Ep. 79 | The Most TWISTED Serial Killer In History | BTK

Wichita, Kansas, a city once known for its small town charm, where church bells marked Sundays and families felt safe behind unlocked doors. But beneath the calm streets and manicured lawns, something sinister waited. A man who blended politically into the ordinary, all while harboring unspeakable secrets. For over 30 years, he hid in plain sight, living two lives. One built on trust in faith, and the other on obsession and control. And he watched, he planned, and when the urge took hold, he murdered. This is the story of Dennis Raider, the man the world would come to know as BTK. Crying, conspiracy, ghosts, serial killers, and murder, all things that I love to consume, and I know you do too, you sick, twisted, beautiful, intellectually minded, pretty. Currently, there's a rat in my room, so if I'm a little on edge, it's not only because I'm talking about the biggest monster there is to be, but also because there's a giant monster rat in my room. So this episode might be a little scary for multiple reasons. Anyway, today we are going over one of the most infamous serial killers in the world at any point in history. So without further ado, let's unpack our seat belts, go mock five down the highway, slam off the brakes, and bustle this wood shield into this horrifying case together. So in the mid-1940s, Kansas was a heartland state experiencing post-World War II optimism and growth. Wichita, in particular, had boomed during the war as the air capital of the world, turning out military aircrafts, and notably the B-29 bombers, and drawing thousands of new residents for factory jobs. So my 1950 Wichita's population swelled to around 168,000 people up from 114,000 in 1940. That's a lot of people. And this was due to the wartime influx. And the war's end in 1945 brought a sense of hopefulness, returning veterans settled down to start families, aided by the GI Bill, and new suburbs, schools, and churches sprang up amid a spirit of confident post-war growth. And culturally, mid-century Kansas was conservative and community-oriented, and life centered on family, hard work, and faith, values that thrived in the Bible belt environment of the Great Plains. Yet beneath the peaceful small town facade, societal norms were strict and traditional, and Wichita was still segregated in the 1940s, for example, with black residents relegated to certain theaters and restaurants. And this was the world that Dennis Raider's parents inhabited, a world of church on Sundays, neighborly trust, and post-war prosperity, and blatant racism, all of which would form the backdrop for the arrival of this child, Dennis Raider. So Wichita in the 1940s was a city in transition, evolving from its Wild West cow-town roots in a modern industrial hub. In the downtown bustled with department stores, theaters, and diners, while the outskirts saw new housing for factory workers. And aviation companies like Boeing and Beechcraft and Cessna had expanded massively during the war, and then scrambled to reproduce their production in peacetime. And meanwhile, church congregations grew alongside new neighborhoods, reinforcing the area's strong religious culture. So by the late 1940s, Wichita's civic leaders, often wore veterans themselves, were building a city that viewed itself as an embodiment of the American dream, a blend of small town values and high-tech industry in this optimistic climate, community ties were tight, and crime was generally thought of as something distant or confined to only big cities. So the notion of a predatory killer that could be hiding in such a wholesome midwestern setting felt almost unthinkable. But from what we know now, about midwestern serial killers, dude, I feel so unsafe in midwestern, we got this guy, this guy, this guy, like shit's crazy. But it was in this setting that Dennis Raider's family began their story. So Dennis's father, William Elvin Raider, was a U.S. Marine veteran who served around the time of World War II, and later made a living as a civilian worker for the Kansas Gas Service. And as a mother, Dorothea May Raider worked as a bookkeeper, and they married and would start a family in southeastern Kansas. And the Raiders were known to be of modest socio-economic status, a working class, middle-class family where both parents labored long hours to make ends meet. And William's job with the gas company and Dorothea's bookkeeping position suggests the family was not in poverty, but certainly lived a no-frills lifestyle. They could afford a stable home, but with both parents working full-time, money was earned through diligence, not privilege. And this work ethic was typical of Kansas family's rebuilding after the war. And religion was a cornerstone of life for the Raider family and their entire community. William and Dorothea were devout Lutherans, and they were active members of the Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, where in Fin Dennis was baptized. And the Lutheran faith, a Protestant denomination with Germanic roots, basically a denomination of Christianity, was common in that region of Kansas, and its stressed moral living and church fellowship, and obedience to God's commandments. But growing up in the late 1940s and 1950s, Dennis Raider would have been steeped in culture that encouraged clean living and neighborly kindness. And the Raiders likely attended Sunday service without fail and observed traditional values at home. And as a strict and god-fearing patriarch, William Raider expected discipline and respect from his children. And neighbors later described him as firm, but not abusive. The kind of stern religious father figure that was not unusual in mid-century America. And in the broader Wichita area, a strong sense of community meant that people and culture prized safety and trust. And ironically, it was exactly this trusting environment and emphasis on appearing upstanding that would enable someone like Dennis Raider to hide in plain sight for so long. But in the 1940s, no one could have imagined the dark path that lay ahead. So the stage was set in wholesome conservative Kansas, and the future BTK killer was born into what appeared to be a completely normal god-fearing family. So Dennis Raider was born on March 9, 1945 in Pittsburgh, Kansas, just months before the end of World War II. And shortly after his birth, the Raider family moved to the Wichita area, which is where Dennis would grow up, and where decades later he would carry out his crimes. And he was described as a shy child who enjoyed typical pastimes like reading comic books and playing with neighborhood friends. And as the oldest of four brothers, Dennis sometimes shouldered the responsibility of looking after his siblings. I know how that feels. Not the serial killer. I just, I babysat my siblings and stuff. I can't relate him on any other level other than that anyway. But family and friends and neighbors later remembered the Raider boys as polite and ordinary kids raised in a very normal benign family upbringing. So the nurture aspect to Dennis Raider is quite different than what we see in other serial killers. He's always like a mix of both, but with him it seems to be more just nature. He was just born into the world to spawn a Satan it seems. But regardless, all the boys attended Riverview Elementary School in Wichita and Dennis was noted to be an average or slightly below average student with an introverted personality. And he wasn't especially social and he tended to be quiet and kept to himself never causing much trouble at school. And in many ways he appeared to be just another Midwestern boy next door, a quiet, unassuming child as one criminologist put it. However, even during these early years there were subtle warning signs of the deviance brewing within him. And he would later admit that quote, "probably even when I was in grade school I sort of had some problems. Fantasies probably more than normal." Red flag number one. And one eerie childhood incident in particular seemed to spark young Dennis's dark imagination. Because when he was a little boy his mother got her finger accidentally caught in a sofa spring and became stuck. So naturally she panicked and yelled for Dennis to run and get help. The sight of his mother trapped and terrified pleading helplessly had an electrifying effect on the boy. Red flag number two. I'm going to count that as five actually so we're at six now. So instead of empathizing with her fear, Dennis felt a strange thrill at seeing a woman in distress. His mother in particular, which is horrifying. And Dr. Catherine Ramslin who later extensively interviewed Raider recounted that quote, "it was exciting to him to see a woman helpless." And in this moment, quote, "became imprinted in his mind," unquote, planting the seed of his lifelong obsession with trapping and controlling women. But little Dennis eventually did get help for his mother, but the incident was a formative one to say the least. And from then on, the image of a woman trapped and helpless and looking to him in town. Error was ingrained in his fantasies and he was a shot. He was a child at this point and he's, he's realizing that like, I, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. Just note to self if you got, if you got a little kid and you get stuck and he's just like staring at you like this, I'd, I'd, I'd get him some help I think. So as he grew into adolescence, Raider's private deviance escalated beyond mere fantasies. And by his own later admissions, Dennis began, say it with me, the number one thing most serial killers do, torture animals. So hanging or strangling cats and dogs in secret for his own twisted pleasure. And this classic red flag behavior, I think let's give it another 10 where it's 16 now, just went unnoticed by adults at the time. Cause kids will be kids, you know, what happened to Buster? He's just hanging from the tree, but Dennis didn't meet it. He's just, he's just being a boy, you know, or whatever. Um, it's horrifying. I'm laughing. I'm very uncomfortable right now. But all this just foreshadowed the violence to come. And puberty only intensified little Dennis's disturbing inner world. And by his early teens, he was regularly daydreaming about tying up girls and having complete power over them. And he engaged in acts of self bondage and auto erotic exphyxiation, which is basically strangling yourself with ropes or belts to achieve a, you know, spicy rush nearly to the point of passing out. And I'd say these are not the typical fantasies of a teenage boy. And if it is, get some help. All right. And as