"Projects": Dennis Rader Describes the BTK Murders in Court, 2005
Questioned count by count by Judge Gregory Waller, Dennis Rader described under oath how he chose, stalked and killed each of his ten victims, calling them his "projects".
- Subject
- Dennis Lynn Rader
- Recorded
- June 27, 2005
- Runtime
- 46:38
Content warning: Rader describes in detail how he killed ten people, including an 11-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy, and the sexual motive behind the killings.
The Hearing
On Monday, June 27, 2005, the day his trial was due to begin, Dennis Rader changed his pleas to guilty on all ten counts of first-degree murder in the BTK case. To be satisfied that there was a factual basis for each plea, Judge Gregory Waller questioned him under oath, count by count, in a Wichita courtroom. Rader answered at length and in a flat, matter-of-fact voice. This 46-minute recording, from KWCH 12's live coverage, runs from the judge's first questions about the Otero family to the moment he found Rader guilty of all ten murders.
Historical Context
Between 1974 and 1991 a killer who named himself "BTK" ("bind, torture, kill") murdered ten people in and around Wichita, Kansas: Joseph and Julie Otero and their children Josephine, 11, and Joseph II, 9 (January 1974); Kathryn Bright (April 1974); Shirley Vian (March 1977); Nancy Fox (December 1977); Marine Hedge (April 1985); Vicki Wegerle (September 1986); and Dolores Davis (January 1991). He taunted police and the press with letters, fell silent for years, and began writing again in 2004. Rader, a compliance officer for the city of Park City and president of his church council, was arrested on February 25, 2005.
Circumstances of the Hearing
Rader had been due to face a jury. Instead he pleaded guilty, and Judge Waller read each charge and asked him what he had done. District Attorney Nola Foulston led the prosecution; Rader was represented by the Sedgwick County public defender's office, led by Steve Osburn. The hearing was televised live, using pool video under Kansas court rules on cameras in court. Kansas had no death penalty when the murders were committed, and on August 18, 2005, Rader was sentenced to ten consecutive life terms.
What the Hearing Covers
Rader describes how he chose his victims, whom he called "projects" or "potential hits", and how he moved from what he called a "trolling" stage to a "stalking" stage. He describes cutting phone lines, posing as a private detective and as a telephone repairman, carrying what he called his "hit kit" (he mentions ropes, tape and cords in a briefcase), and changing into what he called "hit clothes". For each count he describes how he killed, and he says that all ten killings were done to satisfy a sexual fantasy. He also describes taking items from victims' homes, photographing Marine Hedge and Vicki Wegerle, and moving the bodies of Hedge and Dolores Davis. At several points lawyers interrupt to correct addresses, and Judge Waller tells them the exact address is not important.
What Makes the Recording Significant
This is the defining recording of the BTK case: a serial killer recounting all ten murders in open court, on live television, answering a judge rather than an interviewer. Rader's calm, detailed answers, and his readiness to volunteer details that were not asked for, were widely reported at the time. Two months later he addressed the same judge at his sentencing.
Archival Importance
This video is the primary-source counterpart to that record.
Important Caveats
Rader's answers are his own account, given to establish a factual basis for his pleas; some details he gives (addresses, the order of events) are uncertain on his own admission or were corrected in court. The upload's title calls this a "confession" and "the complete, unabridged version"; it is the plea colloquy from the hearing, not a police confession, and it begins after the pleas were entered. The footage is KWCH 12's; the transcript has been prepared from the audio by machine and has not yet been checked by a human listener.
Judge: All right, Mr. Rader, I need to find out more information. On that particular day, the 15th day of January, 1974, can you tell me where you went to kill Mr. Joseph Otero?
Dennis Rader: I think it's 1834, um, Edgemoor.
Judge: All right. Can you tell me approximately what time of day you went there?
Dennis Rader: Somewhere between 7 and 7:30.
Judge: This particular location, did you know these people?
Dennis Rader: No, that's... No, that was part of my, I guess, my what you call fantasy. These people were selected.
Judge: All right. So you, okay, you were engaged in some kind of fantasy during this period of time?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: All right. Now, when you use the term fantasy, is this something you were doing for your personal pleasure?
Dennis Rader: Sexual fantasy, sir.
Judge: I see. So you went to this residence, and what occurred then?
Dennis Rader: Well, um, I had, uh, did some thinking on what I was going to do to either Mrs. Otero or Josephine, and basically broke into the house, or didn't break into the house. But when they came out of the house, I came in and confronted the family, and then we went from there.
Judge: All right. Had you planned this beforehand?
Dennis Rader: To some degree, yes. After [unclear: "we got in the house, we lost control of it" / "I got in the house, I lost control of it"]. But it was, you know, in the back of my mind, I had some ideas what I was going to do. But I basically panicked that first day.
Judge: So beforehand, did you know who was there in the house?
Dennis Rader: I thought Mrs. Otero and the two kids, the two younger kids, were in the house. I didn't realize Mr. Otero was going to be there.
Judge: All right. How did you get into the house?
Dennis Rader: I came through the back door, cut the phone lines, waited at the back door, had reservations about even going or just walking away. But pretty soon the door opened, and I was in.
Judge: All right, so the door opened. Was it open for you, or did...
