The BTK Strangler

[Anonymous]

http://ksn.com/news/stories/7036051.html

WICHITA, Kansas, Feb 26, 2005 -- So what do we know about suspect Dennis Rader? We have been gathering a mass of information on his background.

Most interesting, we will hear from Dennis Rader himself. He spoke to KSN News on a general news story back in 2001. It was a surprise to us, and with what police have said Saturday, Rader’s life is a surprise to the entire city.

Dennis Rader, the man now thought to be BTK, allegedly fooled police for decades. Now scores of Kansans are learning that he apparently fooled them as well.

"It’s the biggest shock I’d ever had -- the nicest guy in the world. I’d have given him a key to watch my dog if I had to when I was leaving town," said Gary Van Dusen, neighbor.

Rader was a churchgoer at Christ Lutheran Church in north Wichita. He was not just any member of the church, he was president of the Congregation Council.

"It’s consistent with what we had thought all along, that it’s an individual who blends well into the community, was basically invisible to his neighbors and friends and coworkers because he was just an ordinary guy," said Arlyn Smith, former BTK investigator.

Rader was a compliance officer in Park City. Residents knew him as a stickler for detail.

"He’d harass you for your grass being six inches tall, or something like that," said one neighbor.

But Rader also handled animal control. KSN News interviewed him about a story on animal attacks in Park City.

Business reference books dating back to the 1970’s show Dennis Rader as an ADT security technician. That’s key, since police have often thought BTK gained access to homes as a utility employee.

We also know that Radar has a long history with Wichita State University. That matches what police have thought all along about the BTK killer.

An alumni book shows Rader graduated WSU in the late 1970’s. Police linked a BTK letter to a school copy machine and the brother of victim Kathryn Bright reports BTK asked him if he’d seen him around campus.

I particularly love the way the police keep saying, "Oh yes, we knew all along that BTK was like this" or "like that". Really? So why did it take so long to track him down then, eh? Eh? Eh?

 

[Timble2]

It’s the biggest shock I’d ever had -- the nicest guy in the world. I’d have given him a key to watch my dog if I had to when I was leaving town," said Gary Van Dusen, neighbor.

It's funny how thw neighbours always say that sort after someone turns out to be a particularly deranged serial killer. Perhaps they should automatically suspect "nice quiet people who live on their own and don't cause any bother."

 

[Anonymous]

My thoughts exactly.

Whereas the black clothed, heavily tattooed, biker with Satanic symbols over every surface of the house - he wouldn't hurt a fly

 

[lopaka]

Wandering slightly OT here: Yes, well, the topic did manage to come up this morning in my {coff} Lutheran church here in {coff, coff} Kansas this morning. :eek!!!!: (I should point out, Wichita is 150 miles (~225km) away from here). No, we didn't stare at the president of the congregation council and wonder what secret, depraved life she has hidden away. But there was certainly recognition that we (meaning human beings, but us as a congregation) often look at the outward appearences of people or their status or whatever, and, to put it in theistic terms, imagine that we can somehow know who is "right with God" and who isn't. It's always a humbling reminder that it's the nice, shiny folks who may be doing great evil, not, y'know *those* people, ie Samaritans or whoever.

 

[Renigirl]

I hate unnamed sources, but this early report is making the rounds stateside:

Source: BTK Suspect Confesses To At Least Six Killings
The Associated Press

WICHITA, Kan. -- The man suspected in a string of 10 slayings attributed to the BTK serial killer confessed to at least six of those killings, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation said Sunday.

Investigators now believe Dennis L. Rader may have been responsible for as many 13 slayings—including at least one that occurred after the death penalty was enacted in Kansas, the source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Rader made the confession on Friday, the same day as his arrest, according to the source. “The guy is telling us about the murders,” the source said.

Police spokeswoman Janet Johnson declined to comment.

Rader was being held on a $10 million bond in the deaths of 10 people between 1974 and 1991. Police had long linked the BTK killer to eight murders, but added two more after Rader’s arrest.

Now police suspect the BTK killer in the deaths of two Wichita State University students, as well as a woman who lived down the street from another known victim of BTK, the killer’s self-coined nickname that stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill.”

Prosecutors had said initially they could not pursue the death penalty against Rader because the 10 murders linked to BTK occurred before Kansas state law allowed capital punishment.

Rader, 59, could appear in court as early as Monday, when he would stand in front of a judge on video while prosecutors recite yet-to-be-filed criminal charges against him. The judge would also review Rader’s bond and set a permanent amount.

The hearing could happen Monday but was more likely to be postponed until Tuesday, the district attorney’s office said Sunday. It was unclear whether Rader had a lawyer.

Police were confident Rader’s arrest last week would bring to an end 30 years of fear about the BTK strangler. But as they pored over news of a suspect’s capture, many residents here were left with an unsettling feeling—that he had been hidden among them all along.

