Dennis Rader (BTK Killer) - Criminals, Birthday and Personal Life
Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s Personal Details
Dennis Rader is an American serial killer also known as the BTK "Bind, Torture, Kill" Killer or the BTK Strangler
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | March 9, 1945 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | Criminals, Serial Killers, Murderers |
| City/State | Kansas |
| Spouses | Paula Dietz (m. 1971; div. 2005) |
| Known as | Dennis Lynn Rader, BTK Killer, BTK Strangler |
| Birth Place | Pittsburg, Kansas, U.S. |
| Gender | Male |
| Father | William Elvin Rader |
| Mother | Dorothea Mae Rader |
| Sun Sign | Pisces |
| Born in | Pittsburg, Kansas, U.S. |
| Famous as | Serial Killer |
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Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s photo
Who is Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)?
Dennis Rader is an American serial killer also known as the BTK "Bind, Torture, Kill" Killer or the BTK Strangler. He started his murdering spree in the mid-1970s, terrorizing the citizens of Kansas for more than 30 years before he was finally arrested. Convicted of murdering ten victims, he was planning to attack another victim at the time of his arrest. Having developed a morbid fascination with extreme violence as a young boy, he often fantasized in his head about torturing and killing others. Known as a shy and studious boy, he had a darker side to his persona even as a teenager—he used to kill dogs and cats in secret. With time he grew bolder and began targeting human beings, killing his first known victims—the Otero family—in early 1974. He cleverly evaded being identified as a suspect and proceeded to kill several others, taking the final toll of his victims to ten. A narcissist who took pride in the murders he committed, he sent a series of anonymous letters to the police along with a few pieces of evidence claiming himself to be responsible for the murders. These letters subsequently led to his arrest in 2005. Currently, he is serving ten consecutive life sentences at El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas.
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Childhood & Early Life
Dennis Lynn Rader was born on March 9, 1945, in Pittsburg, Kansas, U.S. to Dorothea Mae Rader (née Cook) and William Elvin Rader as one of their four sons. He was raised in Wichita. His father was a member of the US Marine Corps, who later worked for the electric utility KG&E.
He attended Riverview Elementary School. As a young boy, he was reserved and quiet. Even though he started developing some disturbing habits during his childhood, he managed to keep them hidden from the world.
As an adolescent, he fantasized of tying up and raping girls. Around this time, he also started killing animals like dogs and cats by torturing and hanging them. However, he was good at hiding his dark side and came across to the outside world as a polite and shy young man.
He graduated from Wichita Heights High School in 1963. He then worked for a few months before entering the Kansas Wesleyan College in 1965. He studied for only two semesters there and joined the US Air Force in 1966.
Dennis Rader spent four years on active duty in the Air Force. Over the course of his tenure he received the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal. He was discharged from active duty in 1970. He would serve two more years in the reserves.
Serial Killing Years
Upon his return to Wichita, Dennis Rader took up a job at the meat department of an IGA supermarket. He changed his job in 1972 and joined Coleman Co., a manufacturer of camping supplies.
Around this time, he also attended the Butler County Community College in El Dorado, and earned an Associate's degree in Electronics in 1973. The same year, he began his studies at Wichita State University.
In the early 1970s he worked in a string of jobs, never staying at one place for long. It is believed that he worked briefly for Cessna, the aircraft manufacturer, in late 1973 or early 1974. This job too did not last long and he was soon fired.
Finding himself unemployed and in a disturbed state of mind, he delved deeper into the dark fantasies that had haunted his mind from childhood. Around this time he became obsessed with a Hispanic woman, Julie Otero, and her daughter, Josephine, who lived in a nearby locality. He started trolling them, hanging out around their house, and fantasizing about binding and torturing them.
On January 15, 1974, Dennis Rader broke into the woman’s house with some tools and weapons. There were four people present inside: Julie Otero, her husband Joseph Otero, and two of their children, Joseph Jr. and Josephine. He killed all four of them and made good his escape.
On April 4, 1974, the killer struck again, killing 21-year-old Kathryn Bright by stabbing her multiple times. He also attacked her brother Kevin and shot him twice, but Kevin managed to survive.
The murders shook the Kansas police and the citizens alike. However, the police was unsuccessful in getting any meaningful clues about the killer. In October 1974, Rader started sending a series of chilling letters to the police, outlining the gruesome details of the murders he had committed and claimed to be the “BTK” aka “Bind, Torture, Kill” murderer.
