BTK killer receives 10 life sentences

WICHITA, Kan. – Dennis Rader, who terrorized this city for three decades as the faceless “BTK” serial killer, was sentenced Thursday to 10 consecutive life terms in prison, one for each of his victims.

In tearful courtroom statements, several family members of the victims branded Rader a “monster” who did not deserve to live. Most of them walked out when Rader rose to speak before sentencing. “Why should we give him the satisfaction of listening to him?” said Carmen Otero Montoya, whose parents and two siblings were Rader’s first four victims.

The man who nicknamed himself “BTK” – for “Bind, Torture, Kill” – will die behind bars. Rader, 60, committed his crimes from 1974 to 1991, when Kansas had no death penalty. The sentences total 175 years without parole, the maximum allowed.

The case opened an unprecedented glimpse into the world of one of America’s most notorious serial killers. The two-day sentencing hearing revealed shocking images of Rader’s double life as a church president, Scout leader and suburban dogcatcher whose secret sex fantasies drove him to kill. He called the demon inside him “Factor X.” Detectives said he intended to commit one more murder before age 69. Before Rader was sentenced, a dozen family members confronted him in court. “This man needs to be thrown in a deep, dark hole and left to rot,” Beverly Plapp, sister of 1977 victim Nancy Fox, said amid sobs. “Nancy’s death is like a deep wound that will never, ever heal.” Rader removed his glasses and wiped away tears. The display of emotion was a sharp contrast to a court appearance in June when he pleaded guilty and calmly described how he stalked and killed each of his victims.

This time, Rader gave a rambling, sometimes tearful statement. He quoted from the Bible and admitted he was “self-centered” and a “sexual predator.” He thanked his pastor, jailers and defense lawyers. He said his wife, Paula, who divorced him last month, was “the final victim.”

The long-dormant BTK case was revived last year when the killer communicated with police and local media after decades of silence. Rader was arrested in February after police traced a computer disk that he had made at his church.