How to Catch A Criminal: Loose Lips and Ligature

The holy grail in police and detective dramas is a confession from a suspect. When the perpetrator volunteers, albeit after tense interrogation, the details of their crime and takes responsibility, the show is over. The good guys win again and the dirt bag has no choice but to pay for their crimes. In the real world, obtaining a confession isn’t so simple, and can be pointless in some cases. Police interrogations have at times resulted in false admissions of guilt, and of course a smooth defense attorney can render a confession as inadmissible. No person is required to self incriminate, but if they choose to, law enforcement would be foolish not to listen.

Wichita, Kansas, January 15, 1974. Joseph Otero, his wife, Julie, their daughter Josephine, and son Joseph Jr., are found dead in their home, from varying methods of strangulation, with their hands tied behind their backs. Mr. and Mrs. Otero and Joseph Jr. were murdered in a bedroom, while Josephine was taken into the basement and hanged, showing signs of sexual assault as well. Unfortunately, it was the Otero’s three oldest children who discovered the bodies upon returning home from school that day. During the investigation it was discovered the telephone lines at the house had been cut, meaning the Otero’s couldn’t have called for help even if they had the chance. A letter detailing these murders, in a way only someone who knew the scene could, was found in a book at the public library. The letter was later turned over to police, and eventually published in the local paper. The letter described an unstoppable “monster” living inside the killer which was ready to strike again, and the next victim was already in his sights. The killer established that he was a sex criminal and he would bind, torture and kill his victims. For this reason he referred to himself as “BTK” in the letter, and the name stuck.

On April 4 of the same year, the monster struck again. Inside a residence near Wichita State University, BTK waited for 21-year-old Kathryn Bright. Little did she know she had been watched by her soon to be killer for some time. However, BTK was equally unaware she would not be alone that day. Kevin Bright, Kathryn’s younger brother, had returned home with her. BTK surprised the siblings and told them he was a fugitive, wanted in California and needed their vehicle. He bound them both in separate rooms and proceeded to attempt to strangle Kevin. In the Otero murders, BTK brought his own supplies with him to tie up the family. At the Bright residence he used items he found inside the house, which luckily for Kevin, proved to be less effective. Kevin was able to break his binds and a fight ensued. BTK drew a pistol and shot Kevin in the head. He headed to the other bedroom to strangle Katherine, but heard Kevin moving around in the first bedroom. When he went to finish Kevin off, a second fight ensued, as Kevin had been feigning his death. Kevin managed to take BTK’s gun, but in the struggle BTK was able to jam the gun and pull out a second pistol, shooting Kevin a second time. Now desperate to quickly kill Kathryn and flee the scene, BTK returned to her and stabbed her to death. Kevin, however, had survived the second gunshot as well, and escaped the home. Kevin was taken to the hospital by a helpful citizen and police were called. BTK was long gone by the time they arrived. BTK would refrain from killing again for three years.

On March 17, 1977, BTK forced his way into the home of Shirley Vian after claiming to be a private detective. He held her at gunpoint as he tied up and locked her children in a bathroom. He then bound, tortured, and killed Shirley Vian, before fleeing the residence. A few months later he mailed a poem about Shirley Vian to a Wichita newspaper.

Dec. 8, 1977, Nancy Fox returned to her apartment and was met by BTK, already inside the house. She was bound and strangled to death on a bed. Her phone lines were also cut. BTK called 911 himself from a payphone to let police know they had another homicide on their hands. After the 1977 murders, BTK would not kill again for several years. However, in 1978 he penned another letter, and sent it to a local television station. In the letter, BTK claimed responsibility for each of the murders and asked how many more had to die before he got the national attention he wanted. He also stated he was driven by “Factor X,” the need to kill which led other murderers, like Jack the Ripper, to kill. There was no doubt there was a serial killer in Kansas, and for the first time, police publicly acknowledged the existence of BTK.

In late April of 1985, Marine Hedge was awoken in her bed when a light turned on in her bedroom. No sooner than she woke, did a man jump on top of her. She was strangled to death, her body later found in a ditch after being bound in various ways. BTK was killing once again.

On Sept. 16, of 1986, BTK disguised himself as telephone repairman and conned his way into the home of Vicki Wegerle. Once inside to check her phone lines, he drew a gun and ordered her into a bedroom. Though she did her best to fight him off, BTK managed to bind and strangle her. Vicki’s husband arrived home for lunch and discovered her body.

BTK would kill his final victim on Jan. 19 of 1991. At the home of Dolores Davis, BTK smashed a glass door with a brick and entered. Dolores was bound and strangled with a pair of pantyhose. Her body was removed from the home and discovered on Feb. 1, beneath a bridge.

Based on evidence found at a murder scene, the manner of death could be ruled a homicide, and the manner of death determined to be strangulation, gunshot, stabbing etc. Though without witness testimony or a confession, it would be nearly impossible to say exactly how the scene played out. The information available on the BTK murders is abundant, thanks to the man himself.

After 1991, it appeared BTK was finally done killing, and the people of Kansas were safe from the “monster” and “Factor X”. In 2004, BTK’s thirst for infamy returned. After a newspaper article covers the 30th anniversary of the Otero murders and implies BTK is nothing more than a bad memory, he aims to prove otherwise. The same newspaper receives a letter from Bill Thomas Killman, along with photographs of Vicki Wegerle’s body, and her driver’s license, which had been missing from the scene. BTK made it very clear he still wanted recognition for his killings. He sent letters to police with puzzles, later found to contain his name and address. He sent post cards directing officers to packages containing his victim’s belongings, the trophies he took from his killings. As he became increasingly bold in his taunting, he wrote and asked police if he could be traced by a floppy disk. A few weeks later he sent a disk to a news station containing instructions for Police to communicate with him further. Little did BTK know, he was about to get far more attention than he bargained for.

Using a forensic software program, metadata from the disk was uncovered and investigators were able to trace the disk to a computer at a Wichita church. The user who was signed in at the time the files were created was “Dennis.” Comparing the name with the church’s congregation they found the church president was Dennis Rader. Rader was a scout leader, Air Force Veteran and Compliance Officer for Park City, Kansas. He was a normal everyday guy, but he was a lead, and that warranted follow up. Investigators obtained a warrant for a DNA sample from Dennis Rader’s daughter, from a medical exam. The DNA was a matched to semen taken from one of the BTK murders. Just like that, the man had been found. He wanted to be known, and he got his wish after leaving one too many breadcrumbs.

Dennis Rader was arrested and charged with 10 counts of murder. After an initial plea of not guilty, he changed his plea to guilty, citing a lack of evidence to support an insanity defense. At his sentencing hearing in June of 2005, Rader recounted each murder, how he stalked his victims, how he killed them, the trophies he took with him, and the sexual fantasies he played out. Perhaps this came from a place of genuine remorse, or perhaps he still felt the need to brag about his crimes and garner attention. Rader was sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences, a minimum of 175 years in prison. However, for Rader, the worst punishment is likely his inability to be anything more than a thing of the past.