Dennis Rader - BTK

A serial killer is traditional defined as the separate killings of three or more people by an individual over a certain period of time, usually with breaks between the murders. (Angela Pilson, p. 2, 2011) This definition has been accepted by both the police and academics and therefore provides a useful frame of reference (Kevin Haggerty, p.1, 2009). The paper will seek to provide the readers with an explanation of how serial killers came to be and how they are portrayed in the media.

This paper is a biography about Jeffery Dahmer, a notorious serial killer and sex offender. Mr. Dahmer was born on May 21st, 1960 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jeffery murdered a total of 17 men, while molesting some of these victims. His first murder victim was Steven Hicks back in 1978. His killing spree went from 1978 up until 1991. When he was seized, he was sentenced to fifteen consecutive life terms. But on November 28, 1994 Jeffery Dahmer was murdered by a fellow prison inmate by the name of Christopher Scarver.

In January of 1974, Dennis Rader violently murdered his first victims, an entire family of 4, which he killed and left the bodies in his local city of Wichita, Kansas. From that point, he went on to kill 6 more people over the next 17 years. The majority of his victims suffered from strangulation, but one was stabbed, one was hanged, and the others were suffocated.

His next murder did not occur until 1985 when he killed his neighbor Marine Hedge and left her body on the side of the road. The following year, authorities discovered Vicki Wegerle in her home. In 1991, Rader killed his final victim, Dolores Davis (“Dennis Rader”). BTK had a total of ten victims, most of whom were women.

Out of all the Infamous killers in the U.S the two well-known killers that I will be researching are Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy. These two murderers share many similarities such as their backgrounds, Crimes, and Motives. Both Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy are serial killers who’ve killed over a dozen people each. They’ve committed crimes including rape, murder, and kidnapping. In this research paper I will be comparing and contrasting the two serial killers.

He served in the U.S air force from the mid to late 1960s.(3). Dennis is one of the evil known serial killers in history. He was known as the Btk killer which stood for Bind,Torture and kill. Dennis Rader completely given himself a name so that he was recognized by the people. He wanted them to know that he is the reasons why these people are dying. By Giving himself a name to let the public know that he was out there it was giving him a sense of having power over the situation.

Serial murder crime though rare, is not a a new phenomenon. This crime has been committed for centuries and will continue to be a crime that is committed throughout the world. It is unfortunate and scary that this is probably one of the most serious of crimes that cannot be prevented. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, serial murderers commit their crimes because they want to. Rehabilitation is not obtainable for serial killers due to their inability for remorse and empathy, or to see people as people and not objects(Knight 2006). This research paper will focus primarily on serial murder within the U.S. First and foremost, a legal definition provided by the U.S. Department of Justice will be presented to set forth the discussion of this research paper. As follows will be a detailed discussion explaining serial killer typologies with the use of examples of known serial killers in the U.S. Types of serial killers are: power oriented, mission oriented, visionary, and hedonistic, each typology will be clearly defined and explained. Some serial killers can have a mixture of each typology’s characteristic. Serial killers that will be discussed and used as examples to represent the content of this research paper will be, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Robert Berdella, Jeffery Dahmer, and lastly the most prolific serial killer in American history, Gary Ridgeway. Problems with studying serial killing, are that because of rarity and access. Most of what we think

Rader fits the profile of a serial killer. Serial killers are defined in the textbook as,” Serial murder is a criminal homicide that “involves the killing of several victims in three or more separate events”. (176). Rader had multiple victims over a long period of time, and all of them were strangers. Rader might not be a sociopath though, as he craved attention of the police and public.

Serial killers have plagued the world since before the 1500s. Theories have evolved over long periods of time for explanations as to why people begin killing. The earliest explanation was rooted in witchcraft and demonic possessions overtaking the person causing them to commit these acts of violence. Biological, psychological, and social theories have emerged over the years as society has developed and advanced. The latest theory suggests that the behavior of serial killers results as a combination of biological, psychological, and socialization factors. Despite the numerous theories trying to explain the phenomena of serial killing, no one knows exactly why or how seemingly normal people begin killing others. One of the most infamous serial killers was Donald Harvey. Harvey was a self-proclaimed “angel of death.” He murdered dozens of victims as a hospital aid. Due to Harvey’s difficult childhood and prolonged sexual abuse,  Donald developed a psychopathic-type personality disorder and killed dozens of victims.

You don 't understand these things because your not under the influence of factor x). The same thing that made Son of Sam, Jack the Ripper, Havery Glatman, Boston Strangler, Dr. H. H. Holmes Panty Hose Strangler OF Florida, Hillside Strangler, Ted of the West Coast and many more infamous character kill. Which seem s senseless, but we cannot help it. There is no help, no cure, except death or being caught and put away. It a terrible nightmare but, you see I don 't lose any sleep over it. After a thing like Fox I come home and go about life like anyone else. And I will be like that until the urge hit me again. It not continuous and I don’t have a lot of time. It takes time to set a kill, one mistake and it all over. Since I about blew it on the phone-handwriting is out-letter guide is so long and typewriter can be traced to my short poem of death and maybe a drawing later on real picture and maybe a tape of the sound will come your way. How will you know me before a murder or murders you will receive a copy of the initials B.T.K. you keep that copy the original will show up someday guesswho? Because Rader did not contest his guilt, most evidence was not tested in court. However, physical and circumstantial facts that would have corroborated Rader as the BTK killer include:

The serial killer I chose to do my report on was Dennis Rader. Rader was born on March 9, 1945 in Pittsburg, Kansas and as of today he is still alive. Rader was the oldest of four sons. When Dennis was a child he hung stray cats. He grew up in Wichita, Kansas. Rader served our country by joining the U.S Air Force which he served from the mid to late 1960’s. He got married to Paula in 1971 and he work for a company that sold camping gear but he only worked there for a few years. He worked for ADT services in 1974.

Then there was Shirley Vain, she was killed on March 17th, 1977, as her three children were locked in the bathroom with toys. Posing as a private detective, Rader pulled a .357 magnum hand gun and forced his way inside the home. Using as he would call it his “Hit Kit” a mix of bags, rope, tape and cords. He handcuffed Nancy Fox December of that same year tied her on her bed and strangled her with a belt, before preforming a sexual act next to the body. All the while Rader was writing letter to journalists and cops. How many people do I have to kill before I get my name in the paper or some national attention?” he wrote in

On December 6th, 1941 the world welcomed Richard Benjamin Speck, who would become a well-known mass murderer. Speck, having a rather rough childhood, had an extensive criminal background before committing the unspeakable murders that made him famous. After being found guilty, Speck spent his remaining days in Chicago’s Stateville Penitentiary. One can look at Richard’s personal history, crime and criminal history to try and pin him to one criminological theory, when in reality, none will really fit him to a “T”. He was a psychopath who was in great need of psychological help, among other things.