Dennis Rader: I think one of the kids. I think the, uh, Junior, or not Junior, yes, the, um, [unclear: "the younger Joseph" / "the young girl, Joseph"] opened the door. [unclear: "He'd" / "She"] probably let the dog out, 'cause the dog was in the house at that time.
Judge: All right. When you went into the house, what happened then?
Dennis Rader: Well, I confronted the family, pulled a pistol, confronted Mr. Otero and asked him to, uh, you know, that I was there to, basically, I was wanted, wanted to get the car. I was hungry, food, I was wanted. And asked him to lie down in the living room. And at that time I realized that wouldn't be a really good idea. So I finally, the dog was a real problem, so I asked Mr. Otero if he could get the dog out. So he had one of the kids put it out, and then I took him back to the bedroom.
Judge: You took who back to the bedroom?
Dennis Rader: The family, the bedroom. The four members.
Judge: All right. What happened then?
Dennis Rader: At that time I tied them up.
Judge: While still holding them at gunpoint?
Dennis Rader: Well, in between tying, and yes. Yeah.
Judge: All right. After you tied them up, what occurred?
Dennis Rader: Well, they started complaining about being tied up, and I re-loosened the bonds a couple of times. Tried to make Mr. Otero as comfortable as I could. Apparently he had a cracked rib from a car accident, so I had him put a pillow down for his head. Had him put a, I think a parka or a coat underneath him. They, you know, they talked to me about, you know, giving the car and whatever money. I guess they didn't have very much money. And there I realized that, you know, I was already... I didn't have a mask on or anything; they already could ID me. And made a, made a decision to go ahead and put them down, I guess, or strangle them.
Judge: All right. What did you do to Joseph Otero Senior?
Dennis Rader: Joseph Otero?
Judge: Yeah. Joseph Otero Senior, Mr. Otero, the father.
Dennis Rader: I put a plastic bag over his head and then some cords, then tightened it.
Judge: And this was in the bedroom?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: Did he, in fact, suffocate and die as a result of this?
Dennis Rader: Not right away. No, sir, he didn't.
Judge: What happened?
Dennis Rader: Um, well, after that, I, uh, I [unclear: "did Mrs. Otero" / "did miss this Otero"]. I had never strangled anyone before, so I really didn't know how much pressure you had to put on a person or how long it would take.
Judge: Was she also tied up there in the bedroom?
Dennis Rader: Uh-huh. Yeah, both their hands and their feet were tied up. She was on the bed.
Judge: Where were the children?
Dennis Rader: Well, Josephine was on the bed, and Junior was on the floor at this time.
Judge: So we're talking, first of all, about Joseph Otero. So you put the bag over his head and tied it...
Dennis Rader: Mm-hmm.
Judge: ...and he did not die right away. Can you tell me what happened in regards to Joseph?
Dennis Rader: He moved over real quick like, and I think tore a hole in the bag, and I could tell that he was having some problems there. But at that time the whole family just went, they went panicked on me, so I worked pretty quick.
Judge: You worked pretty quick? What did you do?
Dennis Rader: Well, I mean, I strangled Mrs. Otero, and she went out, or passed out. I thought she was dead. She passed out. And I strangled Josephine. She passed out, or I thought she was dead. And then I went over and put a, and then put a bag on Junior's head. And, uh... and then, if I remember right, Mrs. Otero came back. She came back and...
Judge: Sir, let me ask you about Joseph Otero Senior. You indicated he had torn a hole in the bag.
Dennis Rader: Mm-hmm.
Judge: What did you do with him then?
Dennis Rader: I put another bag over it, or either that or, [unclear: "if I recollect"], I think I put either a cloth or a T-shirt or something over it, over his head, and then a bag, another bag.
Judge: Did he subsequently die?
Dennis Rader: Well, yes. I mean, I didn't just stay there and watch him. Then I was moving around the room.
Judge: All right. So you indicated you strangled Mrs. Otero after you had done this, is that correct?
Dennis Rader: No, I went back and strangled her again, and that finally killed her at that time.
Judge: So this is in regards to Count Two. You would first of all put the bag over Joseph Otero's head...
Dennis Rader: Mm-hmm.
Judge: ...and he tore a hole in the bag...
Dennis Rader: Mm-hmm.
Judge: Then you went ahead. Did you strangle Mrs. Otero then, or did you go...
Dennis Rader: First of all, Mr. Otero was strangled, or a bag put over his head and strangled. Then I thought he was going down, and I went over and strangled Mrs. Otero, and I thought she was down. Then I strangled Josephine, while she was down, and then I went over to Junior and put the bag on his head. After that, Mrs. Otero woke back up, and, you know, she was pretty upset with what's going on. So I came back and, at that point in time, strangled her for the death strangle at that time.
Judge: With your hands, or what?
Dennis Rader: No, with a cord, with a rope. And then I think at that point in time I redid Mr. Otero, put the bag over his head, went over, and then took Junior. Oh, before that, she asked me to save her son. So I actually had taken a bag off, and then I was really upset at that point in time. So basically, when Mrs. Otero was down, I went ahead and took Junior, put another bag over his head, and took him to the other bedroom at that time.
Judge: What did you do then?
Dennis Rader: Put a bag over his head. I put a cloth over his head, a T-shirt, and a bag, so he couldn't tear a hole in it. And he subsequently died from that. And then when I went back, Josephine had woke back up.
Judge: What did you do then?
Dennis Rader: And I took her to the basement and eventually hung her.