Raider later understated, quote, "All males probably go through some kind of sexual fantasy. Mine was probably just weirder than other people." Just, just like a little bit, just a little bit. And by a little bit, I mean a lot. But at some point, he discovered a detective magazine in his father's car that featured Harvey Glattman, a 1950s murderer who photographed and tortured women in California for his own perverse pleasure. Raider saw a reflection of his own desires in Glattman's story. And it was at this point where he also began to steal women's undergarments while indulging in what he called, quote unquote, "trolling." Yeah, he's the OG troller, I guess. What? But not in the internet sense, in the sense that he roamed around neighborhoods peeping on women to fuel his lustful imaginations. And despite these, alarming behaviors, Raider outwardly maintained the mask of a normal youth. And he continued, participating in positive activities that bolstered his wholesome image. And he was involved in the local Boy Scout troop and became proficient at tying knots more on that later. And he was also active in the Church's youth group and attended service with his family every week. And those who knew him casually saw only a quiet church-going boy who never got into serious trouble. But at home, though, there was some emotional turbulence. And Dennis felt somewhat neglected by his mother, who, according to him, didn't pay much attention to the children and often left them in the care of their grandparents. Quote, "I got along real well with dad, but mom wasn't always so happy. I did have a little bit of a grudge against mama." Raider later reflected, "And this is just fuel to the fire for Raider." Because this subtle resentment toward his mother may have further warped his attitudes toward women. But still, nothing about young Dennis' public behavior in the late 1950s and early 60s hinted at the monster he would become. So Dennis would graduate from Wichita Heights High School in 1963 without incident. And to the community, Dennis Raider was just another local boy entering adulthood now, a somewhat withdrawn kid, perhaps, but essentially a normal and unremarkable child. Or now, young adult, as one account later summarized. But behind the timid demeanor lurked violent fantasies that were growing stronger and stronger by the day. So after high school, Raider drifted through early adulthood in search of direction. All while the side of his psyche continued to develop in secret, and he enrolled in college and attended Kansas Wesleyan University for short time. However, academics didn't hold his interest, and his grades were unexceptional to say the least. And with the Vietnam War ramping up, and the draft, looming, 21-year-old Raider took a different path. And in the summer of 1966, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. And this decision may have been partly to avoid being drafted into army combat. And joining the Air Force allowed him some choice in his fate during the war years. So he went to Texas to complete basic training and tech school before his station at Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile, Alabama. And he worked as an antenna installer and maintenance specialist during his time there. And Raider served on active duty from 1966 until 1970, spending his service stationed in Turkey, Greece, South Korea, and Japan. And he even earned a medal for good conduct, a ribbon for marksmanship, and received a national defense service medal as his service occurred under a state of national emergency in the military during the Vietnam War. And this military life instilled discipline and technical skills in him, but it did not dampen his deviant impulses at all. And actually, Raider's time in the Air Force provided new opportunities to act on his voyeuristic and fetishistic urges. And he later said that the Air Force actually taught him about the Devil's Tango, if you know what I mean, spicy sessions, if you know what I mean. And the structure of the military may have contained his behavior to some extent, but it certainly didn't reform his twisted proclivities. And Raider would be honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1970 and would return home to Wichita, Kansas. So now, in his mid-20s, he tried to settle into normal civilian life. And a major positive change came when he met a young woman named Paula Dietz. Now, Paula was a church-going bookkeeper who knew Dennis' parents from their Lutheran congregation. And Dennis' father introduced him to Paula at church soon after Dennis came home from the service. And the two hit it off and began dating. So, unfortunately, Dennis married Paula in a simple church ceremony. Beginning, what appeared to be a typical Midwestern marriage. But as we know today, it was just to keep up this facade of a normal life so he could commit his utter depravity behind the scenes. So, the couple moved to the suburban Wichita area of Park City and planned to start a family. And in the coming years, they would have two children, a son and a daughter. And outsiders, the Raiders were the picture of normalcy. Exactly what Raider wanted. A hard-working husband, a loving wife, and eventually a boy and a girl all living in a modest house on a typical suburban street. And in the early 1970s, Raider struggled a bit to find stable employment, but he eventually landed on his feet. And he took a job on the production line at the Coleman Company, which was a camping gear and outdoor equipment manufacturer in Wichita. But by 1973, he left Coleman for what he thought was his dream job, which was assembling small aircraft for the Cessna Company. Because aviation was booming in Wichita and working at Cessna paid really well. And that same year, with his career seemingly progressing, Raider decided to further his education. And after earning an associate degree in electronic engineering, he enrolled at Wichita State University in the fall, aiming for a degree in criminal justice. This sky, unfortunately, is very, very dedicated to being in the best criminal he could be. And perhaps in some corner of his mind, which this is what I think Raider fantasized about law enforcement, which is a profession of control and authority over people. Specifically, can be women, you know, it's all kind of fitting together, not to mention, he would learn how law enforcement works in the criminal justice system so he could just maneuver his way around like a fucking snake. So Dennis's life seemed full of promise. He was a newlywed, working toward a college degree, active in church groups, and described as a reliable ordinary young man. But cracks were starting to show beneath the facade. In late 1973, Dennis Raider's tenuous told on a "normal life" began to slip. And he was laid off from his job at Cessna in November, which was a blow to his self-esteem and to his finances. An unemployment left him with idle time and simmering resentment. So Raider became depressed over the setback, and without work to occupy him, he sank deeper and deeper into the fantasy world he had known since childhood. In all the violent sexual urges he had been harboring swelled up, demanding to be acted upon, and he spent his days at home nursing dark fantasies of bondage and murder. Just picturing women bound and struggling completely at his mercy, and he obsessively consumed pornography to fuel his imagination. And the more he fed on these obsessions, the more they demanded an outlet in reality, and he would continue his aforementioned trolling by scouting certain neighborhoods and campuses to find young women to watch and fantasize over. Just imagining scenarios like hiding in their vehicles to surprise and kidnap them, and he would even physically stalk lone women in grocery stores. Just the ultimate fucking creep. So by the end of 1973, the dark side of Dennis Raider wasn't full control of his mind. And he, quote, "was ready to act on his twisted desires." "No longer satisfied with fantasy alone." So in early 1974, he made the fateful decision to cross the line from fantasy into actual violence. And he had already attempted at least one failed kidnapping or attack before his first murder. And it was an aborted plan involving a young bank teller that didn't pan out. But the failed attempts only emboldened him to try again. And Raider had spent years training himself in his mind how to be a predator without getting caught. And he knew how to tie knots, how to quietly break into a house, and how to wear gloves, and leave no fingerprints. And scariest of all, he knew how to kill and carry out his darkest desires. So now, unemployed and spiraling, he had time to stalk potential victims, and the urge to kill had become overwhelming. So as he embraced his darkest fantasies, Raider stood on the brink of unleashing unspeakable horror on his community. All well, his wife Paula, and everyone around him remained utterly unaware of the monster growing inside him. On January 15th, 1974, Raider's long-held violent fantasies became a reality, and one of the most brutal family murders Kansas has ever seen. That morning, he put together what he called his "hit-kit," a bag containing a gun, knives, ropes, tape, plastic bags, and tools for breaking into a home. And he had selected his targets. And this was the Otero family, who had recently moved into his neighborhood. Raider had become obsessed with 34-year-old Julio Otero, and his daughter, Josephine. And he admitted he "lastfully noticed" Juli and especially Josephine, considering the young girl, the primary target of his twisted plan. Just a sick piece of shit. So for weeks, he stalked the Oteros from afar, learning their routines, and he fantasized about the moment he would strike. And finally, he could wait no longer. And on that fateful morning, just after 8am, Raider approached the Otero house convinced that only Juli and Josephine would be at home. And he slipped into the back yard and quietly cut the telephone line, making sure that they couldn't call for help if anything went wrong. An arm to with the pistol, Raider entered the house through an unlocked back door. And inside, he was startled to find not just Juli and Josephine, but also Joseph Jr. and 38-year-old Joseph Otero Sr. But despite this unexpected complication, Raider pulled his gun and asserted control over the family immediately. And speaking calmly, he lied to them that he was "a criminal on the run who needed food, money, and a car." So to think on the spot like that, you had to imagine that he went through every single scenario that could have happened and had a backup plan for