Charlie Otero, whose parents and two siblings were BTK’s first victims in 1974, said Sunday that he was “waiting with anticipation” to learn more about the DNA evidence that has been credited with helping crack the case.

Otero believes his family was targeted, although the rest of BTK’s victims were likely chosen at random. He isn’t sure why the family was targeted but said it’s interesting that Rader and his father served in the Air Force at the same time in the 1960s. “I’m sure this will all come out during the trial,” he said.

Rader, a married father of two, a Cub Scout leader and an active member of a Lutheran church, was anything but a recluse.

His job as a city code enforcement supervisor required daily contact with the public, and he even appeared on television in 2001 in his tan city uniform for a story on vicious dogs running loose in Park City.

Before becoming a muncipal employee, Rader worked for a home-security company, where he held several positions that allowed him access to customers’ homes, including a role as installation manager. He worked for ADT Security Systems from 1974 to 1989 -- the same time as a majority of the BTK killings.

Mike Tavares, who worked with Rader at ADT, described him as a “by-the-books” employee who would often draw diagrams of houses and personally make sure technicians installed systems correctly.

While Rader was known as a blunt person and rubbed some people the wrong way, it never struck co-workers as anything other than businesslike.

“I’ve spoken to some co-workers who were around then, and everybody is very numb,” said Tavares, who left the company in 2001.

At his church and around town, many expressed shock that Rader was accused of being the BTK killer.

“Disbelief, absolute disbelief,” said a tearful Carole Nelson, a member of Christ Lutheran Church, where Rader was an usher and the president of the church council. “I never would have guessed in a million years.”

The church’s pastor, Michael Clark, said Rader’s wife, Paula, was in a state of shock when he visited the family, who remained in seclusion Sunday.

“Her demeanor and voice indicated she was suffering,” Clark said.

Just days before his arrest, Rader brought spaghetti sauce and salad to a church supper, even though he was unable to attend himself, church member Paul Carlstedt said.

“The guy that walked in here was not the face of evil,” said Bob Smyser, an usher at the church.

Still, a sense of relief was palpable around Wichita after the apparent capture of the killer who had sent taunting letters to the media since the 1970s.

“Hallelujah, praise the Lord,” Gaylene Brown said over breakfast Sunday at Don’s Restaurant, where Rader’s face was a common sight.

Police disclosed little about how they identified Rader as a suspect and have said they will not comment further on the case, but bits and pieces of the investigation have filtered out.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius told The Associated Press that DNA evidence was the key to cracking the case. It was unclear whether BTK’s letters helped lead to the arrest. Police have said they obtained semen from the crime scenes even though the killer did not sexually assault his victims.

Wichita television station KAKE, citing sources it did not name, reported that DNA from Rader’s daughter, Kerri, was instrumental in his capture, though KAKE anchor Larry Hatteberg said it did not appear the daughter turned in her father.

Parts of the profile released earlier by police seemed to match up. Investigators said they believed the killer was familiar with a professor at Wichita State University. Rader graduated from the university in 1979.

In the 1970s, Rader worked at a nearby Coleman camping gear plant where two of his victims were employed.

Online version here.

 

[BaronVonHoopla]

I really hope it is him, it would look so good on him for being cocky enough to send pictures after all this time . . . I get so tired of every average killer trying to delude himself into believing he is the Zodiac Killer, or one of Batman's villains.

Just admit what you really are, an unimaginative hack who can only become noticed by killing people.


-Fitz

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Posted on Sun, Mar. 06, 2005

BTK suspect doesn't fit many of the theories


There will be a lot of second-guessing in the months ahead about the BTK investigation. But what we know so far is a cautionary note to amateur sleuths and professional "profilers" everywhere.

If Dennis Rader is guilty, BTK wasn't who we thought he was.

This trusted family man, church and Scout leader doesn't fit much of what we thought we knew about the serial killer.

He was hiding in plain sight.

And that's relevant to a question on many people's minds: Could he have been arrested sooner?

Probably not. We should be thankful that he was arrested at all, considering how notoriously difficult it can be for police to catch serial killers, especially ones as careful and crafty as BTK.

The emerging details about Mr. Rader do underscore that those celebrated and oft-quoted "profilers" should be taken with a heavy dose of salt.

As former Wichita Police Chief Richard LaMunyon said last week, much of the early analysis supplied by profilers doesn't match up with what we know of the suspect. According to them:

BTK was antisocial.

He couldn't maintain a relationship.

He stood out in a crowd.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Of course, profilers themselves would be the first to admit that what they do is more art than science. Their broad-brush psychological portraits are just another tool for shrinking the large pool of possible suspects to a manageable size, and for identifying characteristics and patterns of behavior that might lead to a suspect.

But it's worth a reminder that, more often than not, they are wrong. That's not a condemnation; merely a call for humility.

These are extremely difficult cases to solve.

