In a dramatic turn of events, the man held in connection with the BTK murders (serial murders that happened over a course of almost three decades by someone who eluded capture for 31 years), confessed to being the notorious killer. BTK, a nickname given by the killer, himself, stands for "bind them, torture them, kill them".
Dennis L. Rader was expected to change his plea of "not guilty" to "guilty," partially at the request of his family to make it easy on them. To tell you the truth, though, I don't know how any of this could be easy for anyone who knows or loves him. He did change his plea, and then he non-chalantly described every aspect of the killings: how he gained entry into the homes, how he went about the killings, step by step, and how he got away with each one. All this, he told without emotion. It was sickening and very, very disturbing.
I only watched about the first five minutes of his description of the Otero family murders (this was a family full of Judo experts; the youngest of the victims was only 9 years old). After that, I couldn't listen to any more, and I had work to do. I was getting ready to bundle newspapers for delivery for customers of mine who had placed announcements that ran in last Sunday's paper.
While I was bundling papers, The Wichita Eagle was printing (or, at that time, preparing to print) an "Extra Edition" featuring the guilty plea, abbreviated descriptions of the murders, and the victims. Needless to say, it sold out before the day was over, but not before I was able to get a copy for myself. A photo or two of that edition is forthcoming.
In an effort to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information, I'm providing the following links:
The Wichita Eagle, the newspaper I work for, and also one of the media outlets that received communications with BTK prior to his arrest
Eagle links that go directly to BTK coverage
KAKE-TV, the ABC television affiliate that had dealt directly with communications with BTK before his arrest
KAKE-TV links that go directly to BTK coverage: here, here, here, and here.
I may add more as the coverage continues.
Keep in mind that most of this information will only be available for a limited amount of time, so eat up what you can while you have the opportunity. Remember that the "Extra Edition" of today's paper sold out in a matter of about five or six hours. Chances are, there will be more information released over the next few days, weeks, or more, as it is released from sealed status in the court system.
I'll do my best to give my own updates with links, as well. But keep in mind that I have a full-time job now that keeps me very busy, plus a Mary Kay business that fluctuates with consistency.
If you have any questions that you aren't finding answered in the links I provided, let me know and I'll see what I can do to find the information for you.
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3 comments:
Ok, so how does one man subdue an entire family of judo experts?
Josh,
From what I understand from testimony that's been given, apparently the father, Joseph Otero, had been recovering from an auto accident and had some broken ribs. He wasn't expected to be home in the first place, and Rader had trouble with him, but took Mr. Otero by surprise by having a pistol with him.
Second, women are generally weaker and depend more on their husbands when they're around, and she could have been too afraid to use any kind of move that would disarm Rader. From the martial arts I learned, disarming someone can be very tricky, and the slightest wrong move can cost you your life.
The other two people in the Otero family who were killed were just kids. The youngest was only 9 years old (a boy, Joseph Jr.) and the other was his slightly older sister, Josephine. You know that kids aren't going to stand a chance against an armed man.
The element of surprise was supposedly the biggest thing. Also, Rader (from what I remember) somehow got most of the family members into a smaller room in the house, so there wasn't much room to move around, and with everyone around, disarming was particularly dangerous.
(1) Rader had the element of surprise. He had a plan, the tools and was prepared.
(2) He promised not to hurt them by saying he only wanted the car/food.
(3) Judo in practice and in a self defence situation , very different!
...the list goes on as to how he pulled it off. It's so sad, my heart goes out the the family of the Otero's. God bless them and may they be at peace now and forever.
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