Dennis Rader Research Paper

Dennis Rader is a horrific serial killer with the nickname of BTK (bind, torture, and kill) he was born in Kanas in 1945. Rader is the oldest of four sons. Rader seemed to live a very normal and bland childhood. Yet he was known to strangle and hang cats. Rader joined the United States Air Force and served through the mid 1960s. In 1971, Rader married a woman by the name of Paula. In 1974 he came to work for ADT Security Services. (Biography.com) Working for ADT ultimately helped show Rader how to enter the homes of his victims without being noticed. In the same year of 1974, Rader also committed his first set of murders (Crime and Investigation).On January 15th, Rader killed Joseph and Julie Otero and two of their children, Josephine and Joseph Jr. Rader murdered the four victims by strangulation. Rader left behind semen at the crime scene (known to have come from his sexual pleasure of killing) and he also took souvenirs.

In April 4th, 1974, Rader killed Kathryn Bright in her apartment and tried to kill her brother Kevin. Rader stabbed and strangled Kathryn, and shot Kevin. Kevin despite being shot twice, lived to tell his story. Strangling his victims had become part of Rader’s M.O. (modus operandi). Rader is not only known for binding, torturing and killing his victims he is known to write letters taking credit for the crimes he committed. His first letter in October of 1974, he placed inside a library book. Written in the letter, Rader admitted to committing the murders of the Otero family. Also within the letter Rader stated, “It’s hard to control myself. You probably call me ‘psychotic with sexual perversion hang up.” (Biography.com) It was also in this letter that Rader requested the he be called the “BTK Strangler” which he explained to mean “bind them, torture them and kill them” (Biography.com). This letter eventually made its way to the newspaper and also the