that, an A, B, C, D plan for everything. And the Oteros, unaware of his true intent, believed they were dealing with a desperate robber, rather than a sadist. So using his cold, authoritative demeanor, Raider managed to bind the wrists and ankles of all four family members without immediate incident. But once they were helpless, he revealed what kind of monster he truly was. And with all four Oteros tied up and at his mercy, Raider methodically began to kill them one by one. And first, he would slip a plastic bag over Joseph's senior's head and tighten it, watching as the man suffocate it. And Joseph Jr. would meet the same fate, while his mother and sister looked on in horror. And Julie would beg Raider to stop hurting her family, because she was sitting there completely helpless and the mother would meet the same fate. Dying of strangulation. When he was done with that, Raider turned his attention to Josephine, the girl who had been his true target all along. And he would separate Josephine from her mother, taking her down to the basement. And this is where Raider would prepare a newse and use it on the girl. I don't want to, you can put that together. And he would attach the newse to a sewer pipe on the ceiling. And in his own words, why he was asked why he did this, he coldly replied, quote, "I thought it would be interesting to watch her die." Unquote. I got it. It just, I don't know. Nobody's life matters more than anybody else's, but I hate talking about kids. I really don't like it at all. And after he was done with that, he decided to take that moment to indulge himself. Again, I don't want to say any more on that. You can understand what I'm saying. Because at the end of the day, this was all about control and pleasure for him and how he got pleasure from control. And after he was done, he then collected a few personal items from the home as souvenirs, and casually cleaned up, and left the crime scene. And then he allegedly took the Oterra's family car to a Dylan's grocery store parking lot. And realizing later that he had left a knife in the backyard, he went back to remove that piece of evidence. So in a matter of minutes, an entire family had been wiped out. And Raider had bound, tortured, and killed four innocent people in pursuit of his perverse disgusting fantasies. And the Oterra family murders shocked Wichita to its core. Joseph and Julie's three older children who were at school during the massacre came home that day to find their parents and siblings dead. It was just a nightmare that made no sense. I can't even imagine how those kids felt finding their family just massacred. It's absolutely heart-wrenching. And the crime puzzled police for its sheer brutality and apparent lack of motive. Unknown to investigators, the killer had left behind clues, obszar not used in the bindings, and semen stains near Josephine's body. But in those first few weeks of 1974, the name BTK did not yet exist. And the authorities had no idea that the Oterra murders were the beginning of a serial killer's career. And Dennis Raider, meanwhile, was already secretly planning his next attack. Because the high he had gotten from fulfilling his dark desires only fueled his hunger for more. And only a few months later, Raider would strike again. And on April 4th, 1974, he targeted 21-year-old Catherine Bright. A petite college student who happened to work at the same Coleman factory where Raider had briefly been employed. And Raider had stalked Bright and decided she would be another project for him, as Raider called his intended victims. Because he saw them less than human, as we now know. And he would break into her home and he would wait for her to return. And when Catherine came home that afternoon, with her brother Kevin, Raider was startled, but decided, just like the Oterra family, to proceed anyway. And he confronted the siblings at gunpoint and forced Kevin to tie Catherine up, and then bound Kevin himself in a separate room. And in order to distinguish the scenario from the Oteros, Raider used household items like bandanas to bind his victims, which he would sue find out was a mistake. So after tying them up, he turned on the living room stereo to drown out any suspicious noise. Attacked it, he allegedly picked up from a detective magazine, and then returned to find Kevin free of his bindings. Because using household items didn't work. And this is when a violent struggle would ensue. And Kevin Bright fought back fiercely, but Raider ended up shooting Kevin in the head twice, once in the forehead and once just above his mouth. But miraculously, the young man survived the gunshots and managed to escape the house by playing dead until his attacker left the room. So Raider, now enraged, returned to Catherine, who also had escaped from her bindings. So unable to strangle her as planned, he stabbed her repeatedly with a knife, inflicting fatal wounds. So Raider would flee the scene after he heard Kevin call for help outside. And unfortunately, Catherine later died from her injuries at hospital. So this second attack had been messy and risky, a far cry from the controlled slaughter of the defenseless Oteros. But it taught Raider a lesson to be even more careful in selecting victims who were alone. So after this incident, he would primarily target women by themselves, or with small children to minimize unexpected resistance. But still, two horrific crimes in quick succession had left Wichita police scrambling for answers. Two different crime scenes, multiple victims killed by strangulation or stabbing. And it wasn't obvious at first that the same perpetrator was responsible, but the community was certainly on edge at this point. And Raider, however, wanted the police and public to know that a single killer was out there, and that he relished in the notoriety, because he's a narcissistic, sadistic, fucked-up, twisted piece of shit. So in October of 1974, as if unable to restrain his need for attention, Raider made his first contact with the media. About nine months after the Otero murders, an anonymous phone call was placed to the desk of the Wichita Eagle newspaper, directing them to a specific engineering textbook at the public library downtown, and inside that library book, authorities found a letter. And in it, the writer took credit for the Otero family killings, providing details that only the true murderer would know. And the letters author claimed he was driven to kill bisexual motive and suggested he would strike again. And most famously, he gave himself a nickname in the note, declaring that "The code words for me will be bind them, torture them, kill them, BTK." We've gone over serial killers that, like the notoriety or like wanted, but BTK just takes the cake for me, like naming himself, "What a pathetic fucking loser. What a actual loser." Like I can't even think of somebody that just is like lower than whale shit. Like he's, yeah, just, it's embarrassing honestly, but obviously the Wichita Eagle would turn the letter over to police, and the news of the Otero killer's self-chosen name eventually reached the public. And law enforcement upon reading the letter knew they indeed had a serial killer in their midst. One, who was seeking recognition, and the BTK killer had introduced himself. And after the Catherine Bright incident, there were no known BTK murders for nearly three years. As possible, writer attempted other crimes that didn't succeed during this interval, but the first confirmed murders after 1974 came in early 1977, so quite the cool down period. And on March 17th, writer randomly selected a young mother named Shirley Ruth Ralford as his next victim, and the encounter was initiated in a disturbingly casual way. Because he originally had a different target, but when they weren't home, he went about finding a different one. And writer spotted Shirley's son, Steve, walking home with a loaf of bread from the store, and approached him, pretending to be a detective looking for someone. And he asked Steve if he recognized the people in the photo, showing a picture of his wife and daughter, which Steve misidentified as his mom and sister. Because he's 6 years old. And the boy then led him back to his home. Like Dennis Raider is just a. a pedemy of evil. So, upon arrival, Raider showed 24-year-old Shirley the same photo, and then forced his way in at gunpoint. And inside, we're Shirley and her three children. Steve and two siblings all under the age of eight. And Raider initially attempted to tie all of them up, but binding the children proved to be difficult, and in a twisted act of quote-unquote "mercy" he put the three kids in the bathroom and barricaded the door, and reportedly giving them toys to help them stay comfortable before threatening to shoot them if they left the bathroom. But he had no intention of sparing Shirley, however. Raider would bind the terrified woman and would strangle her with a cord. Allegedly, she was actually sick and threw up before being bound and also requested water, which he gave to her before finishing the job. And he later admitted that he intended to kill the children as well, but fled the scene after the phone rang, and they said it was likely someone who was scheduled to visit soon. So the Ralford children had survived by sheer luck. I mean, being in a bathroom and then your mom, that happened to your mother, and then going through life, having that happen, I mean, again, my heart just always goes out to people having to live with that trauma, and obviously the victims as well, but the people that are so young and that have to live with that trauma throughout the rest of your lives, I can't even imagine. I cannot imagine what that's like. So this horrifying crime underscored BTK's cruel modus operandi or MO, targeting a woman at home, binding and strangling her and showing indifference to the collateral trauma inflicted on any children who happened to be present. So by now, Wichita authorities recognized the pattern of BTK's bind torture kill signature, and the public was growing very fearful, because a serial killer was stalking the city. At BTK's next-known victim was 25-year-old Nancy Jo Fox. Raider had stalked Nancy for a period of time in late 1977, noting her schedule and routine, and on the night of December 8th, he finally struck. And Raider would break into Nancy's home, and he would wait for her to come home from her evening job. And when Nancy arrived, she screamed at Raider and threatened to call the police. And he calmly told her the phone lines were cut, and she would not be able to call for help. And then he also told her of his