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Dennis Rader
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This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on

28 October 2025.

Dennis Lynn Rader (born March 9, 1945), better known as

the BTK killer, is an American serial killer who murdered at
least ten people in Wichita and Park City, Kansas, between
1974 and 1991. Although he occasionally killed or
attempted to kill men and children, Rader typically targeted
women. His victims were often attacked in their homes,
then bound, sometimes with objects from their homes, and
either suffocated with a plastic bag or manually strangled
with a ligature.[4]

Dennis Rader

Photo of Rader from the Kansas Department of Corrections, c.

2009

Born Dennis Lynn Rader

March 9, 1945 (age 80)
Pittsburg, Kansas, U.S.

Other names BTK

BTK Killer
BTK Strangler

Education Butler County Community

College (AE)
Wichita State University (BS)

Criminal status Incarcerated[2]

Children 2

Motive Sexual sadism

Conviction First degree murder – 10

counts[1]

Criminal penalty 10 consecutive life sentences

Details

Victims 10+

Span of crimes January 15, 1974 – January

19, 1991

Country United States

State Kansas

Date apprehended February 25, 2005

Imprisoned at El Dorado Correctional

Facility[1]

Military career

Allegiance United States

Branch U.S. Air Force

Years of service 1966–1970 (active)

1970–1972 (reserve)

Rank Staff sergeant[3]

In a series of crimes that terrorized Wichita in the mid-to-

late 1970s, Rader also initiated a series of taunting letters
he sent to police and media outlets, describing his crimes
in detail and referring to himself as BTK (for "bind, torture,
kill").[5][6] In addition, he stole keepsakes from his female
victims, including underwear, driver's licenses and
personal items. In 1979, BTK suddenly went quiet, and
despite an exhaustive investigation, the case grew into one
of the most infamous cold cases in American history. Rader
would later confess to killing three further victims between
1985 and 1991 that were not initially linked to BTK but were
confirmed to be his doing through DNA and items found in
his possession.[7]

In 2004, after a thirteen-year hiatus, Rader resumed

sending letters, where he hinted at committing further
crimes. Based on items he turned over to law enforcement,
he was identified and arrested in February 2005, pleading
guilty to his crimes months later and given ten consecutive
life sentences. He is currently incarcerated at the El
Dorado Correctional Facility.[2]

Early life

BTK crimes

Otero family murders

Rader's first four victims: Joseph

Otero Sr. (top left), Julia Otero (top
right), Joseph Otero II (bottom
left), and Josephine Otero (bottom
right)

On January 15, 1974, Rader murdered four members of the

Otero family in Wichita.[44] The victims were Joseph Otero
Sr. (38), Julia Maria "Julie" Otero (33), Joseph "Joey"
Otero II (9) and Josephine "Josie" Otero (11). Their bodies
were discovered by the family's three older children, who
had been at school at the time of the killings.[44][45] After
his 2005 arrest, Rader claimed that he first targeted the
family two months prior, when he spotted Julie leaving to
take her children to school, and stalked them for two to
three weeks.[46]

On the morning of the murders, Rader parked his car and

walked to the Otero home, scaled a fence, and cut the
phone lines when in the backyard. It was after this that
Joey let the dog out the back door to the backyard, where
Rader confronted him and forced his way into the home at
gunpoint. Initially, the family thought he was pulling a
prank; Rader asserted that it was not a joke and clarified
that he had a .22 pistol loaded with hollow-point bullets.
Rader told the Otero family that he was wanted in
California before ordering them at gunpoint to lie on the
living room floor. Then, he led the family into a bedroom
and bound them with rope he had prepared ahead of time.
Joseph and Joey were on the floor, while Julie and Josie
were on the bed.[46]

