The writing of the following entry could not have been done without the transcript of Dennis Rader's open-court confessions to being the BTK Strangler on June 28th, 2005, in Wichita, Kansas. The transcript I am using for this entry can be found here, at KWCH.com.
Joseph, Julie, Josephine, and Joey Otero were murdered January 15, 1974, at 1834 Edgemoor. The Oteros were still new to Wichita, knew very few people there. It is not clear from the court transcript how Rader selected this family, but it is clear that he did not anticipate the presence of the senior Mr. Otero in the home, perhaps putting to rest theories I've read that Joseph Otero was actually the intended target. No, it is clear from the transcript that Rader was after Mrs. Otero and her 11-year-old daughter, Josephine.
From the transcript... I have removed Judge Greg Waller's questions to Rader to condense the narrative to Rader's words only. Ellipses — (...) — indicate where I have redacted questions from Waller or extraneous comments by the defendant. His entire confession was delivered in the same droning, slightly nasal tenor, unaccented, bland:
Rader: I had done some thinking of what I should do to Mrs. Otero or Josephine. I went to the home and confronted the family and basically went from there...When I got there I lost control. In the back of my mind I had a good idea of what I would do, but I basically panicked that first day...
I knew she was in the house and the two kids were in the house, but I didn’t realize Mr. Otero was in the house...
I came through the back door, cut the phone lines. I had reservations about even going in, but once the door opened, I didn’t turn back. I think one of the kids opened the door to let the dog out...
I confronted the family and pulled a pistol and confronted Mr. Otero. I told them I was wanted and told them to lie down in the living room. The dog was a real problem and one of the kids took the dog outside. I took the four members of the family in the back bedroom and tied them up. They started to complain about being tied up. I re-loosened the bonds a couple of times. I tried to make Mr. Otero as comfortable as possible. Mr. Otero had a cracked rib from a car accident, so I put a pillow by his head and put a coat underneath him. From there, I realized I didn’t have a mask on or anything, so he could I.D. me. So, I made a decision to put him down...
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Celeste Moon
I know it's all terribly interesting to everyone, but releasing the transcript and the Court TV program is a Pandora's Box. It's only a matter of time now before more young boys just coming to terms with their sexuality see this guy, with his lack of emotion and having got away with it for 30 years, as some sort of hero. Can't go back now, but I so wish we hadn't heard all this.
2 - HW Saxton
Steve, Maybe I missed it or it just was not ever brought up in all that I have heard about this creepy f**ker, but how did he pick his victims? There does not seem to be any discernible pattern that i can figure out.Was it just at random?
3 - phybre
What a bunch of melodramatic bullshit you've added to a useful transcript. There'd probably be less serial killers in the world if there were also less repressed creatures like you in the world. Personally, I think you have the makings of a serial killer yourself, just based on your obviously fake indignation at what this guy did. Why don't you ham it up a little more, while you're at it? Maybe in 10 years I'll be profiling you.
4 - RJ
Great port, Steve. Ignore the lunacy in comment 3...
5 - RJ
port = post...
6 - steve
Thanks, RJ -- I think it's pretty funny that the lunatic in question only outed the real psycho by trying to infer someone else was one.
7 - lsdoone
Hey stranger. I'm from over at the Ks.com site. Did you give up on us?
Just wanted to let you know what an incredible asset you have been re this case. Wherever I've read your thoughts, under what ever name, your intelligence shines.
Thanks.
This past monday, as Dennis Rader stood looking like any one of us, he commenced to 'enlighten' the judge and our community on his personal version of the idiots cliff notes of serial killing.
I was so stunned by his cold tone that I barely comprehended what he was saying. His manner contrary to the bloodlust he had experienced over and over. Now he's in the serial killer hall of fame.
Anyway, take care of yourself and your creativity warms my soul.
See you.
lsdoone
8 - G V
very good article on BTK, and very accurate also, ignore the moron on post 3 above.
Dennis Rader is a cold bastard and i think uve captured the essense of that, someone beyond rehabilitation, evil in the truest sense.
9 - chris mankey
Whatever Rader's family and those friends who cared for him now feel pales beside the nightmares that have cursed people like Steven Relford, the son of Shirley Vian-Relford,
Does it? Finding out the father you loved is a serial killer "pales in comparison" to the suffering of the other families? Not in a million years!
10 - Ray from Columbus, OH
Having lived under the shadow of a serial shooter here in Columbus, Ohio, I can only make a feeble attempt to empathize with the good people of Wichita, let alone relatives of the victims. I am overcome with a feeling of thankfulness to you for bringing this darkness to light. Anyone (including the person who posted their comments in #3) who does not appreciate what you have done, themselves live in darkness and WANT TO DO SO.
Keep shining His light.
11 - surdiefinnis
I am a Dutchmen. So British English/USA English is not my mother tongue. I have
followed the case of Dennis L. R. since
late June when it came in the Dutch Internet Press. In the Netherlands it is good practice not to name the entire name of the person who is arrested. This is to protect the family
of that person.
We in the Netherlands have not had
much serial killers. Mostly they had
a few victims. And over a short period of time. When such a person is arrested and convicted it will be
to 20 Years or to life-sentence as you
Americans call it. We don't have the dead-penalty. And I am glad about that.
In that way we find Americans barbarians. Even in this case of D.L.R.
He is a sick man. He deserves punishment, but also treatment. In the Netherlands
convicted criminals with the status of
D.L.R. wil get life-sentence, but with
treatment of psychologists en psychiatrists. We find it ridiculous to convict a person to 175 years. Our
system is to convict a person to 20 years or to life-sentence. Why? A person lives about 75 years. Why
give him a mathematcal sentence of 175 years? We are Europeans, sometimes we
don't understand some mad decisions from the arrogant Americans. Because that's what you are in some way.