In November 1974, Dennis Rader found a job with ADT Security, a company specializing in the installation of alarm systems. Married with children by now, he now focused more on his career and rose to the position of installation supervisor. With this promotion came more freedom, and once again he started killing.
In 1977, Dennis Rader struck twice. In March, he strangled Shirley Vian to death and later that year, he murdered Nancy Fox. Once again he sent letters to the police claiming responsibility for the killings, signing off as “the BTK killer.”
The 1977 murders sent shock waves once again throughout Kansas and the police issued a public warning to the citizens, advising them to be more cautious as a serial killer was on the prowl. The increased police vigilance made Rader a bit wary and he did not kill again for a few years.
The late 1970s and the early 1980s marked a busy time for Dennis Rader. With a stable job and two children to raise, he did not find time to plan out more murders. However, he never stopped stalking potential victims or playing out murderous fantasies in his head.
In 1985, he struck again. The victim this time was someone Rader and his wife knew personally: his 53-year-old neighbor Marine Hedge. He broke into her home on April 27, 1985, killed her, undressed the body, and loaded it into her car. Then he drove to the church where he took some pictures with the dead body and eventually dumped the body in a road side culvert a few miles away from her house. Her body was found a few days later.
After more than one year, Dennis Rader killed again. His chosen victim was a young mother, Vicki Wegerle. He gained entry into her house posing as a telephone repairman and then strangled her to death. Then he escaped in Wegerle’s family car.
It would be a few more years before the BTK killer would strike again. On January 19, 1991, he broke into the house of an elderly lady, Dolores Davis, strangulated her to death, and then dumped the body under a bridge. This would be his last killing.
Dennis Rader was a very shrewd man, adept at living a double life. In the early 1990s, he became a dogcatcher and compliance officer in Park City. He was also a member of Christ Lutheran Church and had been elected president of the church council. Retired from his serial-killing days, he was living the life of a normal, respectable member of the society.
Arrest & Incarceration
By the 2000s, the public interest in the BTK killer had faded off to a great extent. It was believed that the killer was dead, or maybe institutionalized. This greatly agitated Dennis Rader, and being the narcissist that he was, he started sending a series of letters to the police once again to revive interest in the BTK murders.
After sending many letters to the police, Rader sent them a floppy disc. This proved to be his major mistake as the police was able to trace the source of the floppy disc to the church Rader frequented. Soon the detectives were able to pinpoint Rader as the suspected BTK killer and he was arrested on February 25, 2005.
Under interrogation, Dennis Rader confessed to being the BTK killer. He was convicted of ten murders and received ten consecutive life sentences. Currently, he is incarcerated at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas.
Major Crimes
Even though all the murders committed by Dennis Rader were equally gruesome, the Otero family murders he committed in 1974 were probably the most shocking. Armed with a gun and some tools, Rader broke into the Otero home one morning, and killed four members of the family—including two young children. The fact that he was able to murder small children without any remorse is truly chilling.
Personal Life & Legacy
Dennis Rader married Paula Dietz on May 22, 1971. The couple had two children, a son and a daughter. Rader maintained the image of being a good husband and father, and his family had no inkling about his murderous streak.
Shortly after Rader was arrested in 2005, his shocked wife was granted an immediate divorce. His children too have cut off contacts from him since then.
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Dennis Rader (BTK Killer) biography timelines
- // 9th Mar 1945Dennis Lynn Rader was born on March 9, 1945, in Pittsburg, Kansas, U.S. to Dorothea Mae Rader (née Cook) and William Elvin Rader as one of their four sons. He was raised in Wichita. His father was a member of the US Marine Corps, who later worked for the electric utility KG&E.
- // 1970Dennis Rader spent four years on active duty in the Air Force. Over the course of his tenure he received the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal. He was discharged from active duty in 1970. He would serve two more years in the reserves.
- // 1970 To 1980The late 1970s and the early 1980s marked a busy time for Dennis Rader. With a stable job and two children to raise, he did not find time to plan out more murders. However, he never stopped stalking potential victims or playing out murderous fantasies in his head.
- // 22nd May 1971Dennis Rader married Paula Dietz on May 22, 1971. The couple had two children, a son and a daughter. Rader maintained the image of being a good husband and father, and his family had no inkling about his murderous streak.
- // 1972Upon his return to Wichita, Dennis Rader took up a job at the meat department of an IGA supermarket. He changed his job in 1972 and joined Coleman Co., a manufacturer of camping supplies.
