Dennis L. Rader was born March 9, 1945. He was baptized at the Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsburg, Kansas to William E. Rader and Dorothea M. Rader. William Rader was a former Marine. He has three younger brothers: Paul (born 1947) , Bill (born 1949), and Jeff (born 1955). All four boys were Boy Scouts.

Dennise Rader went to Riverview School, Pleasant Valley Middle School, Wichita North High School and then Wichita Heights High School. The Class of 1963 transferred to Wichita Heights for its junior year and became the second class to graduate there. He graduated from Wichita Heights High School in 1963. All of his brothers also graduated from Wichita Heights High School.

August. 17, 1966 Rader went through basic training in Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and later attended technical school at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.

• February 1967 He was stationed at Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile, Alabama
  
• January 1968 to June 1968 He served overseas in Turkey, Greece, Okinawa Kadena Air Base
• July 1968 to August 1970 Japan Tachikawa Air Base near Tokyo,.

He reached the rank of sergeant and was awarded the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal.

May 22, 1971 Dennise Rader married Paula Dietz. She was born May 5, 1948 and is the daughter of Palmer and Eileen Dietz of Park City. Paula Dietz is a 1966 graduate of Wichita Heights H.S. who had been working as a secretary at the VA Hospital. He worked in the meat department for Leeker’s IGA in Park City. They had two kids and lived in Park City, Kansas since 1971.

• June 19, 1972 He worked at The Coleman Company from as an assembler for the heating and air division.
• September, 1973 Rader enrolled to Wichita State University
• November 1974 began working for the ADT security company as a construction and installation supervisor.
  
• on July 27, 1975 his son B. Rader born 
• on June 13, 1978 his daughter, K. Rader born
  
• 1979 Graduated with a bachelor of science degree in administration of justice.
• 1989 Rader was fired from ADT (per his former supervisor, Michael Fitch)
• 1989 Began working for the U.S. Census Bureau in as a census field operations supervisor.
• May 10 Rader Worked as a Compliance Supervisor for Park City
• April 1996 Served on Sedgwick County Board of Zoning Appeals and the Animal Control Advisory Board

He was attending Park City Christ Lutheran Church and was a President of the Congregation Council. His wife and her family were original members of the church. Paula Rader and her mother sing in the church choir.

• Jan. 15, 1974: Joseph Otero, 38, and his wife, Julie, 34, are strangled in their home along with two of their children, Josephine, 11, and Joseph II, 9.
• April 4, 1974: Kathryn Bright, 21, is stabbed and strangled in her home. Her 18-year-old brother, Kevin, survives a gunshot wound to the head. Police later conclude she was a BTK victim.
• Oct. 22, 1974: The Wichita Eagle-Beacon gets a letter from someone taking responsibility for the Otero family killing and including crime scene details.
• March 17, 1977: Shirley Vian, 26, is found tied up and strangled at her home.
• Dec. 8, 1977: Nancy Fox, 25, is found tied up and strangled in her home. The killer’s voice is captured on tape when he calls a dispatcher to report the crime.
• Jan. 31, 1978: A poem referring to the Vian killing is sent to The Wichita Eagle-Beacon.
• Feb. 10, 1978: A letter from BTK is sent to KAKE-TV claiming responsibility for the deaths of Vian and Fox, as well as another unnamed victim. Police Chief Richard LaMunyon announces a serial killer is at large and has threatened to strike again.
• April 28, 1979: BTK waits inside a home, but leaves before the 63-year-old woman who lives there returns. He later sends her a letter letting her know he was there.
• Aug. 15, 1979: Police get more than 100 tips in the first day of radio and TV broadcasts that repeat the voice of the BTK strangler from the 1977 recording.
• Sept. 16, 1986: Vicki Wegerle, 28, is strangled in her home.
• March 19, 2004: A letter arrives at The Wichita Eagle containing a photocopy of Wegerle’s driver’s license and photos of her body. Police link it to BTK.
• May 4, 2004: Letter sent to KAKE-TV, with copies of ID badge.
• June 9, 2004: Communication found at stop sign, about Chapter 2 of BTK story.
• July 17, 2004: Communication found at Wichita downtown library, containing letter claiming responsibility for death of Sumner County teenager found tied to train tracks. Police determine BTK had nothing to do with that death, which was later ruled a suicide.
• Oct. 22, 2004: Communication found on 2nd and Kansas streets in Wichita, with a letter on BTK life history.
• Dec. 15, 2004: Package found at Murdock Park, containing a bound doll and a letter.
• Jan. 25, 2005: Post card sent to KAKE TV, directing them to cereal box at 69th and Seneca streets.
• Jan. 27, 2005: Police find Home Depot cereal box, containing jewelry, which had been initially left at the store’s parking lot on Jan. 8. Store surveillance vehicle shows unidentifiable vehicle.
• Feb. 3, 2005: Post card sent to KAKE-TV.
• Feb. 16, 2005: Computer floppy disk and letter sent to KSAS-TV. The disk, containing the name “Dennis,” was traced to Christ Lutheran Church.
• Feb. 25, 2005: Authorities arrest Dennis Rader. Besides the eight slayings already attributed to BTK, he is charged with the killings of Marine Hedge, 53, in April 1985 and Dolores Davis, 62, in January 1991.
• June 27, 2005: Rader pleads guilty to 10 counts.
• Aug. 17, 2005: Prosecutors begin a sentencing hearing, though Rader’s punishment – life in prison with no realistic chance for parole – is undisputed.

