admire women until in 1974, he decided to act on his desires and calculated a plan.
Bind, Torture, Kill
A new Hispanic family had recently moved into Rader’s neighborhood. One day, while dropping his wife off where she worked at the hospital, he noticed this beautiful Hispanic woman with dark hair, which he liked. He scouted the house for several days trying to get a routine of the family’s activities, and concluded that he could strike in the morning after the husband went to work. On January 15, 1974, at 8 a.m., Rader crept around the house and cut the telephone wire. But as Murphy’s Law would have it, the entire family was home when Rader broke in: the husband, wife, kids, and the dog. He used his gun and told them he only wanted money and a car to escape as he was a wanted man, and he ordered everyone into the bedroom. Joe Otero, thirty-eight, was killed first as he fought Rader to keep from putting a bag over his head. Rader then proceeded to strangle and kill Joe Jr., aged nine, and his sister Josephine, eleven, before he took Julie, thirty-four, to the basement where he hung her and masturbated over her. Rader did not know that the Oteros had three other children who had already gone to school. Those children arrived home to found their family killed.
He killed again 1974, and then “cooled off” until 1977. On April 4th, 1974, he broke into the home of Kathryn Bright, twenty-one, and hid in her bedroom closet until she came home. Again, he was not expecting anyone but Kathryn, but her brother Kevin, nineteen, was out running errands with her and came back to her house. When they entered, Rader came out of the bedroom with his gun and told them that he was a wanted fugitive traveling from California to New York and only needed a car and some money. He instructed Kevin to tie up his sister. Kevin then turned on Rader and put up a fight for their lives, only to be shot in the face. Kevin continued to fight, however, and only stopped when Rader shot him in the head.
Rader thought Kevin was dead and went to work on Kathryn, who also put up a struggle, until Rader stabbed her multiple times. But he then had to make a quick exit when Kevin came to and ran for help. Kathryn died later in the hospital. Kevin Bright is the only known survivor of the BTK killer.
In October of 1974, the killer wrote to the Wichita Eagle Newspaper describing the murders of the Otero family with details that only the killer could know. He ended the note by saying, “I did it myself with noone's help, the code words for me will be... Bind them, toture them, kill them, B.T.K....' Very poor penmanship and grammar as you can see.
On March 17, 1977, Shirley Vian, twenty-four, was at home with her children when Rader entered and told her to put the three kids in the bathroom. He told her that he was not going to have his way with her and began binding her. Rader tied her with rope and then strangled her to death. On her panties, lying next to her body, was his semen. He had intended to kill the children as they had seen him, but the phone rang and startled him so he ran off.
Also in 1977, Rader stalked another young woman, and on December 8th, Nancy Fox, twenty-five years old, died at the hands of the BTK killer. As he’d done earlier in the year, he broke into her home and hid out in the bedroom, waiting her arrival; he knew she lived alone. Once she came home, he displayed the same MO. He used his gun to lure her into the bedroom, tied her to the bed, and strangled her. He later said that before doing so, he told her that he was the killer the police were after. He left more DNA by way of semen on her nightgown.
The next day he went to a random telephone booth and called the police dispatcher. All calls to dispatch are recorded, and this call would later be played numerous times through the media in hopes of someone identifying his voice. He said, 'Yes, you will find a homicide at 843 South Pershing. Nancy Fox...That is correct'. The police dispatched a unit to the home of Nancy Fox and found her body. No one seemed to recognize the voice, not even his family, wife, or co-workers. Shortly after that, he wrote another letter to the newspaper taking credit for the murders of Shirley Vian, Nancy Fox, the Otero family, and Kathryn Bright. The letter is not edited and is as follows, as he wrote it:
'I find the newspaper not wirting about the poem on Vain unamusing. A little paragraph would have enough. Iknow it not the media fault. The Police Cheif he keep things quiet, and doesn't let the public know there a psycho running around lose strangling mostly women, there 7 in the ground; who will be next? How many do I have to Kill before I get a name in the paper or some national attention. Do the cop think that all those deaths are not related? Golly -gee, yes the M.O. is different in each, but look a pattern is developing. The victims are tie up-most have been women-phone cut- bring some bondage mater sadist tendencies-no struggle, outside the death spot-no wintness except the Vain's Kids. They were very lucky; a phone call save them. I was go-ng to tape the boys and put plastics bag over there head like I did Joseph, and Shirley. And then hang the girl. God-oh God what a beautiful sexual relief that would been. Josephine,when I hung her really turn me on; her pleading for mercy then the rope took whole, she helpless; staring at me with wide terror fill eyes the rope getting tighter-tighter. You don't understand these things because your not under the influence of factor x). The same thing that made Son of Sam, Jack the Ripper, Havery Glatman, Boston Strangler, Dr. H.H. Holmes Panty Hose Strangler OF Florida, Hillside Strangler, Ted of the West Coast and many more infamous character kill. Which seem s senseless, but we cannot help it. There is no help, no cure, except death or being caught and put away. It a terrible nightmarebut, you see I don't lose any sleep over it. After a thing like Fox I ccome home and go about life like anyone else. And I will be like that until the urge hit me again. It not continuous and I don;t have a lot of time. It take time to set a kill, one mistake and it all over. Since I about blew it on the phone-handwriting is out-letter guide is to long and typewriter can be traced too,.My short poem of death and maybe a drawing;later on real picture and maybe a tape of the sound will come your way. How will you know me. Before a murder or murders you will receive a copy of the initials B.T.K. , you keep that copy the original will show up some day on guess who? 'May you not be the unluck one!
P.S.
How about some name for me, its time: 7 down and many more to go. I like the following How about you?
''THE B.T.K. STRANGLER', WICHITA STRANGLER', 'POETIC STRANGLER', 'THE BOND AGE STRANGLER' OR PSYCHO' THE WICHITA HANGMAN THE WICHITA EXECUTIONER, 'THE GAROTE PHATHOM', 'THE ASPHIXIATER'.
B.T.K.'
On a separate piece of paper he wrote:
'#5 You guess motive and victim.
'#6 You found one Shirley Vain lying belly down on a unmade bed in northeast bedroom-hand tied behind back with black tape and cord. Feet & ankles with black tape &legs. Ankles tied to west head of the bed with small off white cord, wrap around legs, hands, arm, finally the neck, many times. A off white pla stic bag over her head loop on with a pink nitie was barefooted. She was sick use a glass of water and smoke I or Two cigarette-house a total mess- kids took some toys with them to the bathroom-bedagainst east bathroom door. Chose at random with some pre-planning. Motive Factor X.
'#7 One Nancy Fox-lying belly down on made bed in southwest bedroom-hands tied behind back with red panty hose-feet together with yellow nitie-semi-nude with pink sweather and bra small neckless-glasses on west dresser-panties below butt-many different than the hosery. She had a smoke and wbnt to the bathroom before the final act-very neat housekeeper& dresser-rifled pursein kitchen-empty paper bag - white coat in living-room- heat up to about 90 degrees, Christsmas tree lights on- nities and hose around the room- hose bag of orange color it and hosery on bed-driver licence gone-seminal stain on or in blue women wear. Chose at random with little pre-
