Original subtitles

REPORTER: Excuse me, Detective Magida. Just a few words.

I got nothing to say. Nothing's going to bring those innocent people back.

At least he won't hurt anybody else.

MAGIDA: He was a father. He was a husband. He was a community leader.

But underneath it all he was a monster.

He called himself BTK.

In a letter he wrote to the Wichita Eagle in 1974

he said the letters stood for, "Bind them, Torture them, Kill them."

He brutally murdered 10 people.

Terrorized our whole community.

And some thought we'd never catch him.

BAILIFF: All rise.

Be seated.

Will the Defense please rise?

At this time, comes on before the Court

the case captioned The State of Kansas, Plaintiff,

v. Dennis L. Rader, Defendant.

Case number is 2005 CR-498.

This matter comes on for trial. Is the State ready?

The State is ready to proceed, Your Honor.

Is the Defense ready?

Your Honor, at this time Mr. Rader would waive his right to a jury trial

and enter a plea of guilty on all 10 counts.

WOMAN ON TV: Highway 54 is moving well until you get to construction,

but you're used to that, Wichita.

There. You look very handsome.

You ain't so bad yourself.

I'll call you later. Bye.

It's been 30 years since the first BTK killings.

Author Robert Beattie has written a book about the serial killer,

and he's here to talk to our own Kelly Zerwick later this morning.

Stay with us, Wichita.

ANNOUNCER ON TV: Coming up later on the show, author Robert Beattie.

MAGIDA: Over 20 years had passed without a communication,

without a murder.

All those years and still no new leads, no suspects.

BTK had become the most infamous cold case of its time.

We tried to move on and put the darkness behind us.

What we didn't know was that the fear we all felt those 30 years ago

was about to start all over again.

You are in violation

of Park City Code 7 dash 3.

Here, boy. Come on.

WOMAN: Dennis Rader. What on Earth are you up to now?

Shh.

You are such a character, Dennis.

WOMAN: You leave Mary's dog alone, Dennis.

Come on in and have a cup of tea.

He sneaks out every day.

Dennis...

It's just a tranquillizer gun. It's not going to hurt him.

I can't watch this. I'll see you in church.

See you Sunday.

Good boy.

Good boy.

RADER: Waking up, aren't you, huh?

Hey, Debbie. How's your mom doing?

Much better. She wanted me to thank you for the flowers.

Oh, it was nothing. I'm glad she's okay.

There we go. In you go, Max.

MAN ON TV: I think we have a need...

I got a dog for you.

...to understand what happened...

Okay.

I'll check on your cat in one second, Mrs. Cudney.

CUDNEY: Thank you, Debbie.

...you've been researching these murders for a long time now.

Absolutely.

I probably know more about BTK

than BTK does.

So you think he's still alive.

Well...

Here, Dennis.

Well, we don't...

Thank you. We don't really know. A lot of people have...

It's kind of sad, isn't it? Somebody must have really loved those dogs.

I have considered that.

But there's also the possibility that he's very much alive

and still living in Wichita.

In fact, there is a possibility

that he could be watching this interview as we speak,

relishing it, which is kind of sickening.

You say in the book that he did seem to enjoy the attention.

Oh, I think he craved it, yes.

(TIRES SCREECHING)

MAGIDA: We thought maybe he was gone.

Dead or in jail or...

Maybe we were just hoping.

But he was still there,

a sleeping beast,

and something had just woke him up.

You can't tell my story.

♪ And the nights take my heart

♪ The floors all need pacing

"This is my story. The story of BTK. It is a damn good story. And a true one.

"And will be remember. As God is my witness."

♪ He sent you today

♪ Today, today, today

♪ Work day is done

♪ I can't linger to unwind

♪ I hurry on

♪ With just one thing on my mind

♪ It takes up every minute

♪ I spent here without you

♪ I've got a lot of missing her to do

♪ I've got a lot of missing her to do

♪ A lot of staring at the ceiling

♪ And the nights... ♪

(DOG BARKING)

RADER: On January 15, 1974,

I maliciously, intentionally, in premeditation, killed Joseph Otero.

All right, Mr. Rader, I need to find out more information.

RADER: Well, I had

did some thinking on what I was going to do to either Mrs. Otero, Josephine.

I basically broke into the house or I didn't break into the house,

but I came in the house and confronted the family

and then we went from there.

I think one of the kids, I think the...

Ju-Junior...

Not Junior... The...

Joseph opened the door. Probably let the dog out.

'Cause the dog was in the house at that time.

JOSEPH: Hi.

(TV PLAYING)

JUDGE WALLER: Did you know these people?

No, that's, uh...

No, that was part of my, I guess, my, what you would call, fantasy.

These people were selected.

(WOMAN SCREAMING)

Oh, God, no, no!

(WOMAN SHOUTING)

RADER: At that time I tied them up.

