Dennis Rader was a serial killer who murdered at least ten people between 1974 and 1991 near Wichita, Kansas. In his anonymous letters to police, Rader claimed to be the "BTK" Killer, which he said stood for "Bind, Torture, Kill."
Fast Facts:
1. Born: March 9, 1945
2. Birthplace: Wichita, Kansas
3. Education: Kansas Wesleyan University
4. Military Service: U.S. Air Force
5. Spouse: Paula Dietz
6. Occupation: Dogcatcher
7. Arrested: February 25, 2005
8. No. of victims: 10 confirmed
9. Sentence: 175 years
10. Eldest of four brothers
The Crimes
Between 1974 and 1991, Rader, acting as the "BTK" Killer, murdered ten people, and afterwards claimed responsibility for the murders in letters to police. In 1974, he killed four members of the Otero family in the middle of the day. His next victims would all be women, most of whom he would strangle. After the 1991 murder of Dolores Davis, the murders and communications to police seemed to stop, until the BTK Killer contacted police again in 2004.Crime Library: Bind, Torture, Kill Strangler1
Capture
Between March, 2004, and February, 2005, the killer corresponded repeatedly with police and offered them information and evidence pertaining to the murders. After the killer mailed police a floppy disk, several clues, including the fact that the killer was a member of the Christ Lutheran Church and that his name was Dennis, led police to Rader. Authorities arrested Rader for the BTK Killer crimes on February 25, 2005, and he confessed almost immediately. Rader was tried, convicted, and sentenced to 10 consecutive life terms. Although Kansas has the death penalty as an option, all of the crimes that Rader was tried for were committed before reinstatement of the penalty in 1994.
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