DOCUMENT: Crime

BTK's Chilling Confession

Kansas serial killer clinically describes ten murder 'projects'

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BTK's Chilling Confession

JUNE 28--When BTK serial killer Dennis Rader rose yesterday in a Wichita court to plead guilty to ten murders, onlookers could not have imagined the nonchalant, matter-of-fact fashion in which the 60-year-old murderer would detail a terror spree dating back to 1974.

Here you will find the official court transcript of Rader's chilling description of those crimes to Judge Greg Waller, who accepted Rader's plea in Sedgwick County District Court. At Waller's urging, Rader provided detailed accounts of each killing, which he dispassionately described as "projects" or "hits."

At one point, as he explained the serial killer's modus operandi, Rader said, "they go through what they call different phases. In the trolling stage, basically, you're looking for a victim at that time. You can be trolling for months or years, but once you lock in on a certain person, you become a stalker. There might be several of them, but you really hone in on one person. They basically become the...victim. Or, at least that's what you want it to be."

The transcript picks up as Rader begins describing his crimes, for which he is expected to be sentenced to life in prison. (50 pages)