At that time the whole family just went, they went and panicked on me,

so I worked pretty quick.

They started complaining about being tied up,

so I re-loosened the bonds.

Then I went over to Junior and put the bag on his head.

After that Mrs. Otero woke back up,

and, you know, she was pretty upset, what's going on,

and so I go back over and at that point in time

strangled her for a... For the death strangle at the time.

JUDGE WALLER: What did you do then?

After that I took the other one to the basement and killed her.

Did you do anything else at the time?

Yes, I...

I had some sexual fantasy, but that was after she was dead.

MAGIDA: I first encountered BTK when I was 27 years old.

I'd been on the force for about three years.

Done some routine traffic stops, some domestic disturbance stuff,

but nothing like this.

REESE: The kids found their parents when they got home from school.

They were outside sobbing when Magida and I got here.

The oldest boy sent his brother and sister to stop the little ones from coming home

and finding their folks like that.

He didn't know they were inside with the parents.

So, who found them?

Well, we did.

The boy was in the bedroom and the

little girl was...

Excuse me a minute, would you, Sarge?

Yeah, sure.

(CAMERA CLICKING)

(COUGHING)

MAGIDA: They say there are some things you can't unsee.

This would be one of them.

(CAMERA CLICKING)

We all changed that night. All of us. The whole town.

He did that to us.

MAGIDA: 'Becky! Come on. If you want a ride, it's time.

RACHEL: Busy day? MAGIDA: Mmm-hmm.

REBECCA: Sorry, Dad.

Is that a change of clothes?

Shut up.

Bye, Mom. Bye.

MAGIDA: See you, beautiful. Bye, handsome.

Keep the world safe.

Always.

(INAUDIBLE)

(KNOCKING)

Come in.

You're gonna be late for work.

Oops! Thanks. Thank you.

I just want to finish this church business. I'll be right up.

I'll make your eggs to go. Thank you, honey.

Factor X whispers in my ear. Factor X whispers in my ear.

It tells me to kill. And I have no choice, so I do. I troll.

I stalk then I kill. I have no choice, so I do.

I troll, I stalk then I kill. And, oh, sweet sexual relief. Then I kill.

And, oh, sweet sexual relief. So I do. I troll, I stalk then I kill.

And, oh, sweet sexual relief.

...sweet sexual relief.

Hey, Jack, here you go. Say hi to Seymour.

(EXCLAIMING)

Aw!

Hi, there. What can I get you?

Hi.

May I take your order?

Oh, I was...

You're new here, huh, Sally?

Yep, started yesterday. Well, welcome, Sally.

I'll have a Number 1 lunch special, and an iced tea

with three ice cubes.

And maybe some of that peanut butter pie.

Three ice cubes?

Yeah, started as a joke, then it became a regular thing.

Three ice cubes it is.

You have very beautiful hair.

What?

Your hair. It's very beautiful.

Thanks.

How long is it?

Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt.

I think I know you. Mr. Rader, right?

Mmm-hmm.

You were my brother's Scout leader. You remember Tim Ashton?

Oh, yes, Tim. Couldn't tie a knot.

Oh, he still can't.

Anyway, you know, he just loved you.

Oh? Thanks. Tell him hi for me, will you?

I'll do that.

Tell him he better be working on that clove hitch.

Oh, okay.

Come on honey, let's go. You take care, now.

You, too. Bye-bye.

Thanks.

(HUMMING)

I had many, what I call them, projects.

Different people in the town that I followed, watched.

Kathryn Bright was one of the next targets, I guess, as I would indicate.

How did you select her?

I was just driving by one day

and I saw her go in the house with somebody else,

I thought, "That's a possibility."

I broke into the house and waited for her to come home.

She and Kevin Bright came in. I wasn't expecting him to be there

and come to find out, I guess, they were related.

JUDGE WALLER: Were you armed with a handgun at that time also?

RADER: Yes. Uh-huh. I had the Magnum in my shoulder holster.

The other one was a .22.

(GUN FIRING)

I used the .22. Shot him.

I thought he was down for good that time.

(SCREAMING)

I'll tell you what I thought. I thought the police were coming at that time.

I heard the door open, I thought, you know, that's it.

And I stepped out there and he...

I could see him running down the street

so I quickly cleaned up everything I could and left.

If I had the proper equipment with me, my special kill kit,

Kevin Bright would probably be dead today.

All right.

I'm not bragging on that. That's just a matter of fact.

RADER: Hello.

Hello, Vicki.

Vicki, Vicki...

No one knows

now they will...

MAGIDA: It had been almost 30 years since his last communication with us.

But in the spring of 2004,

he sent a letter to the paper reminding us that he was still out there.

Excuse me. Can I help you?

It's Hurst Laviana, from the Eagle. I need to talk to Detective Magida.