Judge: You hung her in the basement?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: Did you do anything else at that time?
Dennis Rader: Yes, I, uh, I had some sexual fantasies. But that was after she was hung.
Judge: All right. What did you do then?
Dennis Rader: [unclear: "Went through" / "Must be"] the house, kind of cleaned it up. It's called the right-hand rule: you go from room to room. Picked everything up. I think I took Mr. Otero's watch there. I guess I took a radio. I forgot about that, but apparently I took a radio.
Judge: Why did you take these things?
Dennis Rader: I don't know. Um, I have no idea, just...
Judge: What happened then?
Dennis Rader: Got the keys to the car. In fact, I had the keys, I think, earlier, before that, because I wanted to make sure I had a way of getting out of the house. And cleaned the house up a little bit, made sure everything's packed up, and left through the front door. And went over to their car, and then drove over to Dillons, left the car there, and then eventually walked back to my car.
Judge: All right. Now, sir, from what you have just said, I take it that the facts you've told me apply to both Counts One, all of Counts One, Two, Three and Four. Is that correct?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: Now, Mr. Rader...
Ms. Parker: [partly unclear] ...to be correct on that record, and that is, originally I believe he indicated 1834 Edgemoor. The address was actually 803 Edgemoor.
Judge: [partly unclear] ...occurred in Sedgwick County, indicated what had happened. I don't believe the exact address is important.
Judge: All right, Mr. Rader, we will now turn to Count Five. In that count, it is claimed that on or about the fourth day of April, 1974, in Sedgwick County, Kansas, that you unlawfully killed Kathryn Bright, maliciously, willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, by strangulation and stabbing, inflicting injuries from which she did die on April 4th, 1974. Can you tell me what occurred on that day?
Dennis Rader: The, uh... I don't know how to exactly say that. I had many, what I called them, projects. They were different people in the town that I followed, watched. Kathryn Bright was one of the next targets, I guess, as I would indicate.
Judge: How did you select her?
Dennis Rader: Just driving by one day, and I saw her go in the house with somebody else, and I thought, that's a possibility. There was many, many places in the area, um, College Hill... they're all over Wichita. But anyway, that's, it just was basically a selection process, worked toward it. If it didn't work, I'd just move on to something else. But in the, in the, my kind of person, stalking and [unclear: "strolling" / "scrolling"]. You go through the trolling stage, and then a stalking stage. She was in the stalking stage when this happened.
Judge: All right, sir. So you identified Kathryn Bright as a potential victim.
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: What did you do here in Sedgwick County then?
Dennis Rader: Pardon?
Judge: What did you do then, here in Sedgwick County, on this particular day?
Dennis Rader: Yes. Uh, I broke into the house and waited for her to come home.
Judge: How did you break into the house?
Dennis Rader: Through the back door on the east side.
Judge: All right. And you waited for her to come home. Where did you wait?
Dennis Rader: In the house there, probably close to the bedroom. I walked to the house and kind of figured out where I'd be if they came through.
Judge: All right. What happened then?
Dennis Rader: She and Kevin Bright came in. I wasn't expecting him to be there. And come find out, I guess they were related. That time I approached him and told him I was wanted in California, needed some car, basically the same thing that I told the Oteros. Kind of ease them, make them feel better. And proceeded to, I think I had him tie... I think I had him tie her up first, and then I tied him up, or vice versa. I don't remember right now, at that time.
Judge: Let me ask: you indicated you had some items to tie these people with. Did you bring these items, both to the Oteros and this location?
Dennis Rader: The Oteros, I did. I'm not really sure on the Brights. Um, there was some... when I, in working with the police, there was some controversy on that. Probably more likely I did. But if, if I had brought my stuff and used my stuff, Kevin would probably be dead today.
Judge: All right.
Dennis Rader: I'm not bragging on that. It's just a matter of fact. It's the bonds I, I tied him up with, that he broke himself, and that...
Judge: All right.
Dennis Rader: And maybe same way with, same with Kathryn. It was, I got out of, got out of hand.
Judge: All right. Now, you indicated you believe you had Kevin tie Kathryn up. Tell me what happened then.
Dennis Rader: Okay. I moved... well, after, I really can't remember, Judge, whether I had her tie him up or she tied him up. But anyway, I moved, basically I moved her to another bedroom, and he was already secure there by the bed. Tied his feet to the bedpost, bottom of the bedpost, so he couldn't run. Kind of tied her in the other bedroom, and then came back to strangle him. And at that time we had a fight.
Judge: Were you armed with a handgun at that time also?
Dennis Rader: Yes, I had a handgun.
Judge: What happened when you came back?
Dennis Rader: I actually had two handguns. Um, when I started strangling, either the, uh, [unclear: "bar" / "parent"] broke or he broke his bonds, and he jumped up real quick like. I pulled my gun and quickly shot him. Hit him in the head. He fell over. I could see the blood. And as far as I was concerned, you know, I thought he was down and was out. And then went and started to strangle Kath, or Kathryn. And then we started fighting, because the bonds weren't very good. And so back and forth we fought.
Judge: You and Kathryn?
Dennis Rader: Yeah, we fought. And I got the best of her, and I thought she was going down, and then I could hear some movement in the other room. So I went back, and Kevin... uh, no, no, no. I thought she was going down, and I went back to the other bedroom where Kevin was at, and I tried to re-strangle him at that time. And he jumped up, and we fought. And he, at that time, about shot me, 'cause he got the other, my pistol that was in my shoulder here. I had my Magnum in my shoulder...
