A Startling Double Life Is Exposed in Investigation Discovery’s ‘BTK: A Killer Among Us’
In 1974, the gruesome strangulation of four family members in the sleepy town of Wichita, Kansas was only the beginning of a serial killer’s spree. When it ended 31 years later, Dennis Rader’s court confession would give a chillingly detailed account of his 10 murders. Nobody wanted to believe that this family man who was a pillar of the community could be capable of doing such despicable things.
Investigation Discovery’s two-hour special, BTK: A Killer Among Us, delves into the dichotomy of Rader’s personality, with interviews from those closest to the case — law enforcement agents, victim’s family members, investigative journalists, and exclusive insights from his own daughter, Kerri Rawson.
Kerri Rawson (Courtesy of Investigation Discovery)
Rader hid in plain sight. He maintained his normal life as a father, security systems officer, and president of his church council. But to satisfy his sadistic fascination with bondage and murder, he was always trolling and stalking women.
Seeking notoriety for his homicides, Rader played “cat and mouse” with police and the media by taunting them with messages left in cereal boxes. In one of his notes, Rader came up with his nickname “BTK” to stand for the three things that stimulated him the most — Bind, Torture, and Kill. After his sixth murder, he left a doll bound the way his victim was found.
The arrogance of the psychopath would lead to his capture. When the BTK Killer sent a floppy disk gloating over his actions, the police were able to trace information from the disk, and the arrest was made.
Rader is now in prison for 175 years without the possibility of parole.
BTK: A Killer Among Us, Sunday, February 17, 10/9c, Investigation Discovery