After being bound, Rader said the family began

complaining of problems related to poor blood circulation.
Joseph complained of a cracked rib, so Rader put a pillow
under him. Rader later stated that it was around this time
that he decided to kill them.[46] Rader covered Joseph's
head with a plastic bag, which he then secured with ropes.
After Joseph chewed a hole in the bag, Rader replaced it,
causing him to slowly suffocate. Rader strangled Julie with
a rope. At one point she regained consciousness and
pleaded for mercy for her children, prompting Rader to kill
her.[46] Rader then placed another plastic bag, followed by
two T-shirts and an additional bag, over Joey's head.
Rader watched him struggle from a chair set up in the
bedroom.[46]

After the rest of the family was murdered, Rader took

Josephine down to the basement. Rader undressed
Josephine and tied a noose around a sewer pipe in the
basement. Rader asked Josephine if her father had a
camera so he could take pictures, to which she responded
no. He then said that she would "go to heaven with the rest
of your family", and Rader then hanged the girl in the
basement and masturbated as he watched her struggle on
the rope.[46] On the way out of the house, he got in the
Otero family car and drove it to the parking lot of a Dillons
grocery store. He realized that he had dropped a knife in
the backyard of the Otero home, so he drove the car back
to the house to retrieve it.[46]

Murder of Kathryn Bright

Rader planned to murder Kathryn Bright (21), referring to

her as "Project Lights Out".[47] Rader picked her for his
next murder victim after he spotted her entering her house
with a friend. He had no knowledge of her younger brother
Kevin (19) living at the same house, which might have
dissuaded him from targeting her, as he was trying to "stay
away from the males as much as possible" to make the
killings easier.[48]

On April 4, 1974, Rader broke into the home through a

sliding glass door in the back, to find no one was home yet.
He began sweeping up the glass to try to minimize
suspicion when Kathryn did arrive. The delicate trigger of
his pistol caused an accidental discharge. He feared that
the smell of gunpowder would alert Kathryn. She came
home shortly with Kevin. He told them that he was a
wanted man from California, and needed money and food.
He was described as a stocky man wearing a silver wrist
watch, "sweating profusely". Rader forced the Brights into
the southeast bedroom, where he made Kevin tie Kathryn
up, before Rader bound Kevin himself. Rader used
household supplies, including bandanas, as restraints to
distinguish the crime from the Otero murders. Kevin and
Kathryn were separated into different rooms with Kevin
tied to a bedpost, and Kathryn to a chair. Rader turned on
the stereo system in the living room to drown out any
sounds of struggle, which he later claimed was a trick he
learned from "detective magazines".[48]

Rader returned to the bedroom where Kevin was restrained

to strangle him, but Bright had freed himself. Rader then
pulled his firearm and a struggle ensued, during which
Rader shot Kevin in the forehead. Rader then attempted to
strangle Kevin again, resulting in a similar struggle in which
he fired two more shots: one landing just above Kevin's
mouth and the other grazing him. Kevin played dead until
Rader left the room, then ran from the house. He flagged
down neighbors, who took him to the hospital and called
police.[49][50]

When Rader reentered her room, Kathryn asked about the

gunshots. Rader told Kathryn that he had shot her brother,
at which point she fought back. Kathryn's resistance
proved too strong for Rader to strangle her as planned, so
Rader resorted to stabbing her repeatedly in the area
under her ribcage. Rader heard Kevin call for help during
the struggle. Once he thought Kathryn was dead, Rader
grabbed her keys, ran outside, and tried unsuccessfully to
start Bright's truck. When it did not start, Rader ran to his
car, which was parked at Wichita State University. Kathryn
was alive when police arrived at her house, holding a
telephone in her hands but partially verbally unresponsive.
She died in emergency surgery from multiple stab wounds
and strangulation.[48]

Murder of Shirley Ruth Relford

Three years went by when, on March 17, 1977, Rader

targeted Shirley Relford. Rader had a different victim
planned for the day, but the victim was not home. He was
frustrated by this and decided to find a random person to
kill instead. While looking for a potential victim, he came
across Shirley's son, Steve (6), walking down the street.
Rader approached Steve, claiming to be a detective, and
asked him if he could identify individuals in a photo. Rader
showed Steve a photo of his wife and daughter, who Steve
mistakenly identified as his mother and sister. He then
followed Steve back to his mother's house.