Judge: In a holster? Did you have a shoulder holster?
Dennis Rader: Yes. And I had the Magnum in my shoulder holster. The other one was a .22. And we fought at that point in time, and I thought it was going to go off. I jammed the gun, stuck my finger in there, jammed it. And I think he thought that was the only gun I had, because once I either bit his finger or hit him or something, got away, and I used the .22 and shot him one more time. And I thought he was down for good that time.
Judge: All right. So you shot him a second time?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: What happened then?
Dennis Rader: Went back to, uh, finish the job on Kathryn, and she was fighting. And at that point in time, I'd been fighting her, and I just... and then I heard some... I don't know whether I was [unclear], basically losing control. The strangulation wasn't working on her, and I used a knife on her.
Judge: You say you used a knife on her. What did you do with the knife?
Dennis Rader: I stabbed her. I, [unclear: "she said" / "I'd say"], either stabbed two or three times, either here or here, maybe two back here and one here, or maybe just two times back here.
Judge: You were pointing to your lower back, and your...
Dennis Rader: Yeah, underneath the ribs.
Judge: ...and your lower abdomen.
Dennis Rader: Yeah, underneath the ribs. Up, up underneath the ribs.
Judge: So after you stabbed her, what happened?
Dennis Rader: Um, actually, I think at that point in time... well, it's a total mess, because I didn't have control on it. She was bleeding. She went down. Um, I think I just went back to check back on Kevin, or at that basically same time I heard him escape. It could be one of the two. But all of a sudden the front door of the house was open and he was gone. And, oh, I tell you what, I thought, I thought the police were coming at that time. I heard the door open, I thought, that's it. And I stepped out there, and I could see him running down the street. So I quickly cleaned up everything that I could and left.
Judge: All right. Now, Mr. Rader, you indicated that at the Oteros you did not have a mask on. Did you have a mask on at the Brights?
Dennis Rader: No, no, I didn't.
Judge: All right. So what happened then?
Dennis Rader: Uh, I tried to... I had already had the keys to the cars, and I thought I had the right key to the right car. I [unclear: "ran after" / "ran out of"] their car, I think it was a pickup out there, and I tried, it didn't work. And at that point in time, he was gone, running down the street. I thought, yeah, I'm in trouble. So I tried, it didn't work, so I just took off, ran, went down, went east, and then worked back toward the WSU campus, where my car was parked.
Judge: All right. So you had parked your car at the Wichita State University campus. How far away was the Brights' residence?
Dennis Rader: I parked, uh, was that 13th? And they're, I see, they were on 13th. Was it 17th? Yeah, I was just about one block south of 17th, where the car was. There's a park there. I parked by that park, and then I walked to 13th, to the Brights' residence. So I basically ran back.
Judge: All right. All right, so you were able to get to your car and get away.
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: Now, let's turn to Count Number Six. In that count, they claim on March 17th, 1977, in Sedgwick County, Kansas, that you unlawfully killed Shirley Vian, maliciously, willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, by strangulation, inflicting injuries from which she did die on March 17th, 1977. Can you tell me what you did on that day?
Dennis Rader: As before, Vian was a... actually, on that one, she was completely random. There was actually someone across from Dillons was a potential target. It was called Project Green, I think. I had project numbers assigned to it. And that particular day, I drove to Dillons, parked in the parking lot, watched this particular residence, and then got out of the car and walked over to it. It's probably in the police report, the address. I don't remember the address now. Knocked. Nobody, nobody answered it. So I was all keyed up, so I just started going through the neighborhood. I'd been through the neighborhood before. I kind of knew a little of the layout of the neighborhood. I'd been through the back alleys, knew some certain people live. Um, while I was walking down Hydraulic, I met a young boy and asked him if he'd ID some pictures. Kind of was a [unclear: "russ" / "ruse"], I guess, or ruse, as you call it, and kind of feel it out. And saw where he went. And I went to another address and knocked on the door. Nobody opened the door, so I just noticed where he went, and went to that house, and we went from there.
Judge: Now, you call these projects. Were these sexual fantasies also?
Dennis Rader: Potential hits. In my world, that's what I called them.
Judge: All right.
Dennis Rader: Called projects, hits.
Judge: All right. And why did you have these potential hits? Was this to gratify some sexual interest, or...
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir. I had, there, I had a lot of them. So it's just, if one didn't work out, I just moved to another one.
Judge: All right. So, as I'm to understand it, then, on the 17th of March, 1977, you saw this little boy go into a residence, and you tried another residence; no one was there. You tried another residence, no one was there, so you went to the residence with the little boy.
Dennis Rader: And I watched, I watched where he went.
Judge: What happened then?
Dennis Rader: After I tried this one residence, nobody came to the door, I went to this house where he went in, knocked on the door, and told them I was a private detective, showed them a picture that I had just showed the boy, and asked them if they could ID the picture. And at that time I had the gun here, and I just kind of forced myself in. I just walked in, just opened the door, walked in, and then pulled the pistol.
Judge: What gun? What pistol?
Dennis Rader: A .357 Magnum.
Judge: So you only had one gun with you?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: Uh-huh. What happened then?