For the record, the insights provided last year by a visiting British psychic also appear to be far wide of the mark. He sensed that BTK was self-employed, as either a maintenance man or plumber.

Much of the profile supplied by BTK himself in letters to police seems to have been deliberately misleading: the grandfather who played fiddle, living near railroad tracks, etc.

Police were right to release that information, on the chance that something in it would trigger a connection or reveal more than the killer had intended.

And going forward, it's worth examining whether more of the hard information supplied by BTK himself could have been released earlier by police and media -- clues such as the complete puzzle and the ghoulishly bound doll.

We're assuming that the more information the public has to work with, the more likely that someone would recognize a telling detail.

We hope authorities reveal soon exactly what led them to Mr. Rader. Reports so far suggest that it was specific evidence and shoe leather, not broad profiles and speculation.

Source

 

[Anonymous]

I am fascinated by criminal profiling, but let's face it, the majority of criminals are caught purely by accident. Some are even allowed to go on killing thanks to sheer incompentence on the part of the authorities.

I do think the theory of criminal profiling is a good one. I've seen it work, to a much lesser extent, within my own family, where my Grandad's powers of perception were something absolutely extraordinary. However, I believe profiling is an art not a science. I mean, that so much profiling now is formulaic, it becomes absolutely useless.

We all know what your typical serial killer is like :

- aged between 23 - 37
- single
- no strong male presence in formative years
- persistent bed wetter
- inability to form or maintain relationships
- tortured animals as a child
- not educated beyond High School
- not in settled employment
- severe head injury as a child
- mysogynistic

Except pretty much any serial killer you care to mention doesn't fit it! Dahmer, perfectly happy childhood; Gacy, no problems fitting into society for him; Bundy, college educated, good looking, social character.

Makes a mockery of it, doesn't it?

Profiling is becoming a stereotype. The standing joke of the standard profile is unfortunately all too true at times. It's a shame, because it could be depriving us of a valid investigative tool.

Thing is, because it appears 'supernatural' it got dismissed. So they turned it into a measureable science. And it doesn't work well that way. Reading people is something you can do, and learn to do better; but if you can't do it, you can't do it.

 

[Heckler]

I am fascinated by criminal profiling, but let's face it, the majority of criminals are caught purely by accident. Some are even allowed to go on killing thanks to sheer incompentence on the part of the authorities..

Trouble is, advocates of profiling always use that first case of 'The Mad Bomber' as the proof that profiling works:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_ ... tml?sect=1

It was spot on but others have been woefully off.

 

[Anonymous]

The Mad Bomber wasn't as spot on as the legend would have us believe, apparently. Apparently, there were some errors (although the hit rate was very good), but they tend to get swept under the carpet.

So I've heard, anyway.

 

[Heckler]

The Mad Bomber wasn't as spot on as the legend would have us believe, apparently. Apparently, there were some errors (although the hit rate was very good), but they tend to get swept under the carpet.

So I've heard, anyway.

Interesting I'll have a look into that.

 

[Anonymous]

I can't remember where I read it, and I'm not at home to check.

 

[escargot]

FBI-type criminal profiling is old hat now. The British version is 'forensic psychology' and is heavily geographical.

Dr David Canter of Liverpool Uni is big in this field. He reckons that 'scene of crime' clues are valuable, especially forensically, but that other ways of linking crimes together into a pattern are also important.

He started off as an architectural psychologist, which explains his excellent grasp of the situational element in criminology.

He has written some highly readable books and had a TV series called 'Mapping Murder.' (I video'd that, and watched it over and over, and then it was on the History Channel so I watched it over and over again!)

There is certainly a tiny category of stereotypical violent male serial killers but you're more likely to find them in detective fiction than on mean streets.

I'm presently working on Beverly Allitt and other medical murderers. Not a rope or a roll of duct tape in sight. Plenty of bereaved relations though.

 

[Anonymous]

Medical murders are fascinating. Dr. Shipman et al. Not typical serial killers at all.

Do you think Beverly Allitt suffered Munchaussen by Proxy, or was it a handy nametag for a serial killer? Actually, does Munchaussen by Proxy mean that she's not a serial killer? {confusing myself a bit now}

Paul Britton didn't do profiling any favours. "Doing a Britton" is apparently common psycological parlance now David Canter's Criminal Shadows is good; a bit dry perhaps in places, but thankfully lacking in John Douglas' flowery rhetoric

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Mask of faith

Theologians, psychologists question how accused BTK killer could lead double life

By Jim Baker, Journal-World

Saturday, March 12, 2005

In the wake of the Feb. 25 arrest in the BTK case in Wichita -- and the revelation that the suspect, Dennis Rader, is president of his church council -- many stunned Kansans are struggling with the question "How is it possible?"

How is it possible that Rader, by all outward appearances a faithful Christian and active at all levels of his congregation, could also prove to be the notorious serial killer who taunted and terrorized a city for three decades?