(PHONE RINGING)

All right, let's see this.

That murder was 20 years ago.

He kept those photos for 20 years?

He's alive.

This was just mailed to you at the paper?

HURST: Yeah.

You tell anybody else about this?

No. I brought it straight here.

EMS removed her body before the cops got there.

Yeah. I remember. There was a screw up.

They tried to pin the murder on the husband.

It was him. He killed her, Jason. Nobody else could have taken those.

Maybe someone found a box of his stuff in an attic and they're trying to...

No, his special signature is right here. We didn't make this public.

He's back, Jason. The damn bogeyman is back.

Give me a couple days with this, will you, Hurst?

Okay.

Uh, it's my story. I break it.

Absolutely.

So, what do we do now?

"Bill Thomas Killman." BTK.

All right, he gave us a return address.

We'll get the letter and the envelope processed for DNA and prints

and get us a warrant and see what we find.

This is the return address on the envelope.

You ever think about using a pad?

Saving a tree.

Mmm-hmm.

Gotta go. Thank you for a delicious lunch.

Well, thank you for the surprise visit.

I was in the neighborhood.

Still, it was a very nice thing to do.

Hi ho, hi ho. Call you later.

We're in.

Police.

Clear. ELLEN: Clear in here.

We're clear.

COP: Clear in the back.

I don't get it.

Why's he back? Where's he been all these years?

What's he doing?

WOMAN: Excuse me.

Hey, there.

Can I help you?

Is this your lawn?

Yeah.

Letting it go a little bit, huh?

It's okay. I'm not gonna cite you, but you need to keep it trimmed.

It's the law.

Okay.

You have a nice day.

MAGIDA: This is all BTK.

You think he's gonna kill again? I mean, the guy's gotta be pretty old by now.

I don't know what he's gonna do.

Back in '78 he said,

"There's no cure except death or being caught and put away."

Said that after he killed he just

went home and went about his life like anybody else.

You'd think with all this stuff they'd have caught him.

My mom died still afraid this guy was gonna jump out of a closet.

Excuse me.

Hi. I'm Mary Baxter. My dog's here, Max.

Dennis Rader. He took my dog. He left me this note.

Yes, he's here.

Oh, thank God. I'm sorry, I...

Let me just pay the fine and get out of here. $250, right?

Actually, Mr. Rader said he can't release Max until you meet with him.

Seems this isn't the first time.

What? Can he do that?

Look, I'll put up a new fence. I'll make sure Max never gets out again.

He said to call him.

Fine. Whatever. Can you give me his number?

Here you go. You need to speak to Mr. Rader before next Thursday.

There's a five-day time limit.

A five-day time limit?

After five days, if no one's claimed the dog, then we have to put him down.

Thanks, Sally.

Want your change? No.

Thanks.

Hi. How are you?

Very well, thank you. How are you?

I'm fine, thanks. What'll you have today?

I will have the Number 1 lunch special and an iced tea...

Three ice cubes.

Good memory. I'm flattered.

Pie?

Don't mind if I do.

Here.

It's for you.

Uh, what is it?

It's a poem.

I wrote it for you.

MAGIDA: We were looking for Manson.

Some crazy looking guy with a swastika burned into his forehead,

or a biker covered with jailhouse tats.

RADER: "They try to find me.

"They look and search. But they cannot.

"Because I am them."

MAGIDA: We had no clues, no description. He could be anyone.

He could be anywhere.

Every generation has that moment, that loss of innocence.

The moment they realize the world isn't a safe place.

How do you tell your family they're not safe anymore?

Hey.

You'll catch him.

This makes no sense.

Serial killers don't disappear for 15 years and then come back for no reason.

Did you talk to the guy from TV?

What guy?

The guy that's writing the book.

The lawyer guy. I saw him on a morning talk show.

He's writing a book about BTK.

When did you see this?

Wednesday, I think.

That's why he came out.

He doesn't want somebody else getting the attention.

(WHISTLING)

This is Throat Coat Tea.

Got it at that new healthy place.

It's got liquorice and slippery elm.

Thanks, honey. I'll be fine. You go to work.

You sure? Mmm-hmm. Mmm.

It's good? Mmm.

I'll call you later.

Don't worry so much.

I didn't get to your lunch. I'm sorry.

Now who's worrying?

You just get better.

MAGIDA: There's a theory of suspect zero.

It says that if a person randomly killed

with no attachment, no remorse,

he or she could continue to kill and never be caught

until he decided he wanted to be.

Right.

You think he wants to be caught?

I think this guy's about ego, power, control.

I agree.

He resurfaced just after your appearance, Mr. Beattie.

We think you pissed him off a little.

We think he wants to be heard.

(STAMMERING) Why do you... Why wasn't...

Why weren't people informed about this?

I mean, if this man is out there... They will be...