Dennis Rader: I told, uh, Mrs. Vian that I had a problem with sexual fantasies, that I was going to tie her up, and that I might have to tie the kids up, and she would cooperate with us, cooperate with me, at that time. We went back. She was extremely nervous. I think she even smoked a cigarette. And we went back to one of the back, back areas of the porch, explained to her that I had done this before. And I think she, at that point in time, I think she was sick, 'cause she had a night robe on, and I think, if I remember right, she was, she had been sick. I think she came out of the bedroom when I went in the house. So anyway, we went back to her bedroom, and I proceeded to tie the kids up, and they started crying and got real upset. So I said, no, this is not going to work. So we moved them to the bathroom. She helped me. And then I tied the door shut. We put some toys and blankets and odds and ends in there for the kids, make them as comfortable as we could. We tied one of the bathroom doors shut so they couldn't open it, and she went back and helped me shove the bed up against the other bathroom door. And then I proceeded to tie her up. She got sick, threw up. Got her a glass of water, comforted her a little bit, and then went ahead and tied her up, and then put a bag over her head and strangled her.
Judge: All right. Was this a plastic bag also?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir, I think it was. But I could be wrong on that.
Judge: You put a bag...
Dennis Rader: It was something. I'm sure it was a plastic bag, yeah.
Judge: You say you put a bag over her head and strangled her. What did you strangle her with?
Dennis Rader: Uh, I actually, I think on that I had tied her legs to the bedpost and worked up with a rope all the way up, and then what I had left over, I looped over her.
Judge: All right. So you used this rope to strangle her?
Dennis Rader: Yes. I think, I think it's the same one that I tied her body with.
Judge: What happened then?
Dennis Rader: Well, the kids were really banging on the door, hollering, screaming. And then the telephone rang. And they had talked about earlier that the neighbor was going to check on them. So I cleaned everything up real quick like and got out of there, left, and went back to my car.
Judge: When you say you cleaned everything up...
Dennis Rader: Well, I mean, put my stuff... I had a briefcase. Whatever I had laying around, ropes, tape, cords, threw that in there. My, you know, whatever, you know, that I had, that I brought in the house.
Judge: Had you brought that to the Bright residence also, or...
Dennis Rader: Yeah, there was some there. I think there was some basic stuff, but I don't remember bringing total stuff like I did to some of the others.
Judge: Was this a kit that you had prepared?
Dennis Rader: Yeah. Yes, I called it my hit kit.
Judge: All right, sir. You left the Vian residence. And had you parked your vehicle near there?
Dennis Rader: I was still in the same parking lot there, Dillons, at Hydraulic and... what is that? [unclear: "Harry" / "Terry"]? Lincoln. Lincoln. Lincoln and Hydraulic.
Judge: All right. In Count Seven, it is claimed that on the 8th day of December, 1977, in Sedgwick County, Kansas, that you unlawfully killed a human being, that being Nancy Fox, maliciously, willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, by strangulation, inflicting injuries from which the said Nancy Fox did die on December 8th, 1977. Can you tell me what you did on that day here in Sedgwick County?
Dennis Rader: Nancy Fox was another one of the projects. When I was trolling the area, I noticed her going in the house one night. Um, sometimes I would... and, uh, anyway, I put her down as a potential victim.
Judge: Let me ask you one thing, Mr. Rader. You used that term, when you were patrolling the area. What do you mean by that?
Dennis Rader: It's called stalking, or trolling.
Judge: So you were not working in any form or fashion? You just...
Dennis Rader: Well, I don't know. You know, if you read much about serial killers, they go through what they call the different phases. That's one of the phases they go through, as a trolling stage. Basically, you're looking for a victim at that time. And that, you could be trolling for months or years. But once you lock in on a certain person, then you become stalking. And that might be several of them, but you really home in on that person. They basically come the... that's, that's the victim, or that's what you want [unclear: "to be" / "to do"].
District Attorney Nola Foulston: [partly inaudible] ...trolling...
Judge: [unclear: "Trolling, a trolling" / "Did you say trolling"]. Oh, okay. All right.
Dennis Rader: No, no, I wasn't working, sir. No, this was, you know, this was off, off, off my hours.
Judge: All right. So you basically identified Nancy Fox as one of your projects. What happened then?
Dennis Rader: At first she was spotted, and then I did a little homework. I dropped by once to check the mailbox to see what her name was. Found out where she worked. Stopped by there once, at Helzberg, kind of sized her up. The more I knew about a person, the more I felt comfortable with it. So I did that a couple of times, and then I just selected a night, which was this particular night, to try it, and it worked out.
Judge: All right. Can you tell me what you did on the night of December 8th, 1977?
Dennis Rader: About two or three blocks away, I parked my car and walked to that residence. Knocked at the, knocked at the door first, to make sure, to see if anybody's in there, because I knew she arrived home at a particular time from where she worked. Nobody answered the door, so I went around to the back of the house, cut the phone lines. I could tell that there wasn't anybody in the north apartment. Broke in, and waited for her to come home, in the kitchen.
Judge: All right. Did she come home?
Dennis Rader: Yes, she did.
Judge: What happened?