The possibility that Rader was in fact a wolf in sheep's clothing, a man living behind a mask of faith that concealed a monstrous secret life, raises profound questions about the nature of evil and the mystery that ultimately lies at the heart of every human being.

Some of those troubling questions have theological implications. How is it seemingly possible for the religious impulse and evil actions to co-exist in the same human being? Do horrible, ongoing deeds rule out the possibility of a real connection to God? And does God still love the BTK suspect?

But theologians aren't the only ones trying to figure out how a churchgoing man -- in fact, the church council leader -- could also be the man charged with 10 murders. Pastors, psychologists and experts on the criminal mind seek answers, too.

They're among millions of Americans who are captivated by this stark example of a person leading a life outwardly devoted to faith and inwardly to radical evil.

Dark secrets

Is it possible that Dennis Rader is a religious man?

And if so, how on earth might he have been able to carry out these crimes?

"I'm not sure anybody can really answer that question," said Paul Cromwell, professor of criminal justice and director of the community affairs school at

Wichita State University. "It's hard to understand how a person could have a sincere faith life and at the same time be killing people on the side."

Cromwell created and taught a class called "Serial Killers" for two semesters at Wichita State. It's now taught by Lt. Ken Landwehr, lead detective on the BTK murder investigation.

The fact that the BTK suspect turned out to be a leader of his church didn't shock Cromwell.

"Some criminals have been able to compartmentalize their behavior. I think that's pretty true. He's (Rader) not all that unusual," Cromwell said.

"If you look at somebody like John Wayne Gacy, who killed 31 or so teenage boys, he was a volunteer at the hospital, a volunteer in the community, (involved with) Boy Scouts, politically active. The guy was well liked and respected, and yet he killed 31 young men and buried them under his house."

It's possible that Rader's participation at church was sincere, motivated by a sense of true belief, he said.

"I find it hard to believe that he was faking this all the time. I simply believe he was able to compartmentalize his activities. I'm not a psychologist; I'm just taking a shot here," Cromwell said. "You don't carry on a double life for all of these years without at least believing in it to some extent. You can act in a fake way only so long. Then after a while, it has to become a part of your life."

On the other hand, sociopaths and others with anti-social personalities -- Cromwell speculated that Rader falls into this category -- excel at faking concern and compassion, while blending in with everyone else. In one way, Rader's behavior was surpassingly common. Like most people, he had his secrets.

"All of us have something deep inside that we don't share with the rest of the world," Cromwell said. "Hopefully, it's not as dark as Dennis Rader's."

Church as cover

Tony Ruark may have some insight into the mind of the accused serial killer.

Ruark, a Wichita psychologist, consulted with police on the BTK case from 1979 to 1981.

Rader likely suffers from an extreme anti-social personality disorder, he said.

If Rader really is BTK, then he's a person "that has no guilt about his crimes. No conscience whatsoever," said Ruark, now an administrator with the Wichita Child Guidance Center. "When you can do this kind of thing over and over without hesitation and then brag about it, that's (having) no conscience. That's a real serious anti-social personality."

It's not unusual that the BTK suspect led a double life. Many sociopaths display that ability, according to Ruark.

"The bright ones, those are folks who can fake it. They can look very concerned or compassionate to others. It's the old used-car salesman syndrome -- you can come across to others however you want to," he said.

Rader was hiding in plain sight, leading a life that appeared beyond suspicion. He likely used his role in church to his advantage.

"What is a better cover for criminal behavior than active community and church involvement?" Ruark asked. "Rader was considered a real pillar of his community, a leader in his church, a respectable position of employment. That's a wonderful cover for somebody who has a secret life in another direction.

"I would guess that he probably has some sincere beliefs in that area (religion), but they could not -- because of his anti-social tendencies -- inhibit him from doing these heinous acts. That's just a guess."

Coping with evil impulses

Why were people so surprised to learn that the BTK suspect was a church leader?

The Rev. Richard Randolph, an assistant professor of Christian ethics at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo., offered his interpretation.

"I guess I would say there's two levels of shock here. If you tell me this guy lives a distinctly un-Christian lifestyle, (that) he did these things, the brutality and inhumanness of these acts are shocking," said Randolph, an ordained Methodist minister.

"On top of that, when you find out how active he was in his congregation, it's a double shock."

Randolph hastened to add a point that, he said, ministers have been stressing for years.

"Churches are not made up of saints. They're made up of finite human beings, all of whom have faults and sins. And we've seen this in different ways within the Christian church, (such as) sexual improprieties of clergy," he said.

"It's important to see the church for what it is. It's neither all BTK killers nor all saints. When we see something like this episode, it's important to remember that there are many people in the church who are doing their best to work for God and be faithful to God."

Nancy Howell, a professor of theology and philosophy of religion at St. Paul School of Theology, explained how it's seemingly possible for the religious impulse to co-exist with ongoing evil inside the same person.

