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In a killing spree that began in January 1974, Dennis Rader, aka BTK Killer, tortured and killed at least 10 victims whom he encountered around the Wichita area in Kansas. The BTK in his name stands for “bind, torture, kill,” a process he inflicted on his victims. Moreover, he sent letters, poems, and packages to authorities and residents of Kansas to stay in the spotlight. He haunted the Wichita area of Kansas for over two decades since his first known murders of the Otero family in 1974.
The BTK Killer sent his first letter to authorities following an announcement that the potential murderer of the Otero family had been caught. In his letter, he claimed that he was the real killer. The police said that he also revealed details only the murderer would know, the New York Times reported.
Dennis Rader continued to kill for the two decades that followed. All of his other victims were women and were chosen without any particular pattern. In 1977, he wrote to the Wichita television station KAKE. In the letter, he claimed responsibility for the murders of Nancy Fox and Shirley Vian. Moreover, he wrote to the media and suggested that they call him by the name BTK Killer, owing to his systematic approach to killing his victims, according to The Independent.
Rader reportedly sent multiple cryptic messages to the media and the authorities over the decade that followed. In 2005, more than a decade after his final known murder, the BTK Killer was caught. Authorities got hold of him by tracing a floppy disk that he sent to a Kansas TV station. It was traced back to a computer at the church he visited. He was subsequently caught and arrested.
How many murders was the BTK Killer convicted of?
The BTK Killer confessed to 10 murders and was sentenced to life in prison for 175 years without a possibility of parole. He is currently serving ten consecutive life sentences at the El Dorado Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Kansas.
Rader’s first victims were four members of the Otero family whom he killed on January 15, 1974. The BTK Killer murdered them by strangulation using a cord used in Venetian blinds, the New York Times reported. The victims included Joseph Otero, 38, Julie Otero, 33, and their children Joseph Otero Jr., 9, and Josephine Otero, 11.
In April 1974, the BTK Killer killed Kathryn Bright, 21, in the same manner that he killed the Oteros. He binded, strangled, and killed her, according to The Independent. The next year, he killed Marine Hedge, after which he killed Vicki Wegerle in 1988. His last known victim was Dolores E. Davis, whom he murdered in January 1991.
Last year, investigators found a link between him and the 1976 disappearance of 16-year-old Cynthia Kinney, who was last seen outside a laundromat in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. The BTK Killer was also considered a prime suspect in the murder of 22-year-old Shawna Beth Garber, whose body was found behind a farmhouse in McDonald County, Missouri, in 1990, as per AP News.
BTK: Confessions of a Serial Killer is a mini-series that explores the crimes of Dennis Rader as he explains how he approached his serial killings. It also features Rader in the maximum-security prison. The show is currently streaming on Hulu.
