BTK Speaks To KAKE

Thursday, July 7, 2005

When Dennis Rader appears in court for an August sentencing, he may apologize to the victim’s families. It’s also a time when he says he may express his “remorse.”

"Well, at the sentencing, it's going to be very remorseful, apologetic to them,” Rader said in an interview from the jail. “I will be working on that. That's one of the things that I am working on is a speech prepared for that. I think sentencing will be a pretty emotional day, probably have to have a box of Kleenex that day."

In court, many new details will come out about the crimes. That's because District Attorney Nola Foulston is going after the 'Hard 40' on one of the counts of first-degree murder. We are told the details of what Dennis Rader did to his victims are gruesome and will revolt those who hear them.

"You know, how could a guy like me, a church member with a family go out and do those sorts of things,” Rader said. “The only thing I can figure out is that I've compartmentalized somewhere in my body where I can do those sorts of things and go back and live a normal life which is unbelievable sometimes that it has happened."

Compartmentalized or not, it shocks people that in court Rader showed and continues to show no public remorse for any of the killings.

"It's just a factual basis and I have people ask me how can you can talk like that, kind of matter of fact,” Rader said. “I'm a detail person, I talk in details and it's probably part of factor X or something."

Now for those who believed Dennis Rader was posting messages on the Internet, he says he is going to have to "burst their bubble.” Rader told us he has never posted anything on any Internet message board for fear that it would be traceable.

There was also much speculation that Rader was trying to be caught.

"No, I was not trying to be caught,” Rader said. “I just played cat and mouse too long with the police and they finally figured it out. No, I was going to ride off into the sunset. I was closing everything down. I had about another half a year and that would have been it."

When asked if he was going to kill again, Rader said, "No, although I did set some thing up for the police to take a couple of spins on it, but I was pretty well shutting things down."

KAKE’s Larry Hatteberg then asked, “So you were not going to kill again, you had no 'projects' in the works?”

"Well, yes and no,” Rader said. “There was probably one more. I was really thinking about it, but I was beginning to slow down age-wise my 'thinking' process, so it probably would have never went. It was probably more of an ego thing.”

"Had you picked the person at that point?” Hatteberg asked.

"Oh yes, uh-huh,” Rader said. “There was one already picked out."

“Do you know her name?” asked Hatteberg.

"No, not at this time, I will never release that," Rader said.

We also learned partially why BTK dropped out of sight for nearly two decades. Face to face, Rader told KAKE News that, at first, he didn't have an answer for that. Then we pressed him. He then said that when he stopped communicating there were major conflicts going on in his life. What those were, he wouldn't say.

He also told us why he re-appeared early last year. The reason: Robert Beattie's book, “Nightmare in Wichita.” When Rader heard a book was in the works, he said he wanted to tell his story. That, Rader said, is why he reappeared.

"If that is what happened then we are happy for the community and we can both sleep better," Beattie said.

We asked if there were any other murders we didn't know about. He said there were only 10.

"That's it,” he said. Then he quickly added, "There were other things that happened,” and indicated that it had to do with the people he stalked, but wouldn't elaborate.

Next month following sentencing, Rader will go to prison at The El Dorado Correctional facility, which will be his home until he dies. About prison, Rader said, "It can't be that bad." He referred to it as the “'old soldiers home.” Rader added that in the Sedgwick County Jail so far, he has learned how to rob a bank and start a fire; he referred to it as “crime 101.”

As Dennis Rader goes through the final days of the judicial process, most people are ready for it to end. Rader continues to be matter-of-fact about the killings and that infuriates many who watch.

"If someone sits with me in a room and starts talking with me about it, I get emotionally involved,” Rader said. “Even right now it cracks my voice a little bit."

It's statements like that that most people don't buy. His killings reflect cold-blooded murder and torture by a man apparently without conscience or feeling. Now, the only thing the public and Dennis Rader can agree on, is that perhaps someday an answer can be found as to what turns a man to into a monster.

"Finally it erupts and no one knows exactly why,” Rader said. “It will be things people can work on, psychologists, book writers, criminologists can work on it. I'll work on it too. I have a long time to figure it out. Many more years.”

Dennis Rader has a number of people writing to him, about 370 letter so far.