12 - Barbara
wonderful and chilling post.
I am going to cite you on Psychopath-Research
Just who is living right next door or in our homes?
13 - Eileen
"mad decisions from arrogant Americans" ... don't you love how supposedly non-arrogant Europeans like to sit in judgment on us. lol
In America, we realize that serial-killers like Dennis Rader cannot be cured. So we warehouse them and study them in hopes of learning something we can use in future. Perhaps we should send them to the Netherlands where you can obviously work magic.
14 - smoky
living in wichita k,s was not easy living the terror and having to go to sleep at night not knowing if your btks next victim.not knowing who he was going for or were he was going next. i think btk should get death sentence because of the brutal and horrific things that he has done to the families and victims no one should ever go there that. hes a sick f**k who should suffer the way his victims have.and for the people in netherlands you dont know the fear we had to go threw.not knowing if that knock at your door was him or the telephone worker.i know one of the biggest fears i had and im sure others had to is that i wanted to come home to my family alive and not dead.It was not easy living with this fear.
and to btks family stay strong and wish the best for you.
15 - tsktsk
BTK and "The Banality of Evil" - the article here (Dennis Rader, The BTK Strangler, In His Own Words...) seems to have just borrowed someone else's connection (link given).
16 - paula
ha ha Eileen, you are right, no amount of therapy is going to cure a serial killer and why should we care about their treatment or rehabilitation, just keep them away from human beings, personally, I don't know if the death penalty is a good thing at all, but I'm not exactly crying my eyes out for the likes of Scott Peterson! it's hard to pity those condemned to death when you know their deaths will be a hundred times easier than that of their victems, what i don't understand is why is there so many serial killers in the us? presumably it's because you are better at noticing when people dissappear, several women have gone missing on the east coast of Ireland in the last few years and no one seems to be wondering if the same nutcase is responsable..... and yes Smokey, god bless to his family, it must be absolutely shit to realize the depth of your own fathers heartless empty interior life...he may have been a church going man but i'd say there's more humanity and decency in the little finger of the rest of us fornicators!
17 - Gareth
Hi,
Great site and fascinating transcripts. They really do show the banality of evil... Or rather, the pathetic shallow existence of the psychopath who see's none of the richness of love and feelings, able to connect only with objects and the limitations of his or her own restricted consciousness
18 - Park City boring and raised
I live around the block from where his house once stood I grew up in Park City on Ulysses street I know a lot of people will be like "yeah right" but he murdered 3 of my dogs and made it obvious like Hanna a -Bichon Frise- we came home from church on a Sunday and I went outside to get the dog and there she was tied up to the water spigot of the house perfectly wrapped around it with her feet just barely off the ground she was dead.
The next one of his victims was a -Basset Hound- I don't know what he did with it but I came home from church -once again it was a Sunday how ever he went to church I will never know- and his wire leashes was perfectly snippet off no bite marks no collar just snippet clean to make it obvious that it he was took and the last was a Sharpie named Bubba he bit one of my friends on the butt we had to call him when he came to the house the dog got violent and he said he had to put him down and after he got caught he said if he was watching you he made it obvious I remember all the times when I was a kid playing in the street he would drive by real slow and park at the end of the street.
The city just knocked his house down like it never happened and the want to make it a walk way into to park - not much of a park may I add - how crazy is that I wont ever let my kids play in that park they will go down to Mclean.
and off note....
I love the Dutch "gedogen" I just got back from Amsterdam I'll be going back in another 3 months also if I could get better at speaking writing Dutch I would try to live there they are very healthy people and they don't seem to have the problems like we have. When I got back to Park City I never seen so many obese people in my life. People here in America are VERY ARROGANT, an example here in Kansas you don't have a car people will drive by and honk at you and tell you "GET A CAR" out there they ride bikes, walk, take the tram, they even have a subway. I swear I saw a guy ride by on his bike two Dutch girls that were walking in front of me and he rang his bell and winked and the two girls looked like they were blushing out here try to mac a girl on a bike thats all I have to say, and one more thing the Dutch are known for there finger shaking ways -the death penalty is barbaric!- for all you Americans look up Dutch customs and etiquette in the Wikipedia Seriously it's in there you might learn something!
"Tot straks"
19 - hahahahaha
hell.......................oooo oooooooooooooooo
20 - hahahahaha
if you're 30 y.o. and watching ichigo mashimaro and they called you childish, im afraid yes you are. but then there's nothing to worry about, you are not what you watch and in my opinion most drama storyline that available out-there is not much different then anime nowadays. DO NOT SUCCUMB to their influences, that what makes you weak. show them that anime can be mature
show them hentai made them watch berserk, hellsing, monster and all that M to A-rated anime and let them decide whose the childish one
21 - jade
what the fuck
22 - dave
I have just watched a show on BTK, i can not understand how someone can look at those things and say the death-penalty is barbaric... the Lord gave permission for C.P. for and i cant say man, he is not, like BTK, why wouldnt someone as sick and F****** hopless as him not kill for he knows his life is a safe one, it almost makes me ill to think that if my daughter was hung and i sw her bloated face swinging that the person who does it is safe... and safe i mean protected by gov. i am a Christian, and love life, but it should not be for things like dennis, and for those who say he should be loked away... you just dont know
23 - jonny
dennis is the man!!
24 - neal fleisher
Dennis is a sick Mother_f____er he should of been put to death, or hung like he hung that poor young girl. Now it is costing us to house this ASSHOLE
25 - rex
btk is the best serial killer