At the Relford residence, Rader asked Shirley if she could

identify the same photo. During this interaction, Rader
pulled a gun and forced his way into the home. He claimed
that he was a wanted man, and that they were being
robbed. Rader attempted to tie up the three Relford
children but struggled to do so, leading him to force the
children into a bathroom, which he barricaded with
Shirley's assistance. Rader reported giving the kids toys
and supplies to keep them "comfortable" while he
murdered their mother. He threatened to shoot the
children if they broke free. After this, Rader took Shirley to
the rear bedroom. Shirley vomited before being tied to her
bedpost by her legs and handcuffed. Rader strangled her
with rope after placing a plastic bag over her head. During
the murder, Shirley was sick and asked for water, which
Rader provided prior to strangling her.

Rader later confessed that he intended to eventually kill

the children in the bathroom. However, the family phone
rang and one of the children shouted that it was someone
who would be visiting shortly, so Rader fled the home.

Murder of Nancy Jo Fox

Nancy Jo Fox

Rader had been stalking Nancy Jo Fox (25) for some time
and had decided he was going to kill her; he gave her the
name "Project Foxhunt".[47]

On December 8, 1977, Rader broke into Fox's home

through a back window, after discovering she was out.
After some time, Fox returned and began screaming at
Rader to leave her house and that she was going to call the
police. Rader informed her that her phone lines were cut
and she would not be able to make any calls. Rader
informed her that he intended to restrain her, take
photographs of her, and rape her. He let Fox smoke a
cigarette before this.

Rader allowed Fox to go to the bathroom after she assured

him that she could not escape. Rader ordered Fox to come
out of the bathroom partially undressed. Rader began to
undress and he ordered her to lie down when she emerged
from the bathroom. Fox resisted when Rader tried to
remove her remaining clothing. Rader then began putting
handcuffs on Fox, to which she protested and questioned
the need for. Rader told her, "that's part of my deal. I got to
have them or it won't work." Rader then began to crawl on
top of Fox, and wrapped his belt around her neck. He
would repeatedly loosen and tighten the belt, allowing her
to come close to unconsciousness and then bring her
back, before eventually killing her.

Attempted murder of Anna Williams

During this time, Rader also intended to kill others, such as

Anna Williams (63), who, in 1979, escaped death by
returning home much later than expected. Rader explained
during his confession that he became obsessed with
Williams and was "absolutely livid" when she evaded him.
He recalled spending hours waiting at Williams' home but
becoming impatient and leaving when she did not return
from visiting friends.[51]

Communications

"I did it" (October 1974)

In October 1974, Rader sent a letter to The Wichita Eagle

using the pseudonym "BTK" taking responsibility for the
Otero murders and offering details about the crime not
previously made public.[52][53][54] He said, "I did it by
myself and no ones help", referring to three brothers in
psychiatric care who had falsely confessed to the Otero
murders the month prior.[55][56] Earlier, in July, a man in
Washington D.C. was arrested for the murders,[57] but was
cleared after a fingerprint comparison. In response to the
letter, the Beacon ran a classified ad reading, "B.T.K Help is
Available. Call 684-6321 before 10 p.m." for several of their
late October issues.[58]

"Nancy Fox" (December 1977)

On December 9, 1977, one day after he killed Fox, Rader

called police from a payphone and told them they would
find Fox's body at her home.[59] The call was recorded and
released to the larger public in 1979, sparking over a
hundred tips albeit none were promising.[60]

"Shirleylocks, shirleylocks" (January 1978)

On January 31, 1978, Rader sent a letter to the classified

advertising department in Wichita. It contained a poem
that began with "Shirleylocks, shirleylocks" followed by a
detailed description of Shirley Relford's murder. The letter
was addressed to the Wichita Becon but did not arrive for
several weeks.[61]

