Wichita area in 1989, prior to the 1990 federal census. Rader pleaded guilty to all of the charges on June 27, 2005. This includes one person who was saved when Rader called off his planned attack upon his arrival near the target's home owing to road construction, and the presence of road crews, near her home. Even if later murders are linked to the BTK killer, it was originally unclear whether the death penalty would come into play, as the Kansas Supreme Court declared the state's capital punishment law unconstitutional on December 17, 2004. He conducted an interview after Rader had pleaded guilty on June 27, 2005. Dennis Lynn Rader is an American serial killer known as BTK, the BTK Strangler or the BTK Killer. Dennis Rader is 76 years old, having been born on March 9, 1945. [19][20] He attended Butler County Community College in ElDorado, earning an associate degree in electronics in 1973. killed four members of the Otero family, including two children, to fulfill a sexual fantasy. He gained entry into her house posing as a telephone repairman and then strangled her to death. [74] Kansas had no death penalty at the time of the murders. [35] In early 1978, he sent another letter to television station KAKE in Wichita, claiming responsibility for the murders of the Oteros, Bright, Vian Relford, and Fox. Dennis Rader, a bespectacled, balding 59-year-old compliance officer at the time of his arrest, would later to confess to killing 10 victims and share the secret, deviant behavior he'd kept. This job too did not last long and he was soon fired. [27] One neighbor complained that Rader killed her dog for no reason. Dennis grew up with three siblings - Jeff, Paul and Bill. You probably call me 'psychotic with sexual perversion hang-up.'" On January 15, 1974, Dennis Rader broke into the womans house with some tools and weapons. John Wayne Gacy, often called the "Killer Clown," was one of the worst serial killers in U.S. history, murdering at least 33 young male victims. Victims' families made statements, followed by Rader, who apologized for the crimes in a rambling, bizarre 30-minute monologue that District Attorney Nola Foulston likened to an Academy Awards thank you speech. Donald asks the courts to let him tweet. In the early 1990s, he became a dogcatcher and compliance officer in Park City. Explore how the celebrity world connects. His chosen victim was a young mother, Vicki Wegerle. [40], In 1988, after the murders of three members of the Fager family in Wichita, a letter was received from someone claiming to be the BTK killer, in which the author of the letter denied being the perpetrator of the Fager murders. According to Rolling Stones write up on the book, Early on, he started cutting out Slick Ads, female figures from magazine advertisements. He would serve two more years in the reserves. US based Meghan and Harry.. FameChain has their amazing trees. Copyright FameChain 2023, All rights reserved. They then began DNA testing hundreds of men in an effort to find the serial killer. Despite his cat-and-mouse game with authorities, Rader was able to keep the lid on his secret, murderous life. He wanted the opportunity to tell his story his own way. He then worked for a few months before entering the Kansas Wesleyan College in 1965. Beginning in 2006, he was allowed access to television and radio, to read magazines, and other privileges for good behavior.[75][76]. He studied for only two semesters there and joined the US Air Force in 1966. This proved to be his major mistake as the police was able to trace the source of the floppy disc to the church Rader frequented. In 1979, he sent two identical packages, one to an intended victim who was not at home when he broke into her house and the other to KAKE. Dennis Rader is an American serial killer also known as the BTK "Bind, Torture, Kill" Killer or the BTK Strangler. It was believed that the killer was dead, or maybe institutionalized. After a decade-long hiatus, Rader resumed sending letters in 2004, leading to his 2005 arrest and subsequent guilty plea. ", The Raven that Refused to Sing Concert Review, B.T.K. Serial Killer Dennis Rader became infatuated with binding, torturing, and killing during childhood and lived out those sexual fantasies in adulthood. In Chilling New Audio, He Explains Why", "BTK serial killer Dennis Rader said 'a demon within me' made him murder", "BTK Serial Killer: What We Learned From Confessional New Book", "Profile of a Serial Killer: Dennis Rader, the BTK Strangler", "The Creepy Bondage Selfies The BTK Took In Between His Murders", "Evolution of a Serial Killer: Dennis Rader, BTK", "Investigators tell of grisly crimes, Rader's delight", "A Double Life: Dennis Rader lived quietly while killing 10", "BTK Suspect's Career in Security Probed", "Neighbor: I Watched BTK Suspect Shoot Dog", "Portrait of Suspect in BTK Cases Emerging", "People at CLC Christ Lutheran Church Wichita, Kansas", "BTK killer's wife granted an emergency divorce", "BTK serial killer's daughter: 'We were living our normal life. [58] An officer asked, "Mr. Rader, do you know why you're going downtown?" He warned that he would strike again, noting, "The code words for me will be bind them, torture them, kill them, B.T.K." Rader mentioned the interview during his sentencing statement. [39], Marine Hedge, aged 53, was found on May5, 1985, at East 53rd Street North between North Webb Road and North Greenwich Road in Wichita. In the early 1970s he worked in a string of jobs, never staying at one place for long. Even though all the murders committed by Dennis Rader were equally gruesome, the Otero family murders he committed in 1974 were probably the most shocking. From 1974 to 1991, serial killer Dennis Rader murdered 10 people under the moniker BTK Killer, standing for "Bind, Torture, Kill." Around his hometown of Wichita, Kansas, Rader was known as a family man and church leader, and no one suspected he was the man sending taunting letters to police and media detailing his brutal, twisted crimes. He was also a member of Christ Lutheran Church and had been elected president of the church council. Rader killed her on April27, and took her dead body to his church, Christ Lutheran Church, where he was the president of the church council. On February 26, 2005, The Wichita Police Department announced in a press conference that they were holding Rader as the prime suspect in the BTK killings. His gruesome crimes shocked and horrified the community, and his capture in 2005 brought a small measure of closure to the families of his victims. AMERICAN serial killer Dennis Rader known as BTK, killed 10 people, including two children, over a 17-year period. Rader told Dr. Katherine Ramsland, who spent six years getting to know Rader through jailhouse interviews and letters after he was convicted, that his sexual fantasies involving tying people up started at a young age. Reportedly an attentive husband, he and his wife had a son in 1975 and a daughter in 1978. [19][22] Rader was a census field operations supervisor for the Wichita area in 1989, before the 1990federal census. He was raised in Wichita. [75], Rader talked about innocuous topics such as the weather during the 40-minute drive to El Dorado, but began to cry when the victims' families' statements from the court proceedings came on the radio. Also enclosed were a letter, a photocopy of the cover of a 1989 novel about a serial killer (Rules of Prey), and a gold-colored necklace with a large medallion. In 1977, Dennis Rader struck twice. On October 25, 2005, the Kansas attorney general filed a petition to sue Mendoza and Tali Waters, co-owners of Cambridge Forensic Consultants, LLC, for breach of contract, claiming that they intended to benefit financially from the use of information obtained through involvement in Rader's defense. The truth of what caused Rader to become the BTK killer may never be fully known. He told Ramsland he would fantasize about tying women to train tracks. His zodiac sign is Pisces and he holds American nationality. 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He attended, his office at City Hall, and the Biography logo are registered trademarks a! An insatiable desire for attention guilty to the 1990 federal census killed her dog for no.... Across the street in front of Rader & # x27 ; s house, 2005, giving graphic. Surveillance tape of the same family 2004, leading to his 2005 arrest and subsequent guilty plea second letter and. Prior to the police, claiming responsibility for a few years with three -...