Don't they deserve to be informed? Yes, they will.

No. But for the moment I need your help.

(STUTTERING) How can I...

You people know just as much as I do. You probably know more.

What is it you want me to do? You can do what you've been doing.

Out there talking. Doing interviews. But we want you to coordinate with us.

We wanna press this guy, force his hand a little.

We want him communicating, not killing.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming.

I've called this press conference because we received a communication

we're sure is from the BTK killer.

He's still out there.

Now, we also believe he is responsible for the 1986 murder of Vicki Wegerly.

As well as several other murders occurring in the '70s and '80s.

Now, we don't wish to alarm anyone.

We simply want to re-emphasize that the person known as BTK

is still at large

and there is a need for special precautions

and awareness by everyone.

I prayed he was dead. I prayed so hard. I prayed for this town.

Now, now, honey. Relax. You're safe.

You're safe here with me. Hmm.

Oh, there, there, there, there.

There, there.

PASTOR: God has brought us a challenge.

He has placed before us a test.

A test of our resolve.

A test of our spirit.

And a test of our faith.

MAGIDA: And we were tested. We started doubting each other.

Fearing each other.

He'd killed 10 people and now we were just waiting to see when he'd strike again.

People stopped saying hello to strangers on the street.

No more smiles. No more friendly nods. Everyone was a suspect.

A rumor started that he went after women with long hair,

so women cut their hair.

We changed the way we looked, the way we thought, the way we felt.

We were a city under siege all over again.

None of us had any idea when it would end, or how.

PASTOR: And now I would like to ask you to all join hands

and pray

for a quick resolution of this terrible crisis.

Let us pray

that the BTK strangler be apprehended soon

so that our community may live in peace.

Let us pray.

ALL: Let us pray.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

Excellent service, Reverend.

When you get a moment can I talk to you about my plans to expand Sunday school?

Actually, Dennis, I was hoping to talk to you for a moment.

Certainly.

The nominating committee has asked me to invite you

to stand as president for the church council later this year.

Well, thank you.

All set?

All set, I guess.

Now I know how the worm feels.

VOICEMAIL: This is the cell phone for Dennis Rader, Compliance Supervisor.

Please leave a message...

VOICEMAIL: You have eight new messages.

MARY: This is Mary Baxter again.

I just want to get to get Max back. Please call me.

My number again is 555-0130.

I'll meet you at any time, I don't care. Call me at 555-0130.

VOICEMAIL: Message deleted.

MARY: This is Mary Baxter. I keep calling you.

Please, they won't give me my dog back until I talk to you, please...

VOICEMAIL: Message deleted.

MARY: Hi. Mr. Rader, this is Mary Baxter again. I just want to get...

Hey, there. What can I get you?

Oh, I was...

INTERVIEWER: Do you think that we'll catch him?

Sally working today?

Sally switched to nights.

She did?

Yeah. Better tips, I guess. What'll you have?

Number 1 lunch special and iced tea.

Coming up.

BEATTIE: I thought he was dead but now I think it's just a matter of time.

You know, some communities would crumble

under circumstances such as these.

Others rise to the occasion. I--I--I think we'll get him.

I think it'll be soon. I think we'll put an end to this terror.

And it'll be our finest hour.

INTERVIEWER: And what about yourself?

Are you at all nervous that he may come after you...

You okay?

I think he just wants the attention.

Here.

Keep the change.

You wanna take your lunch with you?

No.

Not hungry anymore.

Mrs. Baxter, I just got your messages and...

Murderer! My phone was out of order...

You waited five days.

On purpose. You let them kill my dog.

You killed Max.

I hope you burn in hell, you demented bastard.

How could you...

Why would you do this?

Because I can.

I will...

You have no idea who I am.

You have no idea who I am.

No idea.

But you know, don't you?

You know who I am, don't you?

Yeah, you know who I am, don't you?

(CHUCKLES)

RADER: Nancy Fox was another one of the projects.

(KNOCKING)

When I was trolling the area, I noticed her go into the house one night.

Sometimes I would...

Anyway, put her down as a potential victim.

So, you were not working in any form or fashion. You were just...

Well, I don't know if...

I don't know

if you've read much about serial killers,

but they go through what they call the different phases.

That's one of the phases they go through, is a trolling stage.

And you lay, basically...

You're looking for a victim at that time,

and that you could be trolling for months or years,

but once you lock in on a certain person, then you become a stalking,

and there might be several of them,

but you really, you really home in on that person.

And they, they basically become the...

That's, that's the victim.

At least you want them to be.

RADER: I dropped by once to check her mailbox,

see what her name was and where she worked.

I stopped by there once, Helzberg,

kind of sized her up. I, uh..

I, uh...

The more I knew about a person, the more I felt comfortable with it.

(GRUNTING)

I confronted her, told her there...

