Dennis Lynn Rader born March 9, , also known as BTK an abbreviation he gave himself for " bind, torture, kill " , is an American serial killer who murdered at least 10 people in Wichita and Park City, Kansas , between and Although he occasionally killed or attempted to kill men and children, Rader typically targeted women. His victims were often bound, sometimes with objects from their homes, and either suffocated with a plastic bag or manually strangled with a ligature.
Rader often sent taunting letters to police and media outlets, describing his crimes in detail. He is currently serving ten consecutive life sentences at the El Dorado Correctional Facility. Growing up in Wichita , Rader later recalled feeling ignored by his mother. Both of his parents worked long hours and paid little attention to their children at home. From a young age, Rader harbored sadistic sexual fantasies about torturing "trapped and helpless" women. He also masturbated with ropes or other bindings around his arms and neck.
Years later, during his "cooling off" periods between murders, Rader would take pictures of himself wearing women's clothes and a female mask while bound. He later admitted that he was pretending to be his victims as part of his sexual fantasy.
He received only mediocre grades and dropped out after one year. Rader served in the United States Air Force from to Rader married Paula Dietz on May 22, They had two children, Kerri and Brian. Rader initially worked as an assembler for the Coleman Company , an outdoor supply company. He then worked at the local Wichita office of ADT Security Services from to , where he installed security alarms.
Ironically, many of his clients were concerned homeowners seeking security from his own killings as BTK. In May , Rader became a dogcatcher and compliance officer in Park City. By the s, the public's memories of the murders had begun to fade. Local author Robert Beattie began writing a book about the killings, Nightmare in Wichita , after being shocked that many young people he spoke to had never heard of the BTK case.
