This serial killer case really needs the Netflix treatment

Key insights

• Netflix has not yet covered BTK murderer Dennis Rader, despite tackling other infamous serial killer cases.
• Dennis Rader, the BTK murderer, was caught in 2005 after resurfacing due to a book about his murders.
• He was the epitome of a narcissistic killer, and a potential Netflix series could be a captivating and frightening tale.

Netflix is the most popular streamer for top-notch true crime documentaries and has a particular interest in serial killer cases. They have covered many of history’s most famous murderers, including The Night Stalker, Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy, and later this month they will feature the most famous unsolved serial killer in a series This is the zodiac speaking. But, There’s one serial killer that Netflix hasn’t covered in detail yet, and that’s Dennis Rader: The BTK Killer, who plagued Wichita, Kansas in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.

BTK stands for Bind, Torture and Kill, and the nickname was self-appointed by Rader and he mocked the media and police before he was finally arrested in 2005. In many ways, he was similar to the Zodiac Killer, and if, as expected, Netflix’s new deep dive into this particular killer is a success, BTK could be next on the agenda for killers to be featured in a Netflix true crime documentary series can be seen.

The BTK Killer was one of America’s worst serial killers, so it’s surprising that Netflix hasn’t made a true crime series about the case yet

If Netflix made a true crime documentary series about Dennis Rader, one person would be very happy about it, and that is Dennis Rader. And in many ways that would be a good reason not to do it. BTK is a narcissistic, evil killer who constantly craved attention and when he didn’t get it, he lashed out and that ultimately led to his capture. Not reporting on Rader’s brutal rampage would be a missed opportunity, since the case is so compelling and definitely fits into Netflix’s remit of truly horrific true crime stories: If Netflix were to pick up his story, perhaps it would be an idea to simply put Rader in solitary confinement for the rest of his miserable existence and let him die, unaware that interest in his crimes has been reignited.

On the surface, Dennis Rader was an ordinary family man with a wife and two children, and he was an active member of the local church in Wichita, Kansas. However, beneath this facade lurked an extremely dark side that manifested itself on January 15, 1974 he brutally murdered four members of the Otero family. The victims were Joseph Otero Sr., Julia Maria Otero and two of their children, Joseph “Joey” Otero II and Josephine “Josie” Otero. Their bodies were discovered by Joseph and Julia’s three older children, who had been at school during the brutal attack. This was just the beginning of his reign of terror, as he killed six more women after breaking into their homes. Rader worked at the Wichita office of ADT Security Services between 1974 and 1988, where he installed security alarms, and ironically, his clients were people seeking safety from the BTK murders.

Dennis ‘BTK’ Rader’s victim

• The Otero family – January 15, 1974. Broke into her house and tied her up, tortured and killed her.
• Kathryn Doreen Bright – April 4, 1974: Stabbed three times. Her friend Kevin Bright survived.
• Shirley Ruth Relford – March 17, 1977: He strangled her with a rope after putting a plastic bag over her head.
• Nancy Jo Fox – December 8, 1977: killed by strangulation with a belt on her bed after breaking in and cutting the telephone lines.
• sea ​​hedge – April 27, 1985: Rader killed her and took her body to Christ Lutheran Church, where he was president of the church council, before turning her in.
• Vicki Lynn Wegerle – September 16, 1986: Rader was strangled with a nylon stocking after gaining entry to her home by posing as a telephone repairman.
• Dolores Earline “Dee” Davis – January 19, 1991: Rader’s last victim. She was found on February 1, 1991. He strangled her with her own pantyhose.

In 1978, Rader sent a letter to Wichita television station KAKE claiming responsibility for the murders of the Oteros, Bright, Vian, Relford and Fox. At this point, he suggested becoming known as “BTK” and called for more media attention for his crimes.

How many do I have to kill before I get a name in the newspaper or national attention?

How was Dennis Rader caught?

The BTK killer resurfaced in 2004. After this became known, a book about his murders was to be published, and he was desperate to get credit for it. He began sending packages to the police with evidence that proved he was who he said he was. He wrote letters to the police and asked if they could be written on a floppy disk and whether this would be traceable. They lied and said they couldn’t, so on February 16, 2005, Rader sent his letter and other items to KSAS-TV. Police found metadata embedded in a deleted Microsoft Word document stored on the disk. It contained the words “Christ Lutheran Church” and the document was marked “Dennis.”

A quick internet search later revealed that Dennis Rader was president of the church board. Police gathered enough evidence to make an arrest and Rader was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is currently serving his sentence at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas.

Netflix explored Dennis Rader’s story in Mindhunter, but it was never fully explored as the series came to an abrupt end after two seasons

Mindhunter originally aired on Netflix between 2017 and 2019 and went on to become one of the best true crime dramas out there. Based on the book by FBI profiler John Douglas, Mindhunter: In the FBI’s elite serial crime unitSet in the late 1970s, the film revolves around two FBI agents who investigate the psychology behind murders and travel across the country interviewing real monsters. The beginning of each episode featured a glimpse of an ADT mechanic (Sonny Valicenti) engaging in a cat-and-mouse interaction with law enforcement early in his career as a serial killer. Of course, that unnamed character was Dennis Rader, and with that character the series was clearly growing into something great before abruptly coming to an end after two seasons.

Mindhunter was a critical success, but unfortunately viewership could not justify further seasons as the series was also extremely expensive to produce. However, the cast seems interested in returning to the series and David Fincher hasn’t completely ruled it out. When it happens, Mindhunter Season 3 should catch up with BTK and explore the case further as it is left with a tantalizing cliffhanger. Meanwhile, Netflix should make a true crime documentary about Rader’s crimes to give audiences the true story.

Watch Mindhunter on Netflix now