Dennis Rader: I confronted her, told her there I was a, had a problem, sexual problem, that I would have to tie her up and have sex with her. She was a little upset. We talked for a while. She smoked a cigarette. While, while we smoked a cigarette, I went through her purse, identifying some stuff. And she finally said, well, let's get this over with so I can go call the police. I said okay. And she said, can I go to the bathroom? I said yes. She went to the bathroom, and I told her, when she came out, to make sure that she was undressed. And when she came out, I handcuffed her, and... [unclear]
Judge: You handcuffed... You had a pair of handcuffs?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: What happened then?
Dennis Rader: Well, anyway, I had handcuffed her, had her lay on the bed, and then I tied her feet. And then I, I was also undressed to a certain degree, and then I got on top of her, and then I reached over, took, either, either feet were tied or not tied, anyway, I took... I think I had a belt. I took the belt and then strangled her with a belt at that time.
Judge: All right. All right. After you had strangled her, what happened then?
Dennis Rader: Okay. After I strangled with the belt, I took the belt off and retied that with pantyhose, real tight. Removed the handcuffs and tied those with, with pantyhose. Can't remember the colors right now. I think I maybe retied her feet, or they had not... they were probably already tied. Her feet were... and at that time masturbated, sir.
Judge: All right. Had you had sexual relations with her?
Dennis Rader: No, no, no. I told her I was, but I did not.
Judge: So you masturbated. Then what did you do?
Dennis Rader: Dressed, and then went through the house and took some of her personal items, and kind of cleaned the house up, went through it, made, checked everything, and left.
Judge: All right.
District Attorney Nola Foulston: [inaudible]
Judge: He's established it was in Sedgwick County. I don't [unclear: "know exactly what purpose is" / "what purpose"] of this. It's in Sedgwick County. Do you remember the address, Mr. Rader? [unclear] Remember the address?
Dennis Rader: [unclear: "Fox"]? Nine... 913, or nine, 903? You know, I sure don't. I know it was on Pershing, South Pershing. That's all. I don't... it was nine something, sir, but I don't know the other digits.
Judge: The address, as I said, is really not important, as long as you remember it happened here in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: All right, sir. Let's turn to Count Eight. In Count Eight, it is claimed that on or about the 27th day of April, 1985, to the 28th day of April, 1985, in Sedgwick County, Kansas, it is claimed that you unlawfully killed a human being, Marine Hedge, maliciously, willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, by strangulation, inflicting injuries from which Marine Hedge did die on April 27th, 1985. Can you tell me what occurred on that day?
Dennis Rader: Well, actually, kind of like the others, she was chosen. I went through the different phases, stalking phase. And since she lived down the street from me, I could watch the coming and going quite easily. On that particular day, I, uh, I had a, other commitment. I came back from that commitment, parked my car over at Woodlawn and 21st Street, at a bowling alley there at that time. Before that, I dressed into... I had some other clothes on, changed clothes. I went to the bowling alley, went in there under the pretense of bowling, called a taxi, had a taxi take me out to Park City. Had my kit with me there, a bowling bag.
Judge: All right. That was Park City, in Sedgwick County, Kansas?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: All right. You had the taxi take you to Park City. What happened then?
Dennis Rader: There I asked, I, uh, pretended that I was a little drunk. I just took, I just took some beer and [unclear: "swirled" / "forced"] it around my mouth, and that guy could probably smell the alcohol on me. I asked, told him to let me out so I could get some fresh air, and I walked from where the taxi let me off over to her house.
Judge: All right. Where does she live?
Dennis Rader: 62... 42... 5... 54. 6254. 6254 North Independence.
Judge: All right. When you walked over there, what happened next?
Dennis Rader: Well, as before, I was going to have sexual fantasy, so I brought my hit kit. And lo and behold, her car was there. I thought, geez, she's not supposed to be home. So I very carefully snuck into the house, kind of like a cat burglar, and after checking the house, she wasn't there. So about that time, the doors rattled, so went, went back to one of the bedrooms and hid back there in one of the bedrooms. She came in with a male visitor. They were there for maybe an hour or so. He left. And I waited till [unclear: "wee hours" / "three hours"] in the morning, and then proceeded to sneak into her bedroom and flip the lights on [unclear: "real quick like" / "with the clock"], or I think the bathroom lights. I just, I didn't want to flip her lights on. And she screamed, and I jumped on the bed and strangled her manually.
Judge: All right. Now, were you wearing any kind of disguise or mask at this time?
Dennis Rader: No, no.
Judge: You indicated this woman lived down the street from you. Did she know you?
Dennis Rader: Casually. We'd walk by and wave. She liked to work in her yard, as well as I like to work. It's just a neighborly type thing. It wasn't anything personal, I mean, just a neighbor.
Judge: All right. So she was in her bed when you turned on the lights in the bathroom?
Dennis Rader: Bathroom, yeah, so I could get some light in there.
Judge: What did you do then?
Dennis Rader: I manually strangled her when she started to scream.
Judge: So you used your hands?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: And you strangled her. Did she die?
Dennis Rader: Yes.
Judge: All right. What did you do then?
Dennis Rader: After that, since I was in the sexual fantasy, I went ahead and stripped her, and probably went ahead and... I'm not sure if I tied her up at that point in time. But anyway, she was nude, and I put her on a blanket. Went through her purse, some personal items in the house. Figured out how I was going to get her out of there. Eventually moved her to the trunk of the car. Took the car over to Christ Lutheran Church. This is [unclear: "where" / "with"] the older church. And, uh, took some pictures of her.
