That same day Rader was arrested. He was taken to an interrogation room where at first he did not talk but soon opened up and gave every little detail possible. By the end, Rader had given a 30 hour confession. In his confession, he talked highly about his crimes and it was evident that he was proud of what he had done and that he liked the publicity that he had been given. The next day Rader took his first mug shot and realized that the police were not on his side. On March 1, the public was finally able to see a live video of BTK receiving the charges against him, before he was found guilty. The court had a lot of evidence against Rader after they searched his home. They found his "mother load" which contained the original BTK letters, victims driver's licenses, photos that were taken, cut outs from newspaper articles and artwork that was found in a cabinet in his home office.
Rader's family and friends were devastated when they heard that Dennis was BTK. Many who knew him said that they wouldn't have thought or suspected him to be capable of committing those actions that he was being accused of. His wife, Paula Dietz, did an emergency divorce not long after his arrest. Dennis Rader's court case started on July 27, 2005. For all 10 victims, Rader confessed with much detail and no remorse, pleading guilty. Family members from each victim were able to speak. Telling Rader the hatred they have for him and how they will never be able to see their loved ones again. After that, Rader was able to give a statement where he talked for 20 to 30 minutes on what was supposed to be an apology but he mainly talked about himself. It was very obvious to the court and the millions of viewers that he was not truly sorry for his actions and that he liked the attention he was getting. On August 18, 2005, Judge Waller sentenced Dennis Rader to life in prison. Rader would not be eligible for parole until 2180. He was also not allowed access to materials that would fulfill his fantasies. On August 19, 2005, Rader was taken to his new home the El Dorado Correctional Facility in El Dorado Kansas. |