5 chilling details about BTK Killer's brutal crimes as shown in My Father, the BTK Killer

Netflix's My Father, the BTK Killer, explores the story of Dennis Rader, who maintained two lives in Wichita, Kansas, for decades. By day, he was a family man, church leader, and compliance officer who coached Scouts and built treehouses for his children. By night, however, he led a second life as the BTK Killer, short for "bind, torture, kill," who murdered 10 people between 1974 and 1991.

Rader stalked his victims (usually women and families) and would enter homes, tie them up with ropes or household items, and strangle them for extended periods for personal gratification before killing them. He posed the bodies, photographed them, and kept trophies such as pantyhose or driver's licenses.

What was most unsettling about his crimes was that he would send letters, poems, and packages to the police and media, describing the attacks and requesting attention. His taunts kept the city in terror for years. Rader avoided arrest until 2005, when a floppy disk he sent to a television station led investigators to his church computer.

DNA evidence connected him to his daughter Kerri Rawson's hospital records, devastating her at age 26. The Netflix documentary series My Father, the BTK Killer, based on her story, was directed by Skye Borgman. It was released on October 10, 2025, and streams exclusively on Netflix, featuring her interviews, archival footage, and investigator reports.

Through Rawson’s perspective, the film reconnects with the victims' families and her own, affected by the crimes and childhood memories that now cast long shadows. It highlights how Rader used his ordinary life as a cover, leaving a long-lasting trauma in Wichita and beyond.

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Five horrifying facts about the brutal crimes in My Father, the BTK Killer

1. The 1974 Otero family massacre

Dennis Rader killed the Otero family (Representative Image via Unsplash/@Sasun Bughdaryan)

My Father, the BTK Killer, begins with one of Rader's earliest and most devastating attacks: the January 15, 1974, murders of the Otero family in Wichita. Rader cut the phone lines and entered their home early in the morning, armed with a pistol and ropes. He bound Joseph Otero Sr., a 38-year-old factory worker, his wife Julie, 33, and their children Joey, 9, and Josie, 11.

Julie had worked at the same factory as Rader years earlier, although they were not close. He suffocated Joseph and Joey with plastic bags over their heads, strangled Julie after she begged for her children's lives, and hanged Josie in the basement, telling her she would join her family in heaven. The older Otero children discovered the bodies after school.

Rawson reflects in the film on how this scene of domestic invasion mirrored the normalcy Rader portrayed at home, making the brutality feel even more personal. Archival photos and police recreations show the posed bodies, highlighting the calculated cruelty. Investigators note Rader watched the family's struggles from a chair, gaining satisfaction from their fear. This massacre set the pattern for his 10 killings, combining family targeting with sadistic control, as per People.

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2. My Father, the BTK Killer: Rader's taunting letters demanding media attention

Dennis wrote letters to a TV station for fame (Representative Image via Unsplash/@Scott Graham)

A key element in My Father, the BTK Killer, is Rader's communication with the media, which prolonged the terror in Wichita. In 1977, after murdering Shirley Vian Relford and Nancy Jo Fox, Rader sent a letter to a local TV station, upset over the lack of coverage. He wrote,

"How many people do I have to kill before I get a name in the paper or some national attention?"

The note, read aloud in the documentary via archival audio, caused citywide panic but yielded no leads.

Rawson discusses how these acts revealed her father's need for notoriety, contrasting his quiet role in church. The film shows how Rader coined BTK in a 1974 library book note: "Bind them, torture them, kill them." He promised not to change his methods, turning his crimes into a signature. Later taunts included a 2004 package with evidence from his ninth murder, like a victim's ID, sent after a report suggested he was dead.

These letters, displayed on screen, highlight Rader's arrogance, as he mocked investigators for 31 years while living normally. My Father, the BTK Killer, uses them to illustrate the psychological toll on the community, with survivors recalling sleepless nights from the broadcasts, as per Time.

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3. The final victim was hidden in the family car trunk

Dennis Strangulated Dee Davis (Representative Image via Unsplash/@Liubomyr Vovchak)

One of the most personal revelations in My Father, the BTK Killer, comes from Rawson's high school memory of receiving the family station wagon from her father, with 96 Grad painted on the window. Years later, she learned Rader had used that same vehicle to transport his last known victim, Dolores Dee Davis, 62, after strangling her on January 19, 1991.

The film details how Rader broke into Davis's home, tied her with pantyhose, and dragged her body wrapped in a bedspread to the trunk. He dumped it under a bridge near a lake, where it was found 13 days later by a teenager walking a dog. Rawson shares her shock in an interview:

"I was like, no, that's not ok... Thinking that Mrs. Davis had been in that vehicle."

Archival footage shows the car's exterior, linking her innocent drives to the crime scene. Investigators explain Rader's cold planning, using Scout camp as an alibi that night. This detail highlights how his killing sprees overlapped with family life, as the documentary explores how ordinary objects became tied to horror. Rawson describes the emotional weight of realizing her father's gifts carried dark secrets, according to the Independent.

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4. Interrogation footage revealing strangulation methods in My Father, the BTK Killer

Dennis confessed to his crimes during interrogation (Representative Image via Unsplash/ @ Volodymyr Hryshchenko)

The documentary My Father, the BTK Killer, features rare interrogation footage of Rader from 2005, where he calmly recounts his methods, providing stark insight into his brutality. Regarding Davis's murder, he described slipping pantyhose over her head as she pleaded, "Don't kill me, don't kill me." He tightened it slowly, watching her struggle before loading the body into the car.

Rawson watches this clip for the first time on camera, her reaction showing the disconnect between the man who taught her to fish and this confessor. The film cuts to sketches Rader drew of crime scenes, showing victims bound in degrading poses. Investigators note his pattern: partial strangulations to increase fear, followed by final kills using rope, belt, or hands.

In Fox's 1977 case, he loosened and retightened a belt multiple times for gratification. These details, voiced over police reports, highlight the sexual sadism behind his acts. The footage captures Rader's lack of remorse, as he smiles while describing trophies like underwear stolen from crime scenes.

In My Father, the BTK Killer, Rawson reflects on how this clinical retelling humanized the monster in her mind, complicating her healing process. The segment also emphasizes forensic breakthroughs, such as DNA from her pap smear linking him to scratches on the victims, according to the Independent.

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5. The hidden deception and sudden behavioral shifts

Dennis used his family to cover his crimes (Representative Image via Unsplash/@ wtrsnvc_)

Rawson uncovers in the film how Rader used his family as a perfect cover, hiding volatility behind a mild facade. She recalls "moments of dad" when he would "flip on a dime," triggered by minor things, hinting at the rage behind his crimes.

My Father, the BTK Killer, shows family outings on home videos, contrasted with Rader's role as a church leader, where he led meetings while concealing floppy disks with murder plans. Rawson questions in voiceover:

"Was he using my family to hide? Was he using us that whole time? It's hard to know who I am if every moment in my life was a lie."

This theme connects to his 31-year evasion, blending Scout leader duties with stalking. The film features investigators explaining how Rader's normalcy fooled everyone, despite DNA mismatches, until familial testing. Childhood clues, like strange smells after his disappearances, now point to post-murder routines.

As shown in My Father, the BTK Killer, Rawson helped probe into possible extra victims, confronting boxes of her father's items for evidence. These revelations highlight the psychological manipulation, as the community saw a devoted parent, not the torturer who posed bodies for photos, according to the Independent.

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