"Humans have remarkable capacities to accomplish good and just acts but similarly have as much capacity to imagine and create acts of evil toward each other, nature and God," she said. "The potential for good and evil co-exists in all of us. Sometimes persons who struggle between impulses for good and evil seek the church as a place to encourage the good and help cope with the evil impulses."

Source

 

[lopaka]

It's refreshing to see that not all the human freak show circus trials take place in California. (In another report I saw, he laments the fact his wife is considering divorce. Truly a shame she doesn't view their wdding vows with the same level of sacredness he does. )

Posted on Thu, Jun. 23, 2005



‘BTK’ suspect calls TV station

WICHITA — Days before his scheduled trial, the “BTK” killings suspect called a television station and talked about problems with his defense team but wouldn’t discuss specifics about his case.

The suspect, Dennis Rader, called KSNW-TV last Friday and talked to a journalist who has close connections to his family, KSNW news director Todd Spessard said Wednesday. Parts of that interview were broadcast Monday and Tuesday.

Rader, 60, of Park City, is accused of killing 10 persons in the Wichita area between 1974 and 1991. The former Park City compliance officer has been in custody since Feb. 25.

For decades BTK, which stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill,” taunted media and police with clues and messages.

Rader, often speaking in the third person, complained to KSNW that he had not seen recent court filings and faulted his defense team.

“I don’t want any negativism toward the people who are trying to help me,” he said. “On the other hand, Rader needs to know what’s going on. The paperwork needs to be coming down to him somehow.”

On Friday, the Sedgwick County district attorney’s office filed court papers adding a possible witness. In a separate document, the judge ordered Rader to have no contact with state witnesses.

Rader stood mute at a hearing in May, leaving it to District Court Judge Gregory Waller to enter a not guilty plea for him. His trial was set for June 27, a date prosecutor Nola Foulston said at the time would probably be postponed, though that has not yet happened.

“I’m trying to get everything set up and trying to get everything resolved,” Rader told KSNW. “I’m sure that some of the things that are going on will, might, reflect on what happens that day, I guess you might say.”

Rader said he could not explain further what would happen Monday.

“Three things can happen on the hearing: There’s a continuance, there’s a plea or we go for trial,” Rader said. “That’s the only three things that can happen that day.

Spessard said prosecutors had subpoenaed the KSNW interview tape.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit ... 961279.htm

(registration required)

 

[Anonymous]

I remember reading something here on BTK, and I know that the reason they profile the way they do is with the logic that "They're secretively killing, they're antisocial, they're charming, so they're a sociopath" Thats where the profile comes in. Many serial killers, such as BTK, are sociopaths, and that's where you find a profile. Using the sociopath profile is the only way that they can even begin to fathom the idea of the female serial killer, because there is no profile for them. I do know that to be declared a sociopath usually you have to fall into the trifecta of bedwetting, a dependency on the overbearing mother figure, and mutilation or violence toward animals.

Pretty cool info on profiling here: http://www.hss.caltech.edu/~mcafee/Bin/sb.html

 

[whoisquilty]

Truly a shame she doesn't view their wdding vows with the same level of sacredness he does.

lopaka, are you saying that you would stay married to someone who had hidden a secret side of themselves for 30 years? That's not a violation of vows?

There is absolutely no way I could continue to be in a relationship with someone who lied to me, hid things of this magnitude from me, and kissed me on the cheek/touched me after coming in from STRANGLING someone.

The creepiness of the situation is too difficult to put into words.

 

[lopaka]

Truly a shame she doesn't view their wdding vows with the same level of sacredness he does.

lopaka, are you saying that you would stay married to someone who had hidden a secret side of themselves for 30 years? That's not a violation of vows?

There is absolutely no way I could continue to be in a relationship with someone who lied to me, hid things of this magnitude from me, and kissed me on the cheek/touched me after coming in from STRANGLING someone.

The creepiness of the situation is too difficult to put into words.

No, no, I'm not questioning the wife or being sympathetic towards him. I do need to say, that as quoted there is no emoticon as there was in my original post, which as I understand/use it, casts a sarcastic "yeah, right" on what's just come before. So my intent was to say, along the lines of what punker91887 posted, it's unfathomable to me that anyone could be that sociopathic. Kills ten people, and the concern foremost in Dennis Rader's mind is "how does this affect me?" Here is a human-like being truly incapable of empathy, even to the level of not understanding what his wife of thirty years might be going through. I aplogize if that wasn't clear enough.

 

[PeniG]

Here's a little paradox: We judge others by ourselves, and yet none of us knows what we would do in a situation until we do it. Unlike Quilty, I can imagine standing by someone accused of 10 murders - as long as I didn't believe him guilty. Would I? Could I? How good would the evidence have to be? That would depend on the quality of the relationship, wouldn't it?