I was, I had a problem, sexual problem, that I would have to tie her up

and have sex with her.

She's a little upset.

We talk for a while,

she smokes a cigarette.

I took... I think I had a belt.

I took the belt and then strangled her with the belt at that time.

YOUNG RADER: You will find a homicide at 76 South Pershing.

Nancy Fox.

MAGIDA: He sent a letter to KWHA TV.

In it he said, "There a psycho running loose, strangling women.

"Who will be next?

"How many people do I have to kill before I get my name in the papers?"

Jerry Slovin?

Mr. Slovin?

Oh, uh... Detectives.

Magida and this is Detective Baines. Can we see the letter?

This came in the mail this morning.

God, the girl at the front desk almost had a heart attack.

I had to give her the day off.

"Thomas B. King." TBK, cute.

408 Wade Street.

Probably empty. Or doesn't exist.

I'll get somebody to check it out.

Is this about another murder?

Let's hope not.

What's with this, these chapter headings? You really think he's writing a book?

MAGIDA: "A Serial Killer is Born.

"Dawn. Fetish. Fantasy World. The Search Begins.

"BTK Haunts. Treasured Memories."

Please don't go public with this just yet. We want to control this information.

Look, with all due respect, Detective, this is news.

If this guy is out there... Look, we're trying to avoid panic.

Panic?

Detective, my wife takes karate lessons and is carrying a handgun.

She won't sleep in our bedroom because it's on the first floor.

My son, he wants to move. My daughter, she has nightmares.

And me, my blood pressure is going through the roof.

So how about this? Let's spend a little less time on PR

and a little more time on trying to catch this psycho.

Mr. Slovin, we are doing everything we can catch this guy.

It is a difficult time for everyone.

But if you in any way hinder our pursuit, I will personally see to it...

Magida, we should go back to the station.

Smug little...

They're all looking at us, you know.

I see it on the street, in restaurants. They're all looking at us.

Why can't we catch this guy? We'll get him. He's talking to us.

He's doing what we want. We'll catch him.

Hello, hello.

(CHILDREN CHATTERING)

MAGIDA: Anything on the tip lines?

We've had close to 200 calls already.

Anything worth a damn?

Not unless you count the guy who thinks his dog is BTK

because he came home with a bra in his mouth.

Well, let's find out where that bra came from.

Right. MAGIDA: Gents...

We got saliva from the stamp and the envelope.

Let's get DNA from any suspect we ever liked.

We'll run it through Sedgwick. We don't get a match we run through the national bases.

And we need names of every inmate got out of a Kansas prison this last year.

Same drill, Sedgwick, then the national bases.

And I want swabs from every cop

that was on the job back then.

That's gonna piss some people off.

I know it.

Geez, I hate word puzzles.

My tenth grade math teacher, Mr. Noah, used to make us do these. I sucked at it.

I used to do the crossword every day.

The only thing I learned is that "oleo" is a four-letter word for butter.

What do you think he wants us to know?

He wants us to know he's out there.

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

(GRUNTING)

Rebecca, just wait here for a second.

What? Why?

Just wait.

Honey? Jason? Mom, what's wrong?

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

(DOORKNOB CLICKING)

REBECCA: Mom, what's wrong?

(THUDDING)

Oh! Oh, God! Oh!

Rachel! What're you doing?

Oh, my God. Jason.

Oh, God. I'm so sorry.

Oh, God. I am sorry. MAGIDA: No, it's nothing. Nothing.

Let me see. Let me see. No. Oh, no, no. It's nothing. Nothing.

What were you doing?

I thought I heard a noise. No, I was just...

It was so dark.

And I thought I heard a noise, and then...

I'm sorry, I'm sorry I scared you.

It's okay. I was just getting charcoal for the grill.

I thought he was here. I thought he was here.

MAGIDA: Over the next three months the communications continued.

The federal government granted an additional million dollars

because of what they called "the implied threat."

(POLICE RADIO CHATTERING)

Let's see it.

MAGIDA: We had more people, more money, more equipment,

and still felt no closer to catching the guy.

(COPS CHATTERING)

(PHONE RINGING)

You ready to do this?

Yeah. Yeah, let's go.

Good. Let's go talk to the people.

(PHONES RINGING)

MAGIDA: What if it's all crap?

What if all this information this guy is sending us is just, you know...

Look, maybe something good will come of it.

The main thing is we keep communicating. The more he talks...

MAGIDA: Since March of this year,

BTK has sent numerous communications

to the media and to the police.

In these letters, he has provided certain background information,

which he claims is accurate.

The following information is being released to the public in hopes of identifying BTK.

He claims that he was born in 1939.

That would make him age 64 or 65 today.

His father died in World War II,

and he was raised by his mother and his grandparents.

His family always lived near the railroad.

