Dennis Rader, the "BTK Killer"

Dennis Rader murdered ten people in and around Wichita, Kansas, between 1974 and 1991. He gave himself the name "BTK," for "Bind, Torture, Kill," describing his method, and sent taunting letters to police and media over the years, including long stretches of silence.

A three-decade manhunt

Rader evaded capture for over 30 years while working as a Boy Scout leader and church council president, living an outwardly ordinary life. He resumed contact with media in 2004, after years of silence, reigniting the investigation.

Capture

In 2005, investigators traced a computer disk Rader sent to a local news station to a church computer linked to him, along with other evidence, leading to his arrest.

Trial and sentence

Rader pleaded guilty in 2005 and was sentenced to ten consecutive life sentences; Kansas did not have the death penalty in effect for the years his crimes were committed. He remains incarcerated.