"I Am My Mother's Voice": The Otero Children Address Dennis Rader at His Sentencing, 2005

Name: "I Am My Mother's Voice": The Otero Children Address Dennis Rader at His Sentencing, 2005
Uploaded: 2007-06-24T00:00:00Z
Duration: 7 min 10 s
Description: Courtroom footage from Dennis Rader's sentencing in Wichita on August 18, 2005, as Charlie Otero and Carmen Otero Montoya, whose parents and younger brother and sister he murdered in 1974, address him in open court.

Courtroom footage from Dennis Rader's sentencing in Wichita on August 18, 2005, as Charlie Otero and Carmen Otero Montoya, whose parents and younger brother and sister he murdered in 1974, address him in open court.

Subject: Dennis Lynn Rader
Recorded: August 18, 2005
Runtime: 7:10

Content warning: Concerns the murders of a family, including two children; relatives speak of their loss and address the killer directly. No graphic detail.

The Interview

This is not an interview, and Dennis Rader does not speak in it. It is unnarrated courtroom footage from the second day of his sentencing hearing in Wichita, August 18, 2005. Charlie Otero and his sister, Carmen Julie Otero Montoya, address Rader in turn, and Judge Gregory Waller then reminds the media that people who do not wish to be filmed must not be photographed.

Historical Context

On January 15, 1974, Rader murdered Joseph Otero, 38, his wife Julie, 34 (33 in some accounts), and two of their children, Josephine, 11, and Joseph II, 9, in their Wichita home. The three older children, Charlie, Danny and Carmen, found the bodies. These were the first of the ten murders to which Rader pleaded guilty on June 27, 2005, more than 31 years later.

Circumstances

Kansas law allowed victims' relatives to address the court before sentence. About a dozen family members spoke on August 18, 2005, before Rader gave his own statement and was sentenced to ten consecutive life terms. Danny Otero was called but was not present. The hearing was broadcast live using a single pool camera.

What the Recording Covers

Charlie Otero says he speaks for his family "living and dead", that Rader caused "irreparable damage" to it, and that Rader did not ruin his life. He hopes Rader will spend his remaining days alone and says that, in the end, Rader "has failed in his effort to kill the Oteros." Carmen Otero Montoya tells Rader he has seen her face before, as it is her mother's face, and refuses to call him "Mr." or "BTK". She speaks of her mother's love of life and dancing, her father's hard work and pride in his family, her sister Josie's dreams, and her brother Joey ("His name was Joey, not Junior"), calling Rader a coward three times. She ends: "I am my mother's voice, and I know we've been heard." The judge then addresses camera coverage of the speakers.

What Makes the Recording Significant

It preserves, unedited, the Otero children's confrontation with the man who killed their parents and younger siblings, a widely reported moment of the BTK sentencing.

Archival Importance

The footage is unnarrated, so the statements survive in full as spoken.

Important Caveats

Rader is not heard. The upload is by a third-party site, not the original broadcaster; an official copy (Court TV's archive or a Wichita station) should be sought. These are victim impact statements at sentencing, not trial testimony: Rader pleaded guilty, so there was no trial. The judge's closing remarks show that some speakers might not have wished to be filmed.

Charlie Otero: My name is Charlie Otero. I am not here to recant the personal loss I have felt for over 30 years, but to speak for all the members of my family, living and dead. Not only my siblings and I, but the entire families of the Oteros and the [unclear: "Burgos" / "budos"] suffered from the actions of one Dennis Rader. I would like at this time to, to state that the criminal actions of Dennis Rader caused irreparable damage to the very fabric of my blood family. Sons, daughters, uncles and cousins, a father and mothers, aunts and grandmothers, all lost the precious moments my family's very existence would have brought them during their lifetimes. Their lost lives are missed yet to this day.

Charlie Otero: Dennis Rader did not ruin my life, though. He caused me to challenge my faith, changed my future forever, and separated me from the rest of my loved ones for over 30 years. Yet I have never allowed his actions to send me to the dark side. A son's love for his mother would not allow Dennis Rader to tarnish her memory. The lessons I learned from my father and mother transcend the evil doings of Dennis Rader. No action or sentence bestowed upon Dennis Rader will begin to compare with the reckoning he will endure when his time for judgment comes before the Lord. I truly believe the Lord will pass judgment and sentence as is befitting Dennis Rader's actions and beliefs. No amount of posturing or deception will save him from the eternity he has created for himself with his time here on Earth.