January 15, 1974 he broke into the Otero family home and murdered four members. Joseph and Julie Otero and two of their children, Josephine and Joseph Jr.died by strangulation. After murdering them, he took from the house a couple of items: a radio and a watch. Evidences showed that he left at the crime scene also semen. According to his own confessions, while speaking to forensic psychology professor Katherine Ramsland, BTK thought that he will be caught. To his surprise, that didn’t happen. He even said that he left something behind and returned to get it and that’s when he thought he will be arrested.

Kathryn Bright was murdered on April 4, 1974. Rader had seen her before entering her home and considered her as one of his ‘projects’. That day he broke into her home from the porch door and hid in the bedroom. Around 2 p.m. she arrived home but with her brother Kevin,19, which Rader was not expecting. Rader came rushing out of the room with the gun pointing straight at them. He told them the same story that he was a wanted criminal and needed a car, food, and money because he was on his way to New York. He forced the two into the bedroom and ordered Kevin to tie his sister’s hands and feet. He then took Kevin into the other room and tried to tie him up as well, but was not successful. Kevin got into a fight with Rader getting very close to taking the gun from him. But Rader was able to get a good hold on the gun and shot Kevin in the head twice. After that he went back to Kathryn to finish his project. Kathryn also put up a big fight against Rader as he tried to strangle her. He realized that strangling her was not going to work so he started stabbing her in the abdomen multiple times.

While that was happening, Kevin Bright was able to escape. He ran a few blocks to his car and drove off in search of help. Sadly, even after multiple emergency surgeries and blood transfusions, Kathryn Bright died at the age of 21. Her brother Kevin was in critical condition, but did survive.

Steven, Shirley’s son told the detectives he saw the man knocking on the door of the house. The man was carrying a suitcase. The man then approached him and showed him a picture ofa little child and a grown-up. The man asked if Steven had seen the people in the photograph. Steven told the detectives that he did not know the people in the photograph. Steven returned home and laid down with his mother when there was a knock at the door. Steven heard his mom say, “don’t hurt us” when the man entered his house. The man said “I’m not going to hurt you” and herded him, his brother and sister, and his mom into the bedroom. The man unzipped the suitcase, removed a rope and began to tie Junior’s hands. Junior started to ciy and the man forced Steven, his sister, Stephanie, and Junior into the bathroom. The man tied a rope around the door and underneath the sink. Steven tried to push the door but the bed was pushed up against the bathroom door. Junior broke a window in the bathroom to tiyto get out. Steven was worried that Junior would get in trouble for breaking the bathroom window.

Shirley Vian and on the floor of the bedroom. In the bathroom, Malter found white cord stretching from the pipe below the sink to the doorknob of the west bathroom door. The east bathroom door was blocked by a bed. The bottom pane of the bathroom window was broken. Toys, a blanket, a curtain, and two pillows were strewn on the bathroom floor.

Detective Steve Katchis attended the autopsy on Shirley Vian and docwnented two bruised lines across the throat and small round bruises atthe base of the throat. The small round bruises were consistent with fingers. Doctor William Eckert performed the autopsy. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation and strangulation.

Nancy Fox, 25, was strangled with stockings in her home Dec. 8, 1977. Rader said,

“When I was trolling through the area, I noticed her go in the house one night. … I put her down as a potential victim. … I did a little homework. I dropped by once to check the mailbox to see what her name was. I found out where she worked.”

2004, Rader left a package for the police department in Wichita that included Nancy Fox’s drivers license and a Barbie doll with its hands and feet bound with a plastic bag wrapped around its head.

Vicki Wegerle, 28, was found strangled in her bed on Sept. 16, 1986. Her 2-year-old son was home but was not harmed. After years of silence, the BTK Killer resurfaced in 2004 with a letter to The Wichita Eagle that included photos of her murder and a photocopy of her missing driver’s license.

In court Rader said

Vicki Wegerle was a potential victim. I went through those different phases, locked in on her as I would call it and decided that I would try that date. I used a ruse as a telephone repairman to get in her house. [I] drove there in my own personal car around lunch time having lunch hour or approximately that time. It was earlier in the morning then. And uh put my.. I actually went somewhere else and changed uh, changed my clothes into what I call my ‘hit clothes.’ And um…

Basically different, you know, things I need to get rid of later. Not the same kind of clothes I had on. I don’t know a better word to use it — crime clothes or hit clothes — I just call them hit clothes. Uhh, anyway I walked from my car as a telephone repairman. As I walked there I donned my telephone helmet. I had a briefcase. Went to one other address just to kind of size up the house. I’d walked by it a couple of times but I wanted to check it a little bit more. As I approached it I could hear a piano sound. I went to this other door, knocked on it and told them that we were recently working on telephone repairs in the area. And then went to her and knocked on the door and asked if I could check her telephone lines inside.

I told her, when we went back to the bedroom, I told her I was going to have to tie her up. She was very upset. And I think we, I, used some material that was in, and that’s another thing, I’m not sure but I that I used the material that they had in their bedroom, and after I tied her hands she broke that and we started fighting. And we fought quite a bit, back and forth.

 I finally gained on her and put her down and I thought she was dead but apparently she wasn’t. But, uh, after she was down and not moving any more I rearranged her clothes a little bit and took some quick photos — I think three of them if I remember. And then after that there was a lot of commotion. She had mentioned something about her husband coming home so I got out of there pretty quick. The dogs were raising a lot of cain in the back. The doors and windows were all open in the house. There was a lot of noise when we were fighting so I left pretty quickly after that. Put everything the briefcase and had her, I already gone through her purse and got the keys to the car, and used her car for my get away car.