intentions, and he told her that he wanted to restrain her, photograph her, and assay her. So Nancy cooperated initially out of pure fear of just trying to survive, and Raider even let her smoke a cigarette and use the bathroom before it all began, giving her a sense of comfortability like she could maybe make it out, like he was maybe just a freak who wanted to get off on taking photos and stuff. But little did she know he had something much, much worse planned for her. So once she returned from the bathroom partially undressed, as demanded, he forced her to lay down, and she resisted as he attempted to remove her clothing and handcuff her, questioning the necessity of it, to which he replied that it was part of the thing. And it wouldn't work unless he used the handcuffs, and that's when he proceeded to wrap his belt around her neck. And that's when he repeatedly tightened the belt and loosened the belt so she would pass out and then wake up again and then pass out and then wake up again until she ultimately passed away in the process. But this time, Raider made sure the murder of Nancy Fox got the attention he craved, and the morning after killing Nancy, he himself placed an anonymous call to the police from a pay phone directing them to find her at her home. As he wanted the body discovered quickly. And in addition, in early 1978, Raider sent a long taunting letter to a local television station, K-A-K-E-T-V, and to the Witch.EagleBeacon newspaper, formally taking credit for the several murders, and in this letter, he listed details of 7 victims, the Oteros, Counted Us 4, Plus Bright, Ralford, and Fox, that suggested a number of macabre pseudonyms for himself, complaining that the authorities needed to come up with a good name for him, again, just like "the most pathetic human being to ever exist," basically, or he's in a big group of those people, but he's definitely one of them. But ultimately, he repeated the one that stuck, which was BTK, and he also famously "vented" "How many do I have to kill before I get a name in the paper some national attention?" Unquote, "Pathetic." "Hor-- ugh." And this brazen provocation worked, and the press published BTK's letters and witch-toss citizens were thrown into a panic, because a serial killer was not only on the loose, but he was openly mocking the police and threatening to strike again. And by 1978, BTK was a name that induced terror across Kansas and the nation, and little did they know that the killer lived among them as an ordinary family man. And for a long stretch of time after 1977, it seemed BTK had vanished, but in reality, he was entering a deceptive hiatus, blending back into civilian life, while his murderous persona went underground for a while. So after the frenzy of his first murders, Raider did something many serial killers and do not. Frankly, just don't have the willpower to do, I'm not. Giving him any sort of credit or anything, but he's just very methodical in what he does because he is a sadistic, pathetic, psychopathic, P.O.S. Right? It stopped killing for several years, and from the end of 1977, through the early 1980s, there were no more bodies attributed to BTK, and this period lasted roughly eight years. To investigators at the time, it was baffling, and investigators had to think did the killer die. or was he imprisoned for another crime or did he just move away, but in truth Raider was very much alive and free in Wichita, but he had receded into the facade of a normal life. And in these years Raider focused on work, family, and community, the very things that kept him looking like a model citizen while his dark desires simmered beneath the surface. And in 1974, almost the same time as the first murders, Dennis Raider had found steady employment with ADT security services, a company that installed home alarm systems. Just a extremely cruel irony. As BTK's reign of terror led frightened Wichita residents to invest in security alarms, the serial killer himself was often the technician coming to their homes to set up the systems. Absolutely horrifying. And Raider worked for ADT from 1974 all the way up to 1988, a 14-year stint where he rose to the role of installation supervisor. And through his job, he became intimately familiar with the ins and outs of home security. And knowledge he had already exploited by cutting phone lines and sneaking into houses. And co-workers later recalled that Raider was not particularly well liked at ADT because he was seen as an arrogant micromanager who did his job, we did our job, and nothing more. Yet no desire to have like repertoire with his employees or co-workers. But there was no hint that this uptight alarm installer was secretly the BTK killer. And this job kept him busy during the day and provided cover for any odd behavior around neighborhoods because he could always claim he was on a service call. And on the home front, Raider maintained the charade of being a devoted family man. And he and Paula welcomed their first child, Brian, born sometime in the early to mid 1970s. Some sources say 1975, others say it's unknown and their daughter Carrie in 1978. So during the late 70s and early 80s, Raider was busy raising toddlers and then school-aged kids. By all accounts, he was a loving father supposedly, and he was a boy scout leader and active in boy scout activities. And the same skills he excelled at in scouts were a grisly part of his crimes. But in the scout context, Raider was just seen as an enthusiastic dad volunteer. But it's crazy looking at just he was in the security business. He was in in the air force at one point and he was a boy scout who specializes in knots like it all makes sense when he put it all together in just a terrifying way. But on the surface like who would ever put that together, you know, at the time, especially with this huge cool off period. And he also continued his college education part time. And in 1979, Raider achieved a long-term goal by graduating from Wichita State University with a bachelor's degree in administration of justice. Essentially criminal justice. So just throw that into the mix. So it's wild to think that BTK earned a criminal justice degree studying law enforcement techniques even as he was secretly outweeding law enforcement. And Raider became even more involved in church during this period as well. And he and Paula were dedicated members of the Christ Lutheran Church in Park City and Raider volunteered for various church duties and joined the church council. And to his fellow parishioners, Dennis Raider was the reliable man who would usher on Sundays and step in to help with whatever needed when asked. And that was the depth of his deception. Even as the congregation prayed for the unknown BTK killer to be caught, the very man sat among them quietly saying, "Amen, during these dormant years, BTK's case gradually went cold for the police. Leads dried up, and with no new murders after 1977, some in Wichita hoped the killer was gone for good." But little did they realize the killer was very much present, just temporarily taking a break. But still, Raider's inner compulsions did not disappear. And he later admitted that he continued to indulge in what he called fantasies throughout the 1980s, because I can't even imagine. Committing all those things and then just not being able to do anything in that time period, I would never believe that he didn't do anything. But during this time, he said he relived his crimes and planned for potential new ones. And he had kept trophies from his victims such as jewelry or underwear, and would use these to fantasize. And at home, hidden from his family, Raider engaged in elaborate auto-erotic sessions, where he would dress in women's clothing or masks stolen from victims, tie himself up, and take Polaroid photos of himself bound and gagged. Again, just a pathetic psychopath. But essentially, role-playing his own victims to recapture the ecstasy of the murder. But these secret behaviors kept his dark side satisfied for a time, perhaps preventing him from killing again immediately. So the monster was sleeping, but it wasn't dead yet. And that's not to say, Raider didn't come close to killing during the off years. There were a few near misses, apparently. One of the most notable was the Anna Williams incident in 1979, where Raider had stocked 63-year-old Anna Williams and broken into her home at night, intending to kill her when she returned. But by sheer luck, Anna stayed out later than usual at a dance class, and Raider frustrated, eventually left her house before she got home. So infuriated by being deprived of his prey, he later mailed Anna in anonymous poem titled, "Oh Anna, why didn't you appear?" Hinting that he was the one who had been in her house and laminating that his perfect plan was foiled. Straight up, horror movie, what? Oh my, I would leave the country if I got a letter like that. Oh my god. And to be fair, I actually did. Looking back, I actually did. I got a creepy letter, similar to that at a house that he's limped in in Canada. And I'm in a different country now. So there you go. Yeah, yeah. And there were likely other aborted projects in those years that we may never know about, and since the victims either escaped or Raider lost his nerve. For instance, BTK's journal entries later suggested he trolled many potential targets, but often backed out if conditions or timing weren't just right. Because he was cautious. He was a predator who could exercise patience. However, by the mid-1980s, the savage side of Raider could no longer be contained by fantasy alone. And BTK was about to resurface and resume his ghastly projects. And barking on a second wave of killings that would prove the first spree was no fluke. So after nearly eight quiet years, the BTK killer broke his silence with a murder that hit startlingly close to home. His Raider's next victim was Marine Hedge, a 53-year-old widow who lived on the same street as the Raider family. And she was his neighbor just a few doors down. And in 1985, Raider decided it was time to kill again, and he set his sights on Marine, his next project. Just to see if he could kill a neighbor and get away with it, it was a challenge if anything for him. So on the night of April 27th, Raider attended a boy scout's outing, establishing an alibi of sorts, but he faked a headache claiming he needed to go to bed early and sneaked away. And he then drove to a bowling alley, ordered a quick drink, and faked a drunk call to a taxi that dropped him off down the street from Hedge's house. And Raider then cut her phone line and broke into the house, hiding