Judge: All right. You took some photographs. What kind of camera did you use?
Dennis Rader: Polaroid.
Judge: Did you keep those photographs?
Dennis Rader: Yes. The police probably have them.
Judge: All right. What happened then?
Dennis Rader: That was it. Uh, went, took... she went through, I tied it... she was already dead, so I took pictures of her in different forms of bondage. And that's probably what got me in trouble, was the bondage thing. So anyway, that's probably the main thing. But anyway, after that, I moved her back out to the car, and then we went east on 53rd.
Judge: All right. What occurred then?
Dennis Rader: Sir?
Judge: What happened then?
Dennis Rader: Oh, trying to find a place to hide her, hide the body.
Judge: Did you find a place?
Dennis Rader: Yes. Yes, I did.
Judge: Where?
Dennis Rader: Couldn't tell you without looking at a map, but it was on 53rd, uh, [unclear: "between" / "Queen"] Greenwich, maybe. Maybe... what's, what's the other one? [unclear: "Between Greenwich and Rock" / "Queen Greenwich, Ro..."]?
Mr. Osburn: Webb.
Dennis Rader: Webb. Between, I think between [unclear: "wed"] and, Webb and Greenwich, I found a ditch, a low place on the north side of the road, and hid her there.
Judge: All right. You say you hid her there?
Dennis Rader: Well, there was some, there was some trees, some brush, and I laid that over the top of her body.
Judge: All right. So you removed the body from the car, put her in the ditch, then laid some, some brush over the body?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: All right, sir. In Count Nine, it is claimed, on or about the 16th day of September, 1986, in Sedgwick County, Kansas, that you unlawfully killed a human being, Vicki Wegerle, maliciously, willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, by strangulation, inflicting injuries from which the said Vicki Wegerle did die on September 16th, 1986. Can you tell me what you did here in Sedgwick County on that day that makes you believe you are guilty?
Dennis Rader: As, again, Vicki was, was another potential victim. I went through those different phases, locked in on her, as I would call it, and decided that I would try that day. I used a ruse as a telephone repairman to get in their house. Drove there in my own personal car, around lunchtime, during lunch hour, or approximately that time. It was earlier in the morning that, and, uh, put my... I actually went somewhere else and changed, changed my clothes, what I, what I call my hit clothes. And clothes, hit clothes: basically different, you know, things that I'd need to get rid of later. Not, not the same kind of clothes that I had on. I don't know what other better word to use, crime clothes or hit clothes. I just called them hit clothes. Anyway, I walked from my car as a telephone repairman. As I walked there, I donned the telephone helmet. I had a briefcase. Went to one other address, just to kind of size up the house. I'd walked by it a couple times, but I wanted to check it a little bit more. As I approached it, I could hear a piano sound. And went to this other door, knocked on them, and told them that we were recently working on telephone repairs in the area. And went to her, went to her and knocked on the door, and asked her if I could come check her telephone lines inside.
Judge: Did she allow you in?
Dennis Rader: Yes, she did.
Judge: What happened then?
Dennis Rader: I went over and found out where the telephone was. Simulated that I was checking the telephone; I had a make-believe instrument. And after she was looking away, I drew a pistol at her and asked her if she'd go back to the bedroom with me.
Judge: Was this the same .357 Magnum you'd used?
Dennis Rader: No, this, this was a different one. Pistol.
Judge: And you asked her to go back to the bedroom with you after drawing a pistol on...
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: What happened then?
Dennis Rader: I told her... we went back to the bedroom. I told her I was going to have to tie her up. She was very upset. And I think we, I used some material that was in... that's another thing, not sure, but I think I used the material that they had in their bedroom. And after I tied her hands, she broke that, and we started fighting, and we fought quite a bit back and forth.
Judge: All right. She was physically fighting you?
Dennis Rader: Oh, yeah. Yes, sir.
Judge: Mm-hmm. What happened then?
Dennis Rader: Finally got the hand on her and got a, a nylon sock, and started strangling.
Judge: So you wrapped the stocking around her neck?
Dennis Rader: Yes.
Judge: Mm-hmm. What happened then?
Dennis Rader: I finally gained, gained on her, and, and put her down, and I thought she was dead, but apparently she wasn't. But after, after she was down and not moving anymore, I rearranged her clothes a little bit and took some quick photos, I think three of them, if I remember. And then, after that, there was a lot of commotion. She had mentioned something about her husband coming, coming home. So I got out of there pretty quick. The dogs were raising a lot of Cain in the back. The doors, the windows were all open to the house. A lot of noise when we were fighting. So I left pretty quickly after that. Put everything in the briefcase, and had her... I'd already gone through her purse and got the keys to the car, and used her car for my getaway car.
Judge: All right. Now, you indicate that you thought that she was dead. Did you discover later that she was not dead?
Dennis Rader: Yes. I guess the paramedics arrived, and they tried to attempt to [unclear: "relieve"] her, revive her, and that, that failed. I don't know whether she died there or on the way to the hospital or at the hospital. I don't recollect.
Judge: But you later found out that she did die as a result of your strangulation?
Dennis Rader: Yes.
Judge: Now, sir, let's turn to Count Ten. In that count, it's claimed that on or about the 18th day of January, 1991, to the 19th day of January, 1991, in the County of Sedgwick, State of Kansas, that you did then and there unlawfully kill a human being, that being Dolores E. Davis, maliciously, willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, by strangulation, inflicting injuries from which the said Dolores E. Davis did die on January 19th, 1991. Mr. Rader, please tell me what you did here in Sedgwick County, Kansas, on that day that makes you believe you're guilty.