Charlie Otero: I only hope that the sentence passed on to him by the judicial system of the state of Kansas denies him the opportunity to spend his remaining days with anyone or anything besides himself, for that is more than he deserves. Despite Dennis Rader's efforts to destroy my family, we survive, stronger and closer now more than ever. Our love for each other was forged with pain and loss. Yet, yes, it took years of [unclear: "straying" / "strain"] down different paths, but in the end we all, Danny, Carmen and I, have found our ways back to each other with a unity and a love to be proud of. As far as I'm concerned, when it is all done, Dennis Rader has failed in his effort to kill the Oteros.

Judge Gregory Waller: Thank you very much, Mr. Otero. You may have your chair. All right, Danny Otero is the next person on the list. Mr. Otero, would you come forward, please?

Speaker Uncertain; Someone In The Courtroom: He's not here.

Judge Gregory Waller: All right. Well, then the next person is Carmen Montoya. Ms. Montoya? [02:30 to 02:45: no speech.]

Carmen Julie Otero Montoya: I'm Carmen Julie Otero Montoya. Although we have never met, you have seen my face before. It is the same face you murdered over 30 years ago, the face of my mother, Julie Otero. I will not address you as Mr. Rader, because "Mr." is a word of respect, as in, "Mister, can you help me?" Not, "Mister, are you going to kill me?" BTK is how you want to be known, and I will not give you that satisfaction. Rader is an appropriate name for you, as a one who invades, a surprise attack, that is nothing to be proud of.

Carmen Julie Otero Montoya: Rader, when you took away my mother, you took someone who meant a lot to a lot of people. My mother loved life, her friends, a good laugh, dancing with my dad, and she loved to help people. But most of all, she loved and lived for us, her family. She showed me how to love, to be a good person, to accept others as they are, and, most of all, to face your fears. I'm sure you saw that in her face as she fought to live. My mother, against your gun. You are such a coward.

Carmen Julie Otero Montoya: Since they were children, my father loved my mother more than any kind of love you could ever comprehend. He adored her. To this day, I love to hear stories of how they were. My father was a hardworking man, and we always felt secure. He made sure we had what we needed, but at the same time we understood there was always someone else more in need. My dad loved to see us having a good time, and he never passed on, passed on a dance with my mom, even in the commissary. He loved trips to the beach and into the country. We always went with friends and family. Those good times were very important to him. The thing that everyone remembers of my father is that he demanded respect, but that he gave it in return. Everyone knew you didn't mess with Joe's family. I'm sure you could feel his love for his family as you took away his last breath. You are such a coward.

Carmen Julie Otero Montoya: My sister Josie. You should not have had, you should not have the privilege of even saying her name. Such a sweet girl. All she ever wanted was to be happy and successful in school. She had dreams. She was my shadow, and at the same time her own person. When we moved to Wichita, I told her that I hated it, because it was so cold and people were so different. She told me, "You'll get used to it. Give it a chance." That was part of Josie's beauty. She always tried to see the bright side of everything. It's amazing to me that you could be so cruel to a sweet, beautiful child.

Carmen Julie Otero Montoya: His name was Joey, not Junior. But I guess it really doesn't matter to you. You took away the most lovable, fun, outgoing, friendly and adorable little brother anyone could ever imagine. He tried so hard to keep up with Charlie and Danny. Joey was a magnet. He attracted people of all ages. He could have done something big with his life, but you took care of that, didn't you? A man with a gun against a little boy. You are definitely a coward.

Carmen Julie Otero Montoya: Rader, you not only affected my life, but you took away the joy of the ultimate grandparents, aunt and uncle relationship my children deserve. My children, my grandchildren, my nieces and nephews will be told of their family with love. You see, in my world, family is everything, not your social obligations. Just recently, I realized that I could not remember my mother's voice. It was a painful discovery. But as I put my thoughts on paper, it comes to me: I am my mother's voice, and I know we've been heard.

Judge Gregory Waller: Now, I might state, before we proceed any further, um, I believe the media coordinator should have, uh, communicated with the media. If people do not want to be pictured, then the camera people are not to be photographing them. I don't know what Mr. Otero's desire was, nor Ms. Montoya, but you can voice it at this time if you do not desire to be pictured. I know [unclear: "that" / "if"] the TV camera has not been pointed toward them. All right. Well, I noticed that the... [07:08 to 07:10: clip ends mid-sentence.] ---