He took part in outdoor hobbies, hunting, fishing, camping.

1960, he went to tech military school,

thereafter enlisted in the Army, went active duty.

I don't understand why a killer would go and tell the police

all those things about himself.

Maybe he was lying.

...period between '66

and his spree of killing started in February...

For all we are about to receive, we are eternally grateful.

(COPS CHATTERING)

Honey, please come upstairs.

In a while, sweetie.

Oh, my God, Jason.

Don't look at these.

Hey, Dad! Ellen's on the phone. Don't come down here.

I wasn't gonna. Did she say what she wanted?

She said it's really important, and she's coming over to pick you up.

Right away? Yup.

I think we've got something.

Anonymous tip, guy fits most of BTK criteria.

And he has an outstanding warrant.

For what? Housing code violations.

You're kidding, aren't you?

Hey, an outstanding warrant is an outstanding warrant.

Oh, I don't know.

We can't just go banging into houses. What if it's not the right guy?

Talk about raising a panic.

Police!

Police! Police! Nobody move!

(POLICE SIRENS WAILING)

COP: Put your hands in the air.

COP: Fall in.

COP 1: House is secure. COP 2: All clear.

WOMAN ON TV: Police haven't confirmed anything about last night's arrest

and won't release the Hispanic man's name.

Sources say that the man in custody... RADER: Honey.

...is a prime suspect in the BTK killings. We're out of cereal.

DNA came back negative.

The press is gonna have a field day with this one.

WOMAN ON TV: Roger Valdez has been cleared as a BTK suspect and released today.

Police deny the arrest had anything to do with the serial killer, who remains at large.

COP ON PA: Officer report to processing area.

Officer report to processing area.

Hello, Dennis.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

Hi, Hilda. How are you?

Hi, sweetie.

Hi, Mom.

Don't I have the best son?

I just wanna finish my show. Oh.

The next town is Lake Marquette, isn't it?

It is.

Perhaps you could recommend a garage?

Please make your phone call. It's getting late.

Good night. Good night.

Good night, Ellen.

Taking off?

Yeah. You should take off, too.

Yeah.

You okay?

We interviewed thousands of guys,

we swabbed over 1,500 of them.

Regular "swab-a-thon."

What's left?

Lab's working 24/7 and it's six weeks behind.

So, maybe we get lucky. Maybe not.

In the meantime, we got no DNA match.

Quantico's got nothing.

The shrinks can't help us.

I'm beginning to think we can't get this guy.

I'm beginning to think this guy's a frigging ghost.

PASTOR: And lastly, but certainly not least,

my friends, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you

the new president of our church council,

Dennis Rader.

Dennis, why don't you come up here and lead us in prayer?

Thank you.

Thank you. This is... I don't know...

Uh...

A verse from Psalm 133 I think says it pretty good.

"How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

Well, as long as Legal and the FCC say it's okay, I'm all for it.

How long would the messages be?

Quantico says the optimal length for a subliminal message

is two-tenths of a second.

I think this is crazy, but...

You said you'd try anything. Yeah.

All right, we're good to go. Excuse me.

Mr. Beattie, thank you very much for coming tonight.

Thank you for having me.

And what makes you think you know more about BTK than he knows about himself?

Well, something that you have to understand

about a man of this type

is that he's not functioning in the rational world.

He's what I call an extreme

savage narcissist.

He's so self-absorbed,

he's so filled

with these inflated delusions of grandeur that...

Okay, back it up and give us frame by frame.

What's with the glasses?

He left his glasses at the Nancy Fox killing.

How many of those messages are in the interview?

Four.

Let's hope it works.

...last time with you. There we go.

BEATTIE ON TV: He's what I call an extreme savage...

You got that collar for me, Debbie?

Yeah. Sure.

...so self-absorbed, he's so filled with these...

What do you do with them, anyway?

Records.

...there's no possibility...

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

This guy is sending us his autobiography, chapter by chapter.

It's Nancy Fox.

MAGIDA: Something's about to happen.

He's moving the location of his drops away from downtown.

He's branching out, he's getting bolder, taking risks.

You take risks. Maybe you make mistakes. Maybe you get sloppy.

Maybe we get a break.

RADER: "Date: Week of 1-17-2005.

"Where: Between 69th N and 77th N on Seneca Street.

"Contents: Oaties Box, C-9. PJ-Little Max. & Doll.

"Acronym: List and jewelry.

"Let me know somehow if you or Wichita PD receive this.

"Also let me know if you or PR received Number 7

"at Home Depot drop site."

He must be kidding.

"Can I communicate with floppy and not be traced to a computer?

"Be honest." Floppy disk?

He wants us to answer him in a classified ad.

He can't be that stupid.

I hope you smile for the camera.

(PHONE RINGING)

ELLEN: Can't see the license plate.