For my own part, so far as I can tell, I'm with Mrs. Bernard Hauptmann: "Who wouldn't believe their husband?" As I suspect many people who read the true crime threads know, this is what Mrs. Hauptmann said to reporters when asked how she could stand by her husband as he went on trial for kidnapping/manslaughtering the Lindbergh baby. Though we are supposed to hold people "innocent until proven guilty," going on trial for something is often equated with being guilty of it, and for an innocent person to be deserted by family members at such a time would be as terrible a thing, in its own way, as the crime. Love precludes abandonment in time of need.

These things are always more complicated than we think. Is Mrs. Daner leaving because the evidence compels her to believe that the man she loved doesn't exist? No one could blame her for that, and it's my visceral assumption that this must be what happened. Nothing less than overwhelming proof (I think, relaxing in the surety that it won't happen in my family) would overcome my trust, so naturally I think the same of her, and that the police have caught the right man. But she could also be taking the opportunity to leave a man she never really loved; or weakly running away from the cynosure of public scorn and pity; or - I don't know the evidence, I'm just running through the story possibilities.

The emotional lives of criminals interest me because I view them as characters. How would I write the person who behaves in this or that way? We'd all like to think that evil people are just evil, divorced from love and duty, and that's that, but if we are both honest and well-informed, we know better. Peter Kurten, the Dusseldorf Werewolf, killed people for fun and beat his wife; but when he realized his days as a free murderer were numbered, he made his wife turn him in for the reward money because he didn't want her to be destitute. Was that the nearest approximation of love he could manage; was it a peculiar idea of virtue or strength; was it the one true virtue he possessed? I'm glad I'm not in charge of sorting this sort of thing out in the afterlife.

I have my own little psychodrama for Bernard Hauptmann: He was guilty, but he did not work alone, and it was his accomplice (a man who didn't have any children) who dropped the Lindbergh baby on his head. He could have turned state's evidence, but - "Who wouldn't believe their husband?" said his wife, and she and his kid looked at him with an absolute trust that he, and they, valued more than the money, more than his life. He died so their belief in him could live. I tell myself this little story because it's the only way the facts of the case make sense to me.

The Rader story is still playing out, and he is shadowy, two-dimensional at best. Interestingly, his tendency to drop into third person may indicate that he is shadowy even to himself - a character in his own drama, not a real human being. Which would be odd, as I would expect a true sociopath to regard himself as the only real human being. But if he's dissassociative, perhaps it's BTK who's the real human being, and if he's not being BTK he's not real...Hmmm...

(Wanders off trying to grasp the nature of evil through literary analysis, which you gotta admit is as good a way as any)

 

[Brighid45]

I heard on the local news tonight that Dennis Rader's trial will start on Monday. There will be extensive coverage here in Wichita, undoubtedly.

This case has deeply affected the lives of almost everyone in town. Anytime you visit someone's house, you see at least three or four deadbolts on all the doors, and strong locks on the windows. Most women will talk about how scared they still are even thirty years after the first murders, and even with the arrest of Mr. Rader. It is also not unusual for people to come home from work and check the landline phone to make sure the line hasn't been cut, though they have cell phones.

 

[AMPHIARAUS]

BTKpictographic signature

I recently saw a pic of the BTK calling card / signature which he left at the murder scenes. It was styled into a pictogram which looked just like those used in sigul magic.

Has there been any reference to him using sigul magic or having any form of occult (used in the broadest sense) beliefs? Red herring?

Just curious

 

[whoisquilty]

Unlike Quilty, I can imagine standing by someone accused of 10 murders - as long as I didn't believe him guilty. Would I? Could I? How good would the evidence have to be? That would depend on the quality of the relationship, wouldn't it?

Hmm, Peni...I'm not sure where in my post it says that I wouldn't be willing to stand by someone if I thought them innocent.

However, in Dennis Rader's situation, it sounds like he's pretty much guilty. I've read an article in which it states that he confessed. I've also read articles that state that he neither confessed nor denied committing these crimes. Unless someone looks you in the eye and says, "I didn't do it"...how can you stand by them?

 

[Brighid45]

Amphiaraus--I don't think it was as much about magic as it was just an attempt to create a 'signature'. Interesting that Dennis Rader seems to care only about showing up on the news as often as possible.

If you can get a copy of the book 'Nightmare in Wichita: The Hunt For The BTK Killer' by Robert Beattie, I highly recommend it. The author did an excellent job of researching the whole story and examining motive, profiles, etc.

 

[Brighid45]

Breaking news: Dennis Rader has pleaded nolo contendere (guilty) to all ten counts. He is on all the local channels right now describing in detail what he did, and why--something the law compels him to do since he pleaded guilty. He'll get life in prison with eligibility for parole after fifteen years for each count, but it hasn't been decided yet if all ten sentences will be concurrent or consecutive.

Apparently he has admitted that he studied specific people to see if they would fit into his torture/murder fantasies. As my housemate just said, "He mentioned that he 'started projects' in College Hill [a suburb of Wichita]. I bet everyone there just had a chill go down their spine."