until she returned. I'm a re-returned sometime later with her boyfriend forcing Raider to wait an extended time in the closet. Yeah, he's the guy that waited in the closet. That's why we all look in the closet. But I all like it ever think about his BTK. Like, oh, just again, nightmare fuel. So once the boyfriend left, and Raider was confident that she was fully in bed for the evening, he left his hiding place and turned on the bathroom lights. And Marina woke, frightened, and began to make a scene. And that is when he appeared and bound her with handcuffs and would strangle her to death. But after acquiring her car keys and a few mementos, Raider did something that was unlike any of the murders he had done before. And he took the victim's body from the crime scene. And in a bold and extremely gruesome move, Raider carried Marina Hedge's lifeless body out of her house into her own car and transported it to the Christ Lutheran Church. The very church he attended, because that's how confident he was. That's how pathetic he was. And the church was empty at that late hour, as he knew. And inside the holy sanctuary, Raider staged a vile photo shoot. And he laid Marina's body in various poses and bound her in different positions. And then took photographs for his collection. But the fact that he used his own church for this desecration is a testament to his arrogance and the compartmentalization of his entire life. Because in one moment, he might earnestly, or I think, fake pray in that building. And in another, he defy it with a deceased body of a neighbor that he just murdered, the level of evil is unprecedented. And after his sick photography session, Raider dumped Marine's body in a remote ditch alongside a dirt road outside of town, and her remains were discovered days later, but with little evidence to tie the crime to BTK at the time. Into the community, the death of Marine Hedge was extremely frightening because she was a beloved neighbor abruptly missing and found murdered, but no one immediately linked it to the dormant BTK killer because it had been eight years of cooldown period and also he didn't dump bodies so the ammo wasn't lining up. And only Raider knew that BTK was active again feeding his dark side once more. And the following year on September 16th, 1986, he struck again. And the victim this time was Vicki Waggerley, a 28-year-old mother of two. And he countered Vicki while working his day job for ADT security, nicknaming her "project piano" after a bout of stalking determined that she enjoyed playing the piano. So pretending to be a telephone repairman checking lines, Raider gained access to one of Vicki's neighbor's houses to help seem more believable before then knocking on the Waggerley home front door while Vicki's husband was out. And she allowed him in to check the phone lines. And once inside, he pulled a pistol and overpowered Vicki immediately, binding her and directing her to the bedroom. And she insisted her husband would be home very shortly and to stop what he was doing. And somehow she managed to break free and fought back ferociously. But unfortunately, it wasn't enough. And Raider strangled her just as he had done with many before. And the struggle had actually upset the dogs who were now viciously barking. And that, along with the unknown time of the husband's arrival, spooked Raider enough to get moving. And he then took Vicki's driver's license as a trophy, along with some photographs he snapped of her in bondage and slipped away. And at the time, the Waggerley murder was not definitively pinned on BTK. And her distraught husband was even considered a suspect initially because no one imagined the long dormant BTK had suddenly killed again. And Raider, for his part, quietly blended back into normal life after the crime, maintaining his mask of ordinary life as a compliance officer, husband, and father. And that's what brings us to Raider's final known victim, who came in 1991. So in January 18, 1991, 62-year-old Dolores E. Davis was murdered in her rural Park City home. And that winter night, Raider staged a ruse, and he attended the annual "Dead of Winter" outing for the trappers scouts, where he set up camp before leaving for a fake errant. And he then drove to Park City Baptist Church, where he left his car and made the short trek through the fields and a cemetery to reach Dolores's house. And wasting no time, as it was very cold, Raider threw a cinder block through the glass door to gain entry, and Dolores awoke in a panic to find an unknown man in her home. And initially, he fed her a lie similar to what he had told the others, but he only intended to rob her and steal her car. So she initially denied his request, but after informing her of the weapons on his person, she quickly shifted to a cooperative demeanor. So as he tied her up, Dolores began to suspect that Raider would not simply be robbing her, and she began to plead for her life. And that is when he would struggle her with pantyhose. And during the struggle she had mentioned, whether true or not, that someone would be arriving to the house soon, which forced Raider to abandon his initial plan to take photos with her. So after carrying Dolores's deceased body to her own car, he drove out to a wooded area and tossed her body beneath a bridge. And Raider later returned to the dump site to take more disturbing photos. At one point, dressing Dolores's body with a grotesque female mask and posing her, just to satisfy his fantasies for later recall. And her body was found about two weeks later by a 15 year old boy and his dog. So the murder of Dolores Davis would turn out to be the last BTK's known series of ten killings. And after Dolores's murder, he decided to stop killing. Perhaps Middle Age made him cautious, or perhaps there was something else at work in his dark, disgusting mind. But in any case, from 1991, onward, BTK won completely silent. After the next 13 years, Wichita's infamous Boogeyman seemed to have simply vanished. And unbeknownst to everyone, the killer was still right there in Park City. And Dennis Raider continued living his ordinary life, assuming that he had gotten away with all of it. And the cases of unsolved BTK murders went cold, just filed away as unsolvable until or unless the Phantom Killer resurfaced. And for over a decade, he did not. And the citizens of Wichita slowly breathed easier as the 1990s went by with no BTK incidents. But the story wasn't quite over. So from 1991 until 2004, Raider led what appeared to be an utterly normal life as we know. He was the proverbial pillar of the community. And these were the years when BTK became a fading memory in Wichita. While Raider himself settled deeper into his double life as a husband, father, church leader, and public employee. So if it wasn't for his eventual capture, one could easily have imagined him living out his days as an unremarkable suburban grandfather. Yet even during this long hiatus for murder, the darkness and Raider did not disappear and merely just found different outlets. So after leaving ADT in 1988, he had a briefston working for the US Census Bureau in 1989. And then, in 1990, Dennis Raider landed a job as a compliance officer and animal control dog catcher for Park City, the small municipality where he lived. And the position actually started overlapping with the tail end of his killing spray. As a compliance officer, Raider's job was to enforce city ordinances, things like lawn, upkeep, string animal complaints, and housing codes. And he took to this role with Brazil. And residents who encountered officer Raider often found him just power drunk. And he had a reputation for being extremely strict, even bullying, especially towards single women, who he would cite for minor infractions. And a female co-worker at Park City, Mary Caps, recalled that Raider was a nightmare of a boss. Quote mean, controlling, he micromanaged everything, unquote, making her walk on eggshells daily. Achiever remembered an incident where she saw an eerie transformation in his demeanor, because he became enraged over a misplaced file, shut the door, and gave her a terrifying look. Quote, a glimpse of looking in the eyes of BTK, unquote, as she later described. And Raider eventually let her out of the room as if nothing happened, but Mary Caps was deeply, deeply disturbed. And she filed repeatedly grievances against Raider, but his superiors dismissed her complaints because outwardly he was a respected church-going family man. That means, nothing if you're being a piece of shit. Raider's need for domination found an outlet in his mundane job, lording his minor authority over neighbors and colleagues. So it's quite possible that exercising control as a compliance officer helped keep his homicidal urges at bay for a while, and in a sense he could play God with someone's pet or property code violation instead of murdering, which I guess is better, but this guy needs to be thrown into the depths of hell at this point. Those behavior in retrospect was a glimpse of Raider's true nature leaking out in socially acceptable context, as he could torment women under the guise of doing his job, savoring their discomfort in a way that echoed his violent domination of victims, albeit on a smaller scale. Meanwhile Raider's family life progressed in and apparently wholesome way, and his son and daughter grew into teenagers and then young adults in the 1990s, and by the late 90s both children left home for college and careers. And those who knew the Raider family saw a proud father who just loved his children, and he taught them to fish and camp, attended their school events, and imparted moral lessons. Quote, "My dad was the one who taught me my morals right from wrong," unquote. His daughter Kerry, leader said, reflecting the sad truth that she never had an inkling of his double life. And to her dad he was just "dad," the man who gave piggyback rides and danced with her. And Paula and Dennis remained married, and there was no sign of marital discord visible to outsiders. The family continued their deep involvement at Christ Lutheran Church, and Raider served many years on the Church Council through the 90s guiding church business and even sometimes leading prayers during services. And he would eventually become president of the Council in 2005, and parishioners respected him as a steady, long-time member. And if you were to list the characteristics of a model citizen, Dennis Raider's resume in the 90s would check nearly every single box, which is absolutely horrifying. He's a veteran college graduate, steady job, family man, church leader, scout