That'd be too easy. What is that, a Jeep?

Cherokee. Got to be at least 2,000 or 3,000 of those in the city.

All right. Let's start looking.

Did we place the ad?

Just like he asked us to.

Why would he trust us? Excuse me, sir.

Magida, you got company.

Jason,

I just wanted to...

I--I just wanted to run the story by you.

The deadline's in about a half-hour,

and I just wasn't sure whether it was what you wanted.

It's just a little op-ed piece.

"We are not being hunted by BTK, but he is being hunted by all of us."

It's pretty good.

So, you think it'll help?

I think it'll help the people.

And we need to take control away from him. This will help remind us of that.

So, you think it's okay?

I think it's very good.

Okay. And I think it's gonna drive him nuts.

Hmm.

(DOOR OPENING)

(DOOR CLOSING)

Hey, what's going on? Are you okay?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

I'm fine, honey.

I'm just... I'm gonna do a little work.

You go to bed. I'll be there in a little. Okay?

Okay. Good night.

Good night.

He keeps coming right at us.

We're gonna get this son of a bitch.

All right, another Oaties this time,

and we've got a chapter entitled "Hits."

Josie Otero.

(DOG BARKING)

Made you some cookies. Don't... Don't...

Don't sneak up on me like that.

Sneak up? You're working too hard.

Looks like a tornado blew through here.

Now, one day, I should just come out here and start throwing out all...

Please don't.

I like it like this.

(LAUGHING)

Church bulletin looks good.

I don't know why it's not printing.

I told you to buy it new. When you get used, you just never know.

Mmm.

Okay. Here we go.

Where are you going?

Church. I'll use their printer.

Mmm, these are great. Thanks.

Delicious. Thanks.

Oh, hold these, will you? Sure.

I gotta lock up.

Reverend?

Dennis, what a nice surprise.

I was getting a flyer about the potluck ready to print,

but something's wrong with my printer.

Can I use the one in the office?

You know you don't even need to ask, Dennis.

Thank you, Reverend.

Thank you.

What's this?

Oh, man.

Jump up a sec, John.

What can you tell us about where that's been?

I can ID the software. Find out where the program came from.

Then maybe we can pull the user.

How long will it take?

Shouldn't take me too long.

Wow.

Wow what?

It was made by a guy named Dennis.

Any last name?

No.

Here's the thing, the software comes from a church.

What? Yeah. Christ Lutheran Church.

Let's go to church.

Do you think?

We'll know soon enough.

There's only one Dennis with access to our computer, Dennis Rader,

the president of our church council.

God.

Well, I'm sure whatever this is, Officers,

there must be some mistake.

Dennis Rader is a good man.

DETECTIVE: Dennis L. Rader, born March 9, 1945.

He graduated Heights High School '63.

He served in the Air Force between '66 and '70.

In '74, he moved on to ADT Security.

And went to night school at WSU.

He graduated in '79, with a degree in Administration of Justice.

Perfect.

In 1990, he took a job as a Park City compliance officer.

He's a dogcatcher.

Gents, gather round, please.

Denny, you're gonna wanna hear this.

We got him, guys. We've got the name.

The name is Dennis L. Rader. He lives at...

MAGIDA: He'd been hiding in plain sight, right under our noses, all this time.

He'd been watching us for 30 years, so now we were gonna watch him.

He was like clockwork, down to the minute.

We knew his route to and from work, mapped down to the inch.

We set up a special com line, a frequency he couldn't get on his radio at work.

We had warrants for his house, his office, the animal hospital,

the church and his mother's room.

We even got a subpoena to access his children's medical records for DNA.

We were not gonna let him get off on a technicality.

We watched him. We isolated him.

We had 215 officers all ready to jump.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

(PHONE RINGING)

When the time was right...

Yeah.

Okay, thanks.

What?

The daughter's DNA sample came back.

It's a match. We got him.

Thank God.

(ALARM BEEPING)

Good luck.

Luck's out of the equation.

I love you.

Bye, Dad.

Hey!

Forget something?

(RADER LAUGHING)

Raspberry jelly.

Thank you, darling.

You're my best girl.

Morning. Morning.

Spaghetti sauce and salad for tonight's potluck.

I thought you couldn't make it. Oh, I can't. But I signed up.

I'd hate to leave you without any sauce.

Thanks. Bye, now.

Stay in the vehicle!

Don't move!

Don't move!

(POLICE SIRENS WAILING)

Out of the car. Out of the vehicle. On the ground.

Cuff him.

MAGIDA: Get him up.

Hello, Detective Magida.

Mr. Rader.

Do you know why you're being arrested?

I have suspicions why.

Get him in the car.

Nicely done.

Well done.

CHIEF PACKER: We knew we had to get to this day.

We knew that we had to do everything in our power

to bring about resolution and justice,

and that's just what we set our sights on.