"How many do I have to kill?" (February 1978)

On February 10, 1978,[62] Rader sent another letter to

Wichita television station KAKE again claiming
responsibility for the Otero murders along with those of
Bright, Relford, and Fox.[63] He suggested many possible
names for himself, including "BTK". He demanded media
attention in this second letter, saying "How many do I have
to kill, before I get a name in the paper or some national
attention?" A poem was enclosed titled "Oh! Death to
Nancy", a parody of the lyrics to the American folk song "O
Death".[64][65] In the letter, Rader claimed to be driven to
kill by "factor X", which he characterized as a supernatural
element that also motivated Jack the Ripper, the Son of
Sam and the Hillside Stranglers, and also asked for the
police to send him a hidden message.[66] The letter was
traced to a copy machine at the Wichita State University
library, where Rader was a student at the time.[67]

"Oh Anna" (June 1979)

On June 15, 1979, two months after the failed murder

attempt on Anna Williams, Rader left a letter outside her
residence, which read "Oh Anna, Why Didn't You Appear?",
followed by the BTK signature.[68] Prior to the
communication, it had been privately suspected among
detectives that the burglary at her residence was linked
with BTK. The envelope also contained a drawing of a nude
bound woman, a scarf, and two plastic clips. The scarf and
clips were taken in the April burglary.[69]

"Oh God He Put Kelli Sherri In The Tub" (January

1988)

Mary Fager received an envelope postmarked January 5,

1988. The envelope contained a poem titled "Oh God He
Put Kelli Sherri in the Tub" and a picture of a young nude
girl bound at the wrists and ankles lying next to a pool or
hot tub. Mrs. Fager's husband, Melvin, and two young
daughters were murdered in the Fager home on December
27, 1987. 10 year-old Sherri Fager and 16 year-old Kelli
Fager were found in an aboveground hot tub. Sherri,
wearing her pajamas, had been drowned in the hot tub.
Sherri was bound. Kelli had been strangled and placed in
the hot tub approximately eight hours after Sherri. Kelli was
naked. Melvin Fager had been shot. Rader has not been
connected to these murders, nor does he claim to have
done it, but said he admired the homicide, stating,
"Another one prowls the deep abyss of lewd thoughts and
deeds." He also drew his own depiction of the murders,
which was not accurate to the scene.[11]

Investigation

The subliminal message to Rader that was

flashed by KAKE-TV in 1978

With the knowledge that the BTK killer watched KAKE,

police decided to flash a subliminal message during one of
the station's evening newscasts for a split second. The
message stated: "Now call the chief", and featured a
drawing of an upside-down pair of glasses, which were
found at the Fox crime scene.[62][70] They hoped the
message would influence the killer to turn himself in, but it
was unsuccessful.[71]

In the mid-1980s, with the BTK killer still having not been
identified, a new task force of detectives colloquially
known as the "Ghostbusters" revamped the investigation
based on advancements with physical evidence, and over
the span of three years compared blood and saliva
samples with as many as 225 suspects, many of whom no
longer lived in Wichita, and all but seven were cleared.[72]
[73][74]

The case was still considered active in the 1990s, but

investigators described their frustration with draining leads
and worthless tips. Many former detectives on the case
believed the killer was either imprisoned for another crime,
was in a mental institution, was deceased, or possibly
found a submissive partner who allowed him to act out his
sexual fantasies on them.[75] At a lecture at Wichita State
University, former FBI agent Robert Ressler correctly
assumed the killer was a graduate student in the criminal
justice field.[76] In 1998, investigators opted to use
geographic profiling in an attempt to locate BTK's possible
area of residence.[77]

Hiatus years

Later murders

2000s developments

Arrest

Legal proceedings

Victims

Aftermath

In media

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Last edited 3 hours ago by Sheathejuntan

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