 

[Anonymous]

Rader details how he killed 10 people
Killer had 'sexual fantasies' while picking victims

Monday, June 27, 2005; Posted: 5:22 p.m. EDT (21:22 GMT)


WICHITA, Kansas (CNN) -- Dennis Rader, the BTK serial killer who terrorized the Wichita area from the 1970s to the 1990s, pleaded guilty Monday and described in cool and dispassionate detail how he killed 10 people to satisfy his sexual fantasies.

Rader, 60, entered the plea on what was supposed to be the first day of his jury trial, saying a long and drawn out trial would only result in his guilt at the end.

He listened matter-of-factly as Sedgwick County District Judge Greg Waller read him each charge and asked if understood, even stopping Waller to correct him when the judge misread a date from the charge sheet.

At Waller's direction, Rader went down the list of charges, explaining in a calm, dispassionate voice how he carried out each of the killings.

Rader said he broke into the home of Joseph and Julie Otero and tied them up along with two of their children. He said he told them that he was wanted and just needed a car and some food. He put a pillow under Joseph Otero's head to make him more comfortable.

"I realized that, you know, I was already -- I didn't have a mask on or anything -- they already could I.D. me," Rader said. "I made a decision to go ahead and put 'em down, I guess, or strangle them."

Rader described how he killed each member of the Otero family, but he said they did not die right away.

"I had never strangled anyone before, so I really didn't know how much pressure you had to put on a person or how long it would take," he said.

"BTK" was the killer's self-named reference to his preference to "bind, torture and kill" his victims in the string of murders from 1974 to 1991.

Packed hit kit, Polaroid pictures
Rader explained how, in most of his cases, he chose and then stalked several people at a time -- referring to them as "projects" or "potential hits."

"If one didn't work out, I just moved to another one," Rader said.

Rader told the court he selected his victims as he played out fantasies. Asked what kinds of fantasies he was having, Rader said "sexual fantasies."

"If you've read much about serial killers, they go through what they call different phases. In the trolling stage, basically, you're looking for a victim at that time. You can be trolling for months or years, but once you lock in on a certain person, you become a stalker. There might be several of them, but you really hone in on one person. They basically become the ... victim. Or, at least that's what you want it to be," Rader said.

He told the judge he had prepared a "hit kit," equipment he used in the killings, as well as "hit clothes" that he wore and later got rid of.

Rader said he chose Shirley Vian, 26, at random and forced his way into her apartment with a .357-caliber Magnum handgun on March 17, 1977. Her children "got real upset," so Rader had her lock them in a bathroom before covering her head with a bag and strangling her.

In more than one case, Rader said he took Polaroid photos of his victims. After killing Marine Hedge in April 1985, Rader said, he stripped his victim, tied her up, took her to another location, then took photos depicting "different forms of bondage" before hiding her body in a ditch.

After hearing descriptions of each of the 10 killings, Waller found Rader guilty of all charges. Rader also waived his right to a jury trial on the sentencing.

Under Kansas law, Rader can be sentenced to life in prison for each charge, but could become eligible for parole.

Consecutive terms to be sought
Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston said she will ask the maximum sentence possible -- for each of those sentences to be served consecutively. "He should serve 175 years to life," said Foulston, who said she plans to present evidence on every killing at Rader's sentencing hearing.

The last BTK killing occurred in 1991 after Kansas stiffened its murder statutes, which means Rader could be sentenced to a minimum 40 years in prison without a chance of parole on that count.

Waller set August 17 as the sentencing date.

Rader cannot face the death penalty because Kansas did not reinstate the death penalty until 1994, three years after his last killing.

Rader's attorney, Steve Osburn, said all defenses were considered, including insanity, but after experts were called in it became apparent "there was no viable insanity defense."

Osburn said that based on evidence the prosecution had, including a confession and DNA evidence, it was apparent there was "a very solid case for the state."

Osburn said the detailed account that Waller asked for and got from Rader for each of the crimes was a complete surprise. He said he hoped that it provided closure to the families of the victims.

Killer a church president
Rader, who had been the president of his Lutheran church council, taunted authorities and the media with letters and packages he sent them over several years, some with before-and-after photos of the victims.

Christ Lutheran Church pastor Michael Clark said Rader, also a former Boy Scout leader, had been involved in church leadership for 30 years and was elected church council president just before his arrest.

Rader was arrested in what authorities said was a routine traffic stop. He worked for the Wichita suburb of Park City as a compliance supervisor in charge of animal control, nuisances, inoperable vehicles and general code compliance.

Authorities initially linked him to eight deaths, but added two more after his arrest.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/27/btk/index.html
---------------------------------------------------------------

sureshot

 

[Brighid45]

Worst moment in the details this morning--worst among many awful moments--was listening to Rader talk about how one of his victims was ill. He 'comforted' her with a glass of water . . . and then he put a plastic bag over her head and strangled her. Her children were in an adjacent room.