It was about the law enforcement community coming together for one purpose

and one purpose only,

to identify and apprehend BTK.

The bottom line is we got him.

BTK is arrested.

(PEOPLE CHEERING)

MAGIDA: Do you know about the BTK investigation?

Yeah. I've been a BTK fan for years, watching it.

ELLEN: Do you know what will happen if your DNA sample comes back a match?

I guess that might be it then.

MAGIDA: Do you know anything about the murders?

There were four... Well, whatever was in the paper, the Otero family...

In the paper, four members were killed. A man and a wife, two kids.

The way the paper dictated, it's pretty brutal, pretty brutal.

Should we get some coffee?

We traced the disk back to your church, Mr. Rader.

It came from you.

MAGIDA: The DNA came back positive.

Well, there's no way I can weasel out of that or lie.

Isn't any way you can get out of DNA, right?

Okay, then, I guess...

Well, this will take a while.

We can start with one and work the others.

I was a D+ or C- type person in college.

I'm not a very good speller. You probably already know that.

In fact, my wife said to me the other day, she said, "You spell just like BTK."

I'm a sadist. I knew as early as elementary school. I would...

Yeah, I've killed animals and to...

I would get a cat or a dog, tie them up, strangle them.

I'm...

Well, I'll... You know, although I'm a bad guy, I care for people and, you know,

and I have concerns for people.

I never stood out.

That, I suppose...

That would be one of my, what I would call, one of my gifts.

Here you go.

Just put that in the refrigerator.

Put BTK on the lid there, so later on we'll know which one's mine.

Why aren't there more?

Well, it seemed like as I got older, I started making...

Physically, I just wasn't up to it.

I knew if I'd have to fight somebody it'd have to be an older person,

because I'd be just...

I'd just be winded or wouldn't be able to fight physically.

I don't know.

Maybe I just started to mellow out a little bit.

I just recently threw away my backup weapon, a .22.

That's the one I used when I shot Bright. I shot Kevin Bright with it.

He got out and he's a big old guy.

So, I just, quick, like you do in the Westerns, like John Wayne...

I just, without hardly thinking, I just grabbed my backup, pointed it and fired.

Bang. Bang.

That's just blowing smoke.

That's all that was, blowing smoke. I knew I could stir the pot.

You guys took it for a while.

I told you to search deep and you did.

I bet you guys searched houses and you were...

You guys took it line, sinker and hook and all, for a while.

My scrapbooks are slick ads.

You probably don't know about those yet.

You'll find them.

Right here, that's what you call a cupboard.

Where you put all your dry goods, okay?

Bottom drawer. You take that out, there's a false bottom.

(TAPPING ON DESK)

Slick ads are like the treasures to me.

I had a compartmentalized situation where I was, mostly.

I would have my social contacts, that's what I would call my family,

people in my church and at my work situation.

And then I would have the business of being under Factor X

of being... of being the

serial killer.

I don't think it was actually the person I was after, I think it was the dream.

You have to remember you're talking to this really

weird guy that has these dreams.

I know it's not a very nice thing to say about a person,

but they were basically just an object.

They were just an object. That's all they were.

I had more satisfaction building up to it

and afterwards than I did actually killing the person.

Now, are they going to... If... Am I going to...

In a special section of the jail

or am I gonna be thrown in with a bunch of loonies?

There were different ways.

Sometimes, I used the rope.

Sometimes, I used stocking.

Mostly, I had my kit...

I think.

Basically what I was doing is phasing the stuff out,

because I was shutting this stuff down in about a year, if I got through it.

And once the story was done,

I might get...

I might do another hit, I might not do another hit.

It's just, I tried.

There is this one girl I've been working on for a while now.

I think that I would definitely... I was always in the trolling stage.

But sometimes...

Maybe I didn't get back to the house, maybe they didn't come home,

for some reason I didn't go.

There are a lot of lucky people out there.

Yeah. There would have been more, probably, if I would have succeeded, yeah.

You're almost guaranteed it. There are a lot of lucky people.

Does any party desire any further matters

to be put on the record at this time?

No, Your Honor.

All right.

You may be seated, Mr. Rader.

I just have one more question.

Okay.

Did you really think we were that stupid?

Hmm?

You asked whether that disk could be traced.

How come you lied to me?

I was trying to catch you.

I thought we had a rapport going, Jason.

I thought you'd wanna know how the story ends.

MAGIDA: The thing I keep asking myself is this,

how do you keep going?

I mean, when you know there are people out there like that?

How do you kiss your kid goodbye and send her off to school?

Maybe that's the lesson here.

There's always gonna be something out there we can't make sense of.

Something that scares us so much we can't move.

But in the midst of that terror,

there is no choice

but to find the strength, the faith, to keep going,

to keep living.

Otherwise, they win.