Born in 1945 in Pittsburg Pennsylvania, Dennis Rader who became known as the “BTK Killer” (Bind, Torture, Kill) terrorized citizens of the Wichita Kansas area from the 1970’s to the early 90’s. Rader committed his murders from 1974 to 1991 by strangulation, stabbing and other horrific methods. Rader began seeking fame for his killings through written letters and reporting his heinous acts to the public. Throughout his murder spree, Rader mocked police officials by sending cryptic notes, either directly or through the media, some of which contained poems, puzzles, and pictures. He committed his final crime in 1991 with the death of Dolores Day. After more than 10 years of silence, Rader resurfaced in 2004 and began sending communications to authorities once more. He sent many items including; pictures of his victims, word puzzles, and other packages. In 2005, police were able to acquire digital evidence from a computer disk sent and a DNA sample that led to the apprehension of Dennis Rader. He was arrested in June 2005 and charged with ten counts of first degree murder. He is now serving ten life sentences in a Kansas state prison. For more than 30 years, the case of the BTK killer was one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the United States. Police spent thousands of hours and millions of …show more content…
Rader, who originally pleaded not guilty to the murders, later confessed providing detectives with hours of testimony in grisly and gory detail. Self-proclaimed BTK Killer, Dennis Rader played a game of cat-and-mouse with the police for approximately 30 years. Authorities utilized innovative techniques and traditional investigative skills, which eventually led to his imprisonment. Dennis Rader was captured and convicted through a calculated media strategy, and the identification of a suspect through familial DNA. Rader was convicted on 10 counts of murder on June 27th, 2005 and condemned to 10 life