From the Kansas City Star:
Dennis L. Rader, 59, has worked as a compliance supervisor for Park City in charge of animal control, nuisances, inoperable vehicles and general code compliance since about 1990.
He grew up in the Park City area and has lived there ever since.
He worked for Coleman in the early 1970s—as did two of BTK’s early victims.
He served in the military during the Vietnam era and worked for years at a home security company in Wichita.
He attended WSU—long linked to the BTK case—where he graduated in 1979 with a major in Administration of Justice.
He is married and has grown children.
Evidently, his daughter may have turned him in, providing police with the DNA sample that led to his arrest.
tangentially related musing: Were I ever to turn to serial killing full-time, I’d probably choose a nickname that sounded more threatening than “BTK”—like “The Claw Hammer To the Jugular” killer, for instance, or the “Likes to Remove His Victims’ Limbs with a Sharpened Stone and Then Have a Snack” killer. Or maybe even something really streamlined, like, say, “Randy.”
Then again, having a serial killer moniker that sounds like a sandwich may have put enough people enough at ease that Rader was able to elude capture for all these years. So, y’know, that’s something I’m gonna have to keep in mind.
****
update: more, w/ pictures.
I grew up with this guy as the chief bogeyman. I clearly remember my dad saying, “If you don’t eat your vegetables, BTK will come and get you”.
It feels like a part of my childhood has been torn from me.
(Spam word “County”, as in Sedgwick, the home of the sandwich killer)
Dennis the Menace or Rader of the Lost Park would work also.
He might have also considered “The Dog Catcher” or Officer Not-So-Friendly That I Wouldn’t Fucking Hesitate to Slash Your Throat”.
Willis’ Empty, but Angry, Stomach
When I consider how many times I wanted to kill one of the local govt’ code “compliance” inspectors, its kind of funny that one of ‘em turned around and became a killer.
Isn’t it?
Jesus! A link! I’ll never wash my blog again.
For serial killin’ try:
Jeff Wayne Goldstein.
You can’t beat the classics.
Jeff, BTK stands for “Bind, Torture and Kill.,” That’s not threatening enought to you? Interesting…..maybe you should mail me back the Apple!
I know what it stands for, Jeralyn. And if Rader had been referred to as “The Bind Torture Kill” killer I would have found that far more ominous sounding.
But “BTK”? Sounds like a killer who’s wearing a cardboard crown and murdering his victims with flame-broiled burgers and onion rings.
JWebb, nicely done.
Can I get a large coke with that serial murder?
Dang … I thought it was bacon, tomato and kelp.
So let me see if I got this right:
He fed them so much bacon that they’d have heart attacks, choked them with those mutant tomatoes you get at the store that are really golfballs, then strangled them with kelp?
Um … isn’t this a celebration of the fact that they finally caught him?
I like the burger angle. Sorta like Jack the Whopper.
At least he wasn’t the Green River Killer, who sounds like he came out of some classic rock lyric.
I prefer simplicity. Something like, “That Guy With the Knife” would suffice.
Having no familiarity with the Pacific Northwest, I always thought the Green River Killer was named after a particularly cloying soft drink.
When I was growing up we had the Cincinnati Strangler, who scared the daylights out of us kids.
“I like the burger angle. Sorta like Jack the Whopper.”
I’m pretty sure Jack the Whopper had a cameo in Boogie Nights. Now there’s one guy you don’t want penis-whipping you. Really smarts.
Turing word is “using” as in: “He’s using that damn thing to penis-whip people!”
Diana, this *is* how we celebrate. It’s also how we rant. And mourn. Pretty much a one trick pony, this lot. Scorn R Us.
Not to be confused with Porn R Us.
No.
“Dennis L. Rader, 59, has worked as a compliance supervisor for Park City in charge of animal control, nuisances, inoperable vehicles and general code compliance since about 1990.”
“Hi, I’m with the government, and I’m here to help you.”
If he had been serious about his job,he would have had himself euthanized.
The banality of evil.
I guess the conviction of Rader will be easier for several reasons… the death penality is off the table so we won’t have to listen to Mike Farrel and Ed Asner questioning the “justice” and all.. and as a white guy no one is going to seriously take his charges that he was framed by The Man.
Kevin Cooper is just as vicious a murderer, but he’s got fans.
“Hi, I’m with the government, and I’m here to help you.â€Â
That is the funniest thing I’ve read all day. Thank you, Craig!
BTW, his wife is under arrest, as well. And apparently his daughter is the one who actually turned him in. I suppose I’ll be the one to say, “They put the “Fun” in dysfunctional”.
Spammer word, “case”. This algorythim is going to make Jeff rich someday.
Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce
Special orders don’t upset us
All we ask is that you let us
Torture and slay…
And hold the secret sauce. If you know what I mean.
I’m afraid I haven’t studied the BTK case, but it’s my impression that the way to get a cool name is to send a note (or, in the case of Jack the Ripper, have other people [lots and lots of other people] send notes for you).
Otherwise, you’re stuck with whatever dumb moniker the cops/media give you.
But BTK has always struck me as particularly lame, FWIW.
Oops. I’m wrong. He did send notes, and BTK was indeed his choice. I don’t have a problem comprehending that someone would do these horrible things to other human beings, but my mind balks at the notion that someone would willingly choose a name like that.
Yes. One must have standards.
Why did they pick up his wife?
Why did they pick up his wife?
probablybecause she wasn’t tied up at that moment.
looks suspicious to me!
When I was growing up we had the Cincinnati Strangler, who scared the daylights out of us kids.
We had aunt Mavis, who was basically used by our parents for the same purpose.
– Maybe I should consider doing something about that guy in the attic that keeps attacking the cat…..
– A nearby neighbor said he tried several times to goad the guy into making a move so he could clean his clock, but he always chickened out. Maybe he should have tried approaching him in drag so he felt braver….
If you ever listened to black music then B2K would have been the first thing you thought of instead of a BLT sandwich. *Just a random thought*
Hey BigBang, I think he wanted to clean his COCK.
He may not have had himself euthanized but I bet if they check his files that he’s issued himself a bunch of tickets (still unpaid)over the years and pestered himself silly with annoying letters and warnings.
His daughter probably just noticed the unpaid citations for creating a nuisance by binding torturing and killing.. that, or the notice that he had to remove the broken down bodies on blocks from his front yard or the city would do so at his expense.
Next time he’ll know.. you can run but you can’t hide from the wrath of The Park City Compliance Supervisor..
-BPM
turing word: points
Ya know it had to happen. Here is a freakin website about the dude.
LOL
http://www.dennisrader.name
If the term “BTK” isn’t scary or threatening enough for you, try having this whole circumstance begin when you’re about 16 or 17. By the way, does anyone remember the Billy The Kid jeans that Sears use to sell a long time ago? They were taken off the market here in Wichita because they had the initials “BTK” on a tag in the back.
Make all the jokes you want about this tragic excuse for a person…there are people whose lives were totally demented by his actions. You probably should be wondering if there could possibly be another person like him anywhere else. Imagine that!
oh yeah! black music is the best.’:`