Dennis Rader: That particular day I had some commitments. I left those, went to one place, changed my clothes, went to another place, parked my car, finally made arrangements on my hit kit, my clothes, and then walked to that residence. After spending some time at that residence... it was very cold at night... had reservations about going in. I, I had cased the place before, and I really couldn't figure out how to get in, and she was in the house. So I finally just selected a, a concrete block and threw it through the plate glass window on the east, and came on in.
Judge: All right. Where is this residence located?
Dennis Rader: It's on Hillside, but I couldn't give you the address. I know it's probably 61, probably 62 something. Oh, 62 something.
Judge: North or south?
Dennis Rader: North. North Hillside.
Judge: All right. So you used a concrete block to break the window?
Dennis Rader: Mm-hmm. Plate glass window, patio door.
Judge: Mm-hmm. What happened then?
Dennis Rader: Um, noise. I just went in. She came out of the bedroom and thought that a car had hit her house. And I told her that I was, I used the, the ruse of being wanted. I was on the run, I need food, car, warmth, warm up. And, and I asked her, handcuffed her, and kind of talked to her, told her that I would like to get some food, get her keys, her car, and kind of rest assured, you know, [unclear], talked with her a little bit, calmed her down a little bit. And, and then eventually I checked... I think she was still handcuffed. I went back and checked out where the car was. Simulated getting some food, odds and ends in the house, [unclear: "like I was leaving"]. Then went back and removed her handcuffs, and, and then tied her up, and then, and then eventually strangled her.
Judge: You say eventually strangled her?
Dennis Rader: Well, after I tied her up, I went through some things in the room there, and then, and then strangled her.
Judge: You said you went through... were you looking for something?
Dennis Rader: Mm-hmm. Well, some personal items, yes. I took some personal items from there.
Judge: Did you take personal items in every one of these incidents?
Dennis Rader: Uh, I did on the Hedge. Uh, I don't remember anything at Vicki's place. [unclear: "The Oteros" / "Charles"], we got the watch and the radio. I don't think I did any at Brights'. Uh, Vian's, no, I don't think so. Fox, yes, I picked some things from Fox. It was hit and miss.
Judge: All right.
Dennis Rader: But probably if it, if it was a controlled situation, where I had more time, I took something. But if it, if it was confusion and other things, I didn't, as I was trying to get out of there.
Judge: All right. So in regard to the Davis matter, you went around the room, took a few personal things. What did you do then?
Dennis Rader: Uh, strangled her.
Judge: What did you strangle her with?
Dennis Rader: Pantyhose.
Judge: All right. What happened then?
Dennis Rader: Um, kind of like Mrs. Hedge, I already figured out my, I had a, you know, plan on leaving, and put her in a blanket, and drove her to the car, and put her in the trunk of the car.
Judge: So you were able to strangle her to death with these pantyhose?
Dennis Rader: Yes, sir.
Judge: All right. You put her in [unclear: "your" / "her"] car?
Dennis Rader: Her car.
Judge: Her car.
Dennis Rader: The trunk of her car.
Judge: What happened then?
Dennis Rader: Uh, I really had a commitment I needed to go to. So I moved her to one spot, took her out of her car. This gets complicated. Then the stuff I had, clothes, gun, whatever, I took that to another spot in her car, dumped that off. Okay. Then took her car back to her house. Left that. Let me think now. Okay. In the interim, I took her car back to her house. In the interim, I realized that I had lost one of my guns. I dropped it somewhere. So I was [unclear: "distraught" / "he thought"] trying to figure out where my gun was. So I went back in the house, realized I had dropped it when I went in the, when I broke the plate glass window. It dropped and fell on the floor right there, and I found it right there. So that solved that problem. Anyway, I went back out, threw the keys, checked the car real quick like, threw the keys up on top of the roof of her house. Walked from her car back to my car, took my car, drove it back, and I either dropped more stuff off or I picked her up and put them in my car. And then I drove up northeast of Sedgwick County and dropped her off underneath the bridge.
Judge: All right. So all of these incidents, these ten counts, occurred because you wanted to satisfy a sexual fantasy. Is that correct?
Dennis Rader: Yes.
Judge: Does any party desire any further matters to be put on the record at this time?
Mr. Osburn: No, Your Honor.
Judge: All right. You may be seated, Mr. Rader. I will find that you, Dennis L. Rader, have knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived your constitutional rights and entered your pleas of guilty. I will find that you understand the nature of the charges and the consequences of your pleas. Based upon your statements to the court, I will find there are factual bases for each of these pleas of guilty. I will accept these pleas of guilty and adjudge you, Dennis L. Rader, guilty of murder in the first degree in Count One, a class A felony; murder in the first degree in Count Two, a class A felony; murder in the first degree in Count Three, a class A felony; murder in the first degree in Count Four, a class A felony; murder in the first degree in Count Five, a class A felony; murder in the first degree in Count Six, a class A felony; murder in the first degree in Count Seven, a class A felony; murder in the first degree in Count Eight, a class A felony; murder in the first degree in Count Nine, a class A felony; and murder in the first degree in Count Ten, a class A felony.