master, neighborhood watch captain, It was in astonishing camouflage for the fiend inside. And privately, however, Raider's deviant impulses did not lie completely dormant. Though he abstained from murdering anyone during these years, he continued to nurture his fetish for bondage, torture, and terror using proxies and mementos. And investigators later discovered that Raider kept extensive journals and boxes of memorabilia from his crimes hidden in his home and what he called the mother load. And he would write about his past murders in detail, fantasizing over them to relive the thrill. And he also still had the driver's licenses of Vicky Wegerley and some jewelry and clothing from other victims and the disturbing photographs he had taken of marine hedge and Dolores Davis. Periodically, Raider would take out these trophies to mentally transport himself back to those moments of power he had over his victims. And he also continued his escalated self-bondage activities as well. And in the privacy of his basement or remote locations, Raider would tie himself up and pose for photographs, wearing those women's wigs or masks and sometimes dressing in the stolen underwear of his victims. Definition of a monster. And in one such Polaroid later found, Raider had bound himself to a chair wearing a woman's blonde wig and a dress taken from victim Dolores's house. And through these bizarre rituals, Raider could live in the moment for years without killing as one detective put it. Using the final memories of his victims as fuel for ongoing gratification. And it is harrowing to realize that while the city of Wichita moved on from BTK fear, Dennis Raider was still very much BTK in his secret moments, feeding the monster within so that it stayed satiated. For the dormant years, nearly ended early on a few occasions. Apart from the 1979 Anna Williams near a miss, after which Raider did not kill again until 1985, there are indications BTK considered other victims in the '90s, but just didn't follow through. And as mentioned, Raider referred to potential victims as projects or PJs, and he had a list of them. And one such possible target was his own employee, Mary Caps, the one he closed the door on, and gave her the fucking deadpan terrifying serial killer stare. And Mary later wrote a book called, "My boss was BTK, I was the next victim." Plaming, she believed Raider might have been on the verge of harming her. And she cited his frightening behavior and even a creepy moment when Raider himself joked to her, "You know, it looks like me. I could beat BTK." Referring to a composite sketch of the killer. God, this guy's so full of himself and pathetic and disgusting, I hate him. With every piece of DNA in me. But Mary wasn't sure if he was serious or not, but it unsettled her greatly. We may never know if Raider truly planned to murder Mary Caps or any others during the '90s. But what is clear is that by 2003, over a decade had passed with no new BTK murders. And the entire saga was fading into local lore. And many of the younger generation in Wichita only knew of BTK as a scary story from the past, something their parents talked about. However, law enforcement had never forgotten. And the BTK case remained officially open, but ice cold. But in early 2004, around the 30th anniversary of the Otero murders, Wichita media ran retrospective pieces about the unsolved BTK murders, speculating about what had become of the killer. And this proved to be the trigger that awoke the BTK killer from his long dormancy. And Raider, now nearing 60 years old, saw the newspaper story and could not resist the temptation. So after years of silence, his dark side wanted attention again. The stage was set for one of the most astonishing re-emergences in serial killer history. So after years of lying low, Dennis Raider's need for recognition and control surged back to the forefront. And he felt provoked by the Wichita Eagle's article reflecting a 30th anniversary of the Otero murders. And Wichita would soon receive an unwelcome message from the past. BTK was back. In March 19, 2004, an envelope from someone allegedly named Bill Thomas Killman arrived at the Wichita Eagle newspaper containing some startling evidence. And inside were photocopies of Vicky Wiggie's driver's license and several crime scene photographs from her 1986 murder, images that had never been released to the public. And the letter claimed responsibility for the Wiggie-ly killing. And this was the first time authorities definitively linked to BTK to Vicky's unsolved murder. And until then, Vicky's case wasn't officially attributed to him. So the realization that BTK was confirming a 1986 crime suddenly expanded his known victim count and proved he had been active later than they thought. So Wichita police were horrified and stunt. And the 2004 letter was quickly authenticated as genuine BTK because of the specific details it provided. And it meant that legendary Boogeyman was not dead. He simply had been silent. And now he was reaching out again. Not spring and summer of 2004, BTK began a twisted correspondence spree sending a series of taunting communications to the media and to authorities. And he was clearly very much enjoying this sick twisted game, much as he had in the 1970s. And perhaps felt confident that modern police still could not catch him. So in May of 2004, a puzzling letter was sent to a local TV station, K-A-K-E, containing a word puzzle and fake IDs. And in June, a package was found taped to a stop sign in Wichita containing a bizarre collection, which was graphic descriptions of the oterometers, a sketch titled The Sexual Thrill is My Bill, and a chapter list for what he called the BTK story, just self-indulgent bullshit. And he also placed several more packages in public spots throughout Wichita with other sketches, puzzles, writings, and more. The guy was fucking bored and just even more pathetic if that was even possible. So the cat and mouse game was fully a foot again, and Wichita descended into renewed anxiety as the BTK killer dominated headlines once more. And law enforcement formed a new task force and threw all resources at this case. And the FBI, the KBI, which is the Kansas Bureau of investigation, and Wichita police poured over the letters in the clues. But this time, the world had changed because there was DNA profiling, computer forensic existed, and media was instantaneous. So BTK had entered the modern age of policing, and it would prove to be, is downfall. At a critical break, it came from a package left in a Home Depot parking lot in January of 2005. Raider had deposited yet another cereal box containing BTK materials in the bed of a pickup truck in that lot, but the driver tossed it in the trash, not realizing what it was. Unfortunately, it was later retrieved and traced to BTK. Crazy coincidence karma did work that day. All right, and investigators reviewed security footage from the Home Depot and spotted a shadowy figure in a black Jeep Cherokee dropping that box off. And it wasn't clear enough to identify the man, but it gave a key clue. BTK drove a black Jeep Cherokee. And the task force quietly began checking registration records for that vehicle model in the area. And the news was tightening, but Raider remained oblivious and cocky as ever. So in February, he made a fateful error that ultimately gave him away. And written in one of his letters to police left in a cereal box package, Raider had asked a rather naive question. He wanted to send a computer floppy disk, and he asked if the cops could trace it. And the authorities saw an opportunity, because what the hell do you think they're going to say? No, we can't trace that. Send it over. Guy's stupid as shit. And they replied in a newspaper ad as BTK instructed them to do with a message, essentially saying, use the floppy. It's OK, which is crazy. It is crazy that after this many years, this is what worked. But it just speaks to the just pathetic naivety of this human waste of a person. So believing them, Raider sent a purple 1.44 megabyte floppy disk to KSASTV, a fox affiliate in Wichita. And the disk contained a message from BTK. But what Raider didn't realize is that floppy disks often contain hidden metadata about the last computer that used them all, no, oh no. So tech experts quickly analyzed the disk and embedded in the Microsoft Word file and was metadata that pointed to a computer at Christ Lutheran church. And the username of the last person who edited it was Dennis. So this was a smoking gun. A quick web search by police found that the president of Christ Lutheran's council was one-- Dennis Raider. Wow, he just handed it to them on a silver platter like a frickin moron. And he drove what? A black Cherokee. All the puzzle pieces are coming together. in the decades-long mystery. had a name and a face at last. And surveillance on Raider began immediately and quietly, because investigators needed definitive proof linking him to the murders, and DNA was the route. Because they had the DNA from BTK's semen left at some crime scenes, but they did not want to tip Raider off by asking for his DNA directly, obviously, so they obtained a sample in a covert way. And they learned that Raider's daughter, Carrie, had a pap smear at a university clinic as a student years earlier. So with a court order and her permission, of course, they obtained the DNA from that medical sample. I didn't even know this was possible, by the way, this is crazy work. And the Kansas Bureau of Investigation Lab tested the daughter's DNA, which makes sense. I mean, just go into a pap smear place, it just seems kind of crazy, but whatever, anyway. But they got the daughter's DNA against the BTK crime scene DNA and found a familial match, indicating that the killer was closely related to Carrie. And this was the final confirmation. Dennis Raider's family members, DNA, was consistent with BTK's. So they odds of him being BTK were really, really, really high. So on the strength of that evidence, plus all the circumstantial clues, they moved in to make the arrest before Raider could potentially harm anyone or destroy evidence. In February 25th, 2005 was a cold day in Wichita. When police decided it was time to take down BTK. And in a carefully coordinated operation, Wichita police pulled over Dennis Raider near his home, and he was taken by complete surprise. So officers ordered him out of his Jeep and onto the ground. And when asked if he knew why he was being arrested, he allegedly murmured, "Oh, I have suspicions. Why?" Just trying to play it cool, but you know that he was literally crying inside