- // 1973Around this time, he also attended the Butler County Community College in El Dorado, and earned an Associate's degree in Electronics in 1973. The same year, he began his studies at Wichita State University.
- // 1974The murders shook the Kansas police and the citizens alike. However, the police was unsuccessful in getting any meaningful clues about the killer. In October 1974, Rader started sending a series of chilling letters to the police, outlining the gruesome details of the murders he had committed and claimed to be the “BTK” aka “Bind, Torture, Kill” murderer.
- // 1974Even though all the murders committed by Dennis Rader were equally gruesome, the Otero family murders he committed in 1974 were probably the most shocking. Armed with a gun and some tools, Rader broke into the Otero home one morning, and killed four members of the family—including two young children. The fact that he was able to murder small children without any remorse is truly chilling.
- // 15th Jan 1974On January 15, 1974, Dennis Rader broke into the woman’s house with some tools and weapons. There were four people present inside: Julie Otero, her husband Joseph Otero, and two of their children, Joseph Jr. and Josephine. He killed all four of them and made good his escape.
- // 4th Apr 1974On April 4, 1974, the killer struck again, killing 21-year-old Kathryn Bright by stabbing her multiple times. He also attacked her brother Kevin and shot him twice, but Kevin managed to survive.
- // Nov 1974In November 1974, Dennis Rader found a job with ADT Security, a company specializing in the installation of alarm systems. Married with children by now, he now focused more on his career and rose to the position of installation supervisor. With this promotion came more freedom, and once again he started killing.
- // 1977In 1977, Dennis Rader struck twice. In March, he strangled Shirley Vian to death and later that year, he murdered Nancy Fox. Once again he sent letters to the police claiming responsibility for the killings, signing off as “the BTK killer.”
- // 1977The 1977 murders sent shock waves once again throughout Kansas and the police issued a public warning to the citizens, advising them to be more cautious as a serial killer was on the prowl. The increased police vigilance made Rader a bit wary and he did not kill again for a few years.
- // 1985 To 27th Apr 1985In 1985, he struck again. The victim this time was someone Rader and his wife knew personally: his 53-year-old neighbor Marine Hedge. He broke into her home on April 27, 1985, killed her, undressed the body, and loaded it into her car. Then he drove to the church where he took some pictures with the dead body and eventually dumped the body in a road side culvert a few miles away from her house. Her body was found a few days later.
- // 1990Dennis Rader was a very shrewd man, adept at living a double life. In the early 1990s, he became a dogcatcher and compliance officer in Park City. He was also a member of Christ Lutheran Church and had been elected president of the church council. Retired from his serial-killing days, he was living the life of a normal, respectable member of the society.
- // 19th Jan 1991It would be a few more years before the BTK killer would strike again. On January 19, 1991, he broke into the house of an elderly lady, Dolores Davis, strangulated her to death, and then dumped the body under a bridge. This would be his last killing.
- // 2000By the 2000s, the public interest in the BTK killer had faded off to a great extent. It was believed that the killer was dead, or maybe institutionalized. This greatly agitated Dennis Rader, and being the narcissist that he was, he started sending a series of letters to the police once again to revive interest in the BTK murders.
- // 2005Shortly after Rader was arrested in 2005, his shocked wife was granted an immediate divorce. His children too have cut off contacts from him since then.
- // 25th Feb 2005After sending many letters to the police, Rader sent them a floppy disc. This proved to be his major mistake as the police was able to trace the source of the floppy disc to the church Rader frequented. Soon the detectives were able to pinpoint Rader as the suspected BTK killer and he was arrested on February 25, 2005.
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Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s FAQ
What is Dennis Rader (BTK Killer) birthday?
Dennis Rader (BTK Killer) was born at 1945-03-09
Where is Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s birth place?
Dennis Rader (BTK Killer) was born in Pittsburg, Kansas, U.S.
What is Dennis Rader (BTK Killer) nationalities?
Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s nationalities is American
Who is Dennis Rader (BTK Killer) spouses?
Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s spouses is Paula Dietz (m. 1971; div. 2005)
Who is Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s father?
Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s father is William Elvin Rader
Who is Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s mother?
Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s mother is Dorothea Mae Rader
What is Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)'s sun sign?
Dennis Rader (BTK Killer) is Pisces
How famous is Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)?
Dennis Rader (BTK Killer) is famouse as Serial Killer