 

[whoisquilty]

One of the creepiest things I've ever heard in all of the serial killer lore that I've read was when he was arrested and they were doing some hour-long "retrospectives" of the crimes and the case on television.

A woman described how she stayed over night at her daughter's house at the last minute. She came home the next morning and her phone line had been cut and the house was broken into. Nothing was missing that she could tell.

A couple of days later, she received a package in the mail with one of her scarves and a note in it saying "I was waiting for you, BTK".

I would never stay alone again. I'd sell the house, get a really big dog and pay some bad-a*sed, over-sized man named Bruno to live in my basement.

 

[Philo_T]

I'm not trying to make light of the case but...

am I the only one that consistantly misses the 'T' in the name when doing a quick scan?
I keep reading it as "the BK strangler" and keep thinking Burger King has a new chicken sandwich so big that it'll choke even the hungriest man. (Or don't they currently advertise as "BK" in the UK?)

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Posted on Thu, Jun. 30, 2005


By accident, they own 'BTK houses'

BY MICHAEL WILSON

New York Times

WICHITA - There are six of them left, homes of different sizes, different styles, different neighborhoods, but lumped together by the same dark past and known throughout town by the same name.

The BTK houses.

Greg Lietz, 47, who works at a clothing retailer, bought his small ranch-style house on North Edgemoor in 1999, but said he did not learn the history of the place until about a year later, on Halloween.

"I got decorations and stuff, and nobody came to the door," Lietz said. "I asked someone. They said somebody had murdered the family at home. Four people."

The serial killer who called himself BTK -- for bind, torture, kill -- murdered 10 people in Wichita and remained at large for three decades. On Monday, Dennis Rader, 60, pleaded guilty to all 10 murders in a long and detailed courtroom account.

But for the residents who chose to buy -- or, like Lietz, found that they had already bought, obliviously -- one of the houses where there had been a murder, Rader's confession quite literally hit closer to home.

In the same flat monotone and for the first time publicly, he described strangulations, masturbation and even the victims' last words in the very rooms where these people now cook, relax, work and sleep.

Connie Pouyamehr, 52, a cashier at a grocery store, watched the replay Monday on the late news, in her home. There, on April 27, 1985, Rader broke in -- just six doors down from his own family's home on Independence Street -- with a bowling bag for what he called his "hit kit," and he waited for Marine Hedge, whom he had been stalking.

Pouyamehr, asked to describe hearing the confession the next day, snapped: "What do you think it was like? I'm horrified by the whole thing, not just what happened in my house."

Pouyamehr bought the place -- a ranch with three bedrooms and cedar siding -- six years after the murder, believing that Hedge had been kidnapped there, but did not know until Monday that she had been killed in the home, too.

Like Hedge, she knew Rader and his wife, Paula, as neighbors, regularly carrying her garden tomatoes down to their home. Now, the street is a draw for reporters, crime buffs and the curious.

"We've got people who, after church, like to stop and show their kids where BTK lived," she said. "After church."

Ronald Hudson, a 48-year-old construction worker, moved into his half of a white duplex on South Pershing three months ago, undeterred when the landlord told him that Nancy Fox had been killed there in 1977.

"It's a nice area, quiet, and the price is right," Hudson said.

Before he moved in, two previous tenants took off as soon as they heard what had happened, the landlord told him. Still, he watched closely on Monday as Rader described hiding in the kitchen, allowing Fox a last cigarette before strangling her.

Hudson went to look for himself: "I got up and went to the kitchen and said, 'How did he break into this woman's house and wait in the kitchen and her not have heard anything?' "

Diane Boyle, 54, a retired nurse, said she was furious when she learned, months after she bought a vinyl-sided bungalow built in the 1940s, on South Hydraulic in the winter of 2002, that BTK had killed Shirley Vian Relford there in 1977.

Boyle said she told a neighbor one day, "I know the BTK killer was around here," thinking it was up or down the street. "The realtor never told me," she said. "I asked my neighbor, and she said, 'Well Diane, it's your house.' "

She said the dead woman's son -- who, just a young boy in 1977, had unknowingly let Rader into the home -- had visited twice when he was in town for Rader's court appearances.

All the residents interviewed said that a British psychic, Dennis McKenzie, visited their homes last year, before Rader's arrest, to try to help solve the case by extracting images from the walls. Most have come to accept inquisitive strangers.

One BTK house, where Kathryn Bright was stabbed on East 13th Street, was torn down, leaving six.

On Independence, Pouyamehr has long been tired of the upkeep on her aging home and wants to move. "I just want a nice, new house, you know?" she said.

Up the street, a sign posted on Rader's lawn announced that the killer's three-bedroom home would be sold at auction on July 11. His family has moved out, and pictures of the vacant interior are posted on the real estate agent's Web site. Like any other house.

www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/12020439.htm