like a little baby bitch. And his home, his vehicle, his work office, Christ Lutheran Church, and the main branch of the Park City Library were all searched for evidence. And once in custody, the evidence against him was overwhelming and Raider quickly folded. And at police headquarters, after a bit of initial denial, Raider began talking. And once he started, he did not stop. So at a marathon interrogation, Raider confessed in detail to being BTK and to the 10 murders attributed to the killer. And investigators were struck by how matter-of-fact an emotionless his tone was as he had recounted each killing. It was as if he was proud, eager to finally tell his story now that the game was over. And he expressed only one real surprise. And he was shocked that the police had lied to him about tracing the floppy disk. This guy, I can't, I can't with this guy. Like the fact that he studied criminal justice and doesn't realize the police are allowed to lie in circumstances like this is like next level stupid. That he is really smart but also incredibly stupid and I'm so grateful for that. And his ego is huge. And that ego was bruised that he had been outsmarted. And meanwhile, news of the arrest sent shockwaves through Wichita and the nation. And for Wichita residents who remembered the terror of the 1970s, it was almost surreal to learn BTK had been living among them as a seemingly ordinary man. And for Raider's friends, co-workers, and especially his family, the revelation was devastating. And no one close to Dennis had any clue of his secret life. Besides Mary Caps probably. And the portrayal was total. His pastor who had prayed with Raider weekly said, "It was beyond comprehension. We prayed for the capture of BTK. We didn't know he was among us." And the community's collective sense of relief at BTK's capture was tempered by the horror that the boogie man had been the bland neighbor next door all along. So Raider's arrest was just the beginning of a legal saga that would see him confronted with his crimes in a court of law. And he faced a swift and airtight prosecution. And on March 1st, 2005, he was formally charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, corresponding to each of his known victims. A Kansas had no death penalty at the time the murders were committed. The state's death penalty law was reinstated in 1994, three years after his last kill and could not be applied retroactively. Damn. So Raider's punishment would be life in prison regardless of trial outcome. Which I kind of loved the idea of him just rotting away in prison, hopefully, getting beat up and stuff. Sorry. But I'm not sorry. So understanding this, Raider chose to wave his right to a jury trial and instead opted to plead guilty to all charges. So on June 27th, in a packed Wichita court room, Dennis Raider stood before Judge Gregory Waller and calmly pleaded guilty to murdering 10 people. And what followed was one of the most chilling court room confessions ever recorded. And as part of the plea, Raider was required to give the factual basis for each of his crimes, essentially describing in his own words what he had done to each victim. For about 45 minutes, Raider spoke in an unnervingly detached, casual tone, recounting each murder in detail as if discussing the weather. And he described how he tied them up and put bags over their heads and how he locked kids away and so on and so on. And his voice was emotionless and clinical even when describing the death of the younger victims. And at times he used his familiar phrase "projects" to refer to his victims and "hits" to describe the murders, like he was recounting a work project. And the bizarre court room monologue stunned those present. It was the ultimate revelation of the banality of evil, soft, spoken, middle-aged man describing acts of unimaginable cruelty in the same tone one might use to "order a sandwich." And his words confirmed everything from the early 1974 killings to the 1991 murder, leaving no doubt the right man had been caught. And Raider expressed that he had fantasies that drove him and that he couldn't stop himself. And he did not outwardly express remorse during his plea. And his hearing solidified his guilt on record. And with the guilty plea entered, the case moved directly to the sentencing phase since no trial was needed. In Kansas law, mandated life sentences for each first degree murder. And the main question was whether the ten life sentences would run concurrently or consecutively. Which could affect the symbolic minimum time he'd serve. Practically at Raider's age, any life sentence meant he would die in prison. A judge-waller had discretion and was inclined to impose the maximum severity. Before he did, however, the court allowed the families of Raider's victims to give victim-impact statements. And this took place on August 18th. And it was an emotionally wrenching proceeding. And one by one, the survivors, including children, siblings, spouses of the victims, stood only a few feet away from Raider, the absolute pathetic monster, and poured out their pain and anger. They wanted him to know the devastation he caused. In Beverly Plap, Nancy Fox's sister spoke through tears about the eternal grief of losing Nancy. Quote, "Nancy's death is like a deep wound that will never heal. As far as I'm concerned, Dennis Raider does not deserve to live. I want him to suffer as much as he made his victims suffer. This man needs to be thrown in a deep, dark hole and left to rot. He should never, ever see the light of day." Absolutely. Absolutely. This is what it should be. In my opinion, just rot in a dark hole, never see the light of day, get the minimal amount of food to survive, just so you could survive. But just a painful existence, that is what he deserves. And I'm not going to say sorry for that. That's just true. Carmen Otero, who was 15 when she came home from school to find her parents in siblings, murdered, unleashed raw fury at Raider. In Kevin Bright, the young man who survived being shot in the head during the Catherine Bright attack, delivered a statement so gut-wrenching that some of the courtroom broke down. And he described the trauma and the guilt he carried for not being able to save his sister. All the while, Raider sat at the defense table, mostly just avoiding eye contact, occasionally welling up with tears, but saying nothing. And the prosecution also presented additional evidence during sentencing to ensure Raider received the harshest possible penalty. The detectives testified to some of Raider's more grotesque behaviors, illustrating the depth of his depravity. And Captain Sam Houston of the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office recounted how Raider's gruesome fantasies were fueled by the final moments of his victims' lives. And he revealed that Raider had a journal where he described how he savored the moment a victim was bound in helpless. That quote, "It was this moment when the victim was tied and bound," which gave Raider the greatest sexual thrill. And to underscore this, the prosecution showed the court some of Raider's secret photos of himself, including one where he was seen wearing a woman's mask and blonde wig tied to a chair with bindings. And other photos showed Raider dressed in victim Dolores Davis clothing and a female mask bound in various poses. I imagine he was utterly horrified and embarrassed in these moments and I just, I die, I revel in it. And these disturbing pictures demonstrated how far Raider went in reliving the murders and how to. twisted his mind remained even years later. In the courtroom, gasped at these revelations. Not same day, Judge Waller pronounced the sentence. Signing the extreme cruelty and the lasting harm to the community, he ordered the maximum 10 consecutive life sentences, one for each murder. And in Kansas, a life sentence for a crime in the 1970s and '80s carried a minimum of 15 years. Life means 15 at the time, also known as hard 15. And for later crimes, a hard 40 for the 1990s murders due to updated laws. So by running them consecutively, the judge ensured Raider would never even come close to a parole date and the earliest theoretical parole eligibility for Raider added up to some 175 years in the future. So there's no way he's ever, ever, ever getting out. And Raider would spend the rest of his natural life in prison, no appeals, or leniency in sight. And in addition to the prison sentences, the court addressed financial and legal repercussions. And the state of Kansas sought to ensure Raider did not profit from his crimes in any way. Thank God they did this. Signing son of Sam laws, which prevent criminals from making money off of book deals or media about their crimes, I will definitely do a video on son of Sam at a different time. If you guys want that, I think I just will anyway. Because that's a crazy, crazy case, I just say the least, and all the profiting and everything, anyway. So he was not allowed to do that. And Kansas Attorney General filed leans to claim any of Raider's assets that could be used for restitution or legal fees. So Raider was ordered to pay nearly $42,000 in restitution to the victim's families for funeral costs and other expenses. I think that's extremely low, but that's just me. And he was also held responsible for court costs. And at the time of his arrest, Raider and his wife owned their house in Park City. And he had a civilian government pension. And Paula, who had divorced him immediately after his arrest, the divorce was finalized in July of 2005, just five months after arrest, with the judge granting it swiftly for her protection, was initially awarded their property and his retirement funds. So at least the family could be well off. However, families of BTK's victims filed civil suits for any sale of Raider's home or assets benefiting his family, which is understandable. And indeed, the modest Raider home was put up for auction and someone offered $90,000 for it. But legal wrangling put that on hold. And the state intended that proceeds from any sale go towards paying the restitution and costs not to Raider's wife or children, which that's like a whole-- that's a tough moral thing. It's like the family didn't know what was going on. And the victim's families had lost somebody. It's just like, they're all victims in a sense. But I can't even imagine just being one of the victims' family members and seeing the family be well off. Well, you're struggling, you lost somebody, and you have all these. It's a whole moral dilemma. I don't even know what's right and wrong. So by late 2005, Judge Waller had placed