Unholy Messenger: The Life and Crimes of the BTK Serial Killer  by Stephen Singular
Drawing from interviews with Rader's pastor, congregation, detectives, and psychologists who worked the case, and from his unnervingly detailed 32 hour confession, Singular delves into the life and crimes of BTK to explore the most dangerous and complex serial killer of our generation and the man who embodied, at once, astonishing extremes of normality and abnormality. Singular recounts the year the BTK killer reemerged, and the aftermath. Details of his crimes, elaborate schemes, bids for public attention, and the impact his deception had on his family, church, and community. A man considered a "spiritual leader" by his pastor and congregation, was the devil next door. A powerful examination of the intersection between good and evil, and of the psychology and spirituality of a killer in whom faith and bloodshed converged.
Nightmare in Wichita: The Hunt for the BTK Strangler by Robert Beattie
The tale of the BTK serial killer-written by the lawyer who assisted the police during the thirty-year search and was instrumental in the long-awaited arrest.
In 1974 a serial killer began a fourteen-year murder spree in Wichita, Kansas. Joining the ranks of Ted Bundy, the elusive sex murderer taunted authorities with clues, puzzles, and obscene letters. Then in 1988, he vanished, the killings stopped, and one of the longest and most baffling manhunts in the annals of crime came to a dead end. But in 2004, a letter- and a grisly clue-arrived at a local Wichita paper. And with it, a terrifying implication: BTK was back. Robert Beattie delves one of the most intriguing, and horrifying serial murder cases in American history.
- Afterword by the author with up-to-the-minute information-including the capture of the alleged killer
- Robert Beattie had access to the families of the victims
- Beattie has been following the case since the 1970s
- Some speculate that this book prompted the BTK killer to resume contact in 2004 after nearly 25 years of silence.
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Dennis Rader the BTK Killer
Kathryn Bright & Kevin Bright
Kathryn Bright, one of five children, loved singing in the church with her sister and friend. After she graduated from high school in 1971 she worked for Coleman. At age 21, Kathryn was a smart, popular, and funny college student.
Dennis Rader claims his memory is not clear on the events of this crime. One day he saw Kathryn and a friend going into her house as he drove by. He referred to Kathryn as a “sweet kid” and “trolled" for her many times, calling her "Project Lights Out."
On April 4, 1974, Rader busted through her screen door wearing a stocking cap, carrying a Magnum and a .22 but was stunned to find her 5'6," 115-pound brother, 19 year old brother, Kevin, was with her.
"I didn't have any idea she had a brother."
Rader knew something needed to be done about Kevin before he could fulfill his sexual fantasies with Kathryn. He could not recall if he brought his own tools but he told them he needed a car to get away because he was wanted in California.
“... if I had brought my stuff and used my stuff, Kevin would probably be dead today ... I am not bragging on that, it is just a matter of fact …”
First, he made Kevin tie up Kathryn.
Both Kevin and Kathryn broke out of Rader’s bonds. “… They got out of hand.”
Rader tied Kevin by his feet to the bedposts before he moved Kathryn to another bedroom to tie her down. When Kevin put up a strong fight; Rader shot him in the head with his .22 and figured he was down.
"Well, when I started to strangle him, he broke his bonds and he jumped up. So I pulled my gun and shot him. I hit him in the head. He fell over. I could see the blood. As far as I was concerned I thought he was down and was out. And then I started to strangle Kathryn."
"I just did one of those John Wayne things."
When he began to strangle Kathryn, she put a strong fight.
"She fought like a hellcat."
After he believed she was dead he heard noises from Kevin in the other bedroom.
While attempting to strangle Kevin, Rader was worried Kevin would grab his Magnum from the shoulder holster. Rader stuck his finger in the weapon to jam it. He either bit or hit Kevin, and then shot him with again a .22 and again believed Kevin was down.
He returned to finish off Kathryn who was still fighting back hard. Unable to strangle her to death, he stabbed her with a knife in the lower back and under her ribs in the abdomen and left her for dead.
Rader checked back in on Kevin expecting to find him dead, but he was running down the street. He quickly cleaned up the mess and attempted to steal their pickup but even though he had keys he couldn’t get it started. He ran 4-5 blocks to the Wichita State University campus where his car was parked.
Kevin survived being shot twice.
Bleeding, Kathryn crawled to the living room phone. She told the police she didn't know who did this before she died from numerous stab wounds. Over 30 years later when Rader was arrested, the Boy Scout knife used to kill Kathryn was still in his kitchen pantry.
He intentionally changed his MO so police wouldn't link the Bright murder with the Otero murders.
Her role in the afterlife would be "his personal sex/bondage girl."
Kevin Bright interviewed
March 1977 he struck again.
Copyright Kari Sable 1994-2006 |
The BTK Murders: Inside the "Bind Torture Kill" Case that Terrified America's Heartland by Carlton Smith. From 1974 to 1991, in Wichita someone was leaving behind slain tortured bodies who called himself “BTK” for “Bind, Torture, Kill.” For 14 years, he was silent. But he began sending letters again.. Police arrested Dennis Rader. He coldly described “his projects.” The tricks he used to trap victims, the puzzles he sent the media, and the role his daughter played in his arrest. one victim’s family member called him, “a black hole inside the shell of a human being”—and the worst American monster since Ted Bundy.
Baton Rouge
Paul Bernardo
David Berkowitz
Kenneth Bianchi
Boston Strangler
Angelo Buono
Ted Bundy
Andrew Cunanan
Jeffrey Dahmer
Albert Fish
Caril Fugate
Eddie Gein
Green River Killer
Karla Homolka
Jack the Ripper
Edmund Kemper III
Charles Manson
Tommy Lynn Sells
Piggy Palace
Wesley Shermantine
Charlie Starkweather
Cary Stayner
Michael Swango
Unabomber
Fred & Rose West
Aileen Wuornos
Robert Yates
The Zodiac Killer
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by Stephen Singular