a hold on the transfer of the home's title until these issues were sorted. And in the end, any meager assets Raider had were consumed by legal battles, victim compensation, and government claims for the cost of his public defender, and the Kansas AG even filed a lien to recover the cost of Raider's court-appointed defense attorneys. So financially and legally, Raider was left with nothing, which was exactly what the families wanted, which makes sense to me. And victims' relatives and public commentary expressed that Raider should not profit or receive comfort from what remained. So justice in the courtroom had been served. And the BTK killer was condemned and every possible measure taken to ensure his punishment was absolute. So after his sentencing, Dennis Raider was transferred into custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections to begin serving his 10 life sentences. And he was now inmate number 008377, destined to spend the remainder of his days behind bars. And Kansas officials aware of the notoriety of this prisoner and the need for security placed Raider in the El Dorado Correctional Facility, which was a maximum security person in Kansas. And on August 19th, 2005, just one day after sentencing, Raider arrived at El Dorado and was immediately put into administrative segregation, basically solitary confinement for his own protection, and to isolate him from harming or being harmed by others. And life in prison for Raider has been stark and tightly controlled. Yes, he is still rotting, guys. He's rotting, and I love it. And for the first months and years, he was kept in an eight-foot by 10-foot cell, 23 hours a day. Initially, a judge had ordered special restrictions on Raider to prevent him from relishing or sharing his sick fantasies from behind bars. And the court ruled that Raider should not be allowed to possess, receive, or create any visual images of humans, beings, or animals, including drawings. Due to fear, he might derive pleasure from sketching violent scenes or communicating coated messages. But for a time, he was barred even from watching television or having magazines with pictures. However, these restrictions ease after about a year once Raider proved to be a compliant inmate. And through a privileged system for good behavior, he eventually was allowed limited access to TV radio and reading material by 2006 and 2007. And the prison administration concluded that completely sensory depriving him was unnecessary if he followed the rules. Oh, I know that great. But still, Raider has remained in isolation, not integrated with the general prison population. And Raider, now in his late 70s, he turned 80 in 2025, has spent over 18 years in custody. And over that time, bits of information have emerged about his condition and mindset. And he's kept to himself occupied by reading the Bible and true crime books are known favorites and writing extensive letters. Why the fuck is he allowed to do any of that? That doesn't make sense to me. But what do I know? I'm just a YouTuber. So indeed, BTK's penchant for communication did not entirely stop in prison. And he began corresponding with a few people on the outside, though under prison monitoring. The most prominent correspondent has been forensic psychology professor Dr. Catherine Ramzland, who engaged in a multi-year exchange of letters and interviews with Raider. Ramzland even wrote a 2016 book based on it, titled Confession of a Serial Killer, the untold story of Dennis Raider, the BTK killer. And through these letters, Raider expounded on his life and crimes in the third person, sometimes referring to his murderous side as factor X, giving Ramzland insight into his psychology. And he described early fantasies, the oterosine, et cetera, and Raider revealed in the attention from Dr. Ramzland seeing it as a way to cement his infamous legacy. An inside El Dorado Raider's behavior has been described as largely compliant and routine, because we know he's really good at blending it. And he's aged into a quiet, if still manipulative older man. And one of the few visitors he had was his pastor from Christ Lutheran, who initially visited to offer spiritual counsel. And Raider, interestingly, still allegedly considered himself religious, which is no words. I have no words. And Raider's wife, Paula, never spoke to him again after his arrest and secured that immediate divorce in 2005. And she and their son moved away and changed their names to avoid media attention. And his daughter, Carrie Rosson, struggled immensely with the revelation that her father was BTK. In her years, she suffered PTSD and night terrors and disorientation. And in her memoir, I serial killer's daughter, she recounts how everything she thought she knew collapsed. And after Raider sentencing, Carrie said she shut down and ceased corresponding with her father. And Raider complied and did not attempt to contact his children, recognizing the harm that he had done. And for over a decade, Raider stewed in prison with minimal outside interaction beyond the Bramselin project. But at the 2021 to 2022, a surprising development occurred. And cold case detectives from Oklahoma and Missouri began reinvestigating some unsolved cases that they thought could be tied to Raider. And this was sparked by similarities in M.O. and a few hints from Raider's old journals. In particular, the disappearance of 16-year-old Cynthia Dawn Kinney in 1976 in Pahuska, Oklahoma, and the 1990 murder of Shauna Beth Garber in Missouri caught investigators' attention. So in 2023, law enforcement even dug up portions of Raider's former property in Park City, searching for clues, perhaps items buried or hidden by Raider, and they recovered items of interest that are still under analysis, a named Dennis Raider as a prime suspect in those two unsolved cases. And this has not yet led to new charges as of 2025, but it has renewed interest in Raider's possible wider involvement in crimes beyond the 10 known murders. And notably, Raider himself has not confessed to those crimes and he might not ever. And he's aware he can't face additional punishment beyond life, but he could be enjoying holding back information as we know. So to assist investigators and perhaps for her own closure, Raider's daughter, Carrie actually agreed to visit him in prison in 2023 for the first time since 2005. And she met with him in hopes he might reveal something about the cold cases. And that visit was jarring for Carrie. She reported that her father looked physically diminished. Quote, he's lost like seven inches and he's in a wheelchair. He's pretty much rotting to his core. Unquote, she would tell news nation. Good. Not for her, I can't even imagine what it's like being her and what she's gone through, but the fact that we hear that he is just like, just slowly rotting away into the dirt of a person that he is is great to hear. But when she greeted him, she said, quote, "It took him a minute to process who I was. If he didn't even necessarily recognize me." And at one moment, she saw the facade drop and glimpsed BTK in her father's eyes, which deeply unsettled her, and she left the encounter convinced that her father is where he belongs and that he is rotting away as he should. And in the broader media, Dennis Raider's case has remained a source of grim fascination. Enumerous documentaries and dramatizations have been produced, and Raider has been portrayed in TV, movies, and subjected to countless podcast episodes and true crime shows. "Hey, I'm here, why I'm one of them." And he's often cited in criminology discussions as a classic example of the masked serial killer. In the ordinary looking family man who is secretly a psychopath, and from investigative techniques perspective, the BTK case has had a notable impact, and it highlighted the value of cold case persistence and modern forensics. For instance, using familial DNA from a pap smear to solve a serial killer case was an innovative move in 2005, and is foreshadowed the later wave of cases solved by familial DNA and genealogy. And BTK's capture also underscored the dangers of engaging in communication with inactive killer. Investigations carefully balanced giving BTK enough rope to hang himself, like the floppy disc trick, without letting him slip away. And the case is frequently taught in criminal justice courses as a study in patience and the evolution of evidence technology, as well as a psychology of a narcissistic killer who ultimately caused his own downfall by seeking attention. I remember going over this case in university, and I was just awestruck at how horrifying it was, but also just everything involved with the psychology of it is just, I mean, it's extremely fascinating and horrifying at the same time. And profilers also revisited their assumptions, because Raider was unique in that he stopped killing for long periods, the notion of a dormit killer who isn't caught or dead was once controversial, and he also was older when he re-emerged nearly 60 years old, challenging the idea that serial killers age out of violent behavior. And the BTK investigation is credited with reinforcing the importance of interagency cooperation, like local police and FBI, etc, in approving how departments handle archival evidence and communications from unknown subjects. And today, Dennis Raider wakes up each morning in a cell at El Dorado Correctional Facility, and he's an elderly man, now reportedly in declining health, spending his time writing letters, drawing, he's allowed to sketch now, though he's monitored, and reading the Bible. And his identity as BTK is known to "every guard and inmate so he lives under watchful eyes." And one could say that the ultimate punishment for Raider is exactly what one victim's family member wished, and that is that he has been thrown into a deep hole, figuratively, to rot, likely plagued by the loss of control and power that he so cherished went free. No more peeking through windows, no more trolling for victims, his world is concrete walls and steel doors, and he will die, as prisoner #008377, a fate fully deserved for the misery he wrote. And that is that for the case of prisoners year 083707, just a waste of oxygen, he is rotting in prison, and I'm going to choose to remember him as that number, and I will choose to remember all the names of the victims, and my heart goes out to them as always. And if you would like me to go over any other specific case, let me know down in the comments I always read the comments, and until then, please, please, please, be safe, and I will see you a beautiful face in the next video, alright, bye.