By 1985, it had been many years since his last murder. He was involved in his church and once his son became old enough, Rader became a Boy Scout leader. Rader had two kids, Brian and Kerri. In 1985, Rader was 40 years old and planning on killing again.
His next victim was 53 year old Marine Hedge. She was a widow and described as a kind and gentle woman. Hedge and Rader lived on the same block for over 30 years in Park City. On April 27, 1985, Rader was in the middle of Boy Scout meeting when he stated that he had a headache and needed to leave to get medicine. He left and walked to his car that was near a bowling alley. He went inside and bought a beer. He swished the beer in his mouth then spit it out, purposely spilling some on his clothing, giving onlookers the illusion that he had been drinking. He called a cab pretending to be drunk and told the driver to take him to Park City.
Once he got to Hedge's home he saw her car and assumed she was home. He cut the phone line like usual and quietly opened the back door to sneak in. He realized no one was home and waited in her bedroom until he saw a car pull into the driveway. Marine Hedge and another man walked into the house. Rader waited in the bedroom closet until 1 a.m. so that the man was gone and Marine had gone to sleep. Rader came out of hiding, turned on the bathroom light, and jumped on top of Marine choking her to death.
Once she had died, he dragged her body outside into the trunk of her car. He drove to the church that he went to regularly, and because he was trusted member he had keys to the building. He put black plastic over the windows so no one could look inside, then he dragged her body to the basement of the church. He photographed the body in multiple different poses before putting her body back in the trunk of the car and taking off. He dumped the body in a ditch along a dirt road not far from their home in Park City.
His next victim was 53 year old Marine Hedge. She was a widow and described as a kind and gentle woman. Hedge and Rader lived on the same block for over 30 years in Park City. On April 27, 1985, Rader was in the middle of Boy Scout meeting when he stated that he had a headache and needed to leave to get medicine. He left and walked to his car that was near a bowling alley. He went inside and bought a beer. He swished the beer in his mouth then spit it out, purposely spilling some on his clothing, giving onlookers the illusion that he had been drinking. He called a cab pretending to be drunk and told the driver to take him to Park City.
Once he got to Hedge's home he saw her car and assumed she was home. He cut the phone line like usual and quietly opened the back door to sneak in. He realized no one was home and waited in her bedroom until he saw a car pull into the driveway. Marine Hedge and another man walked into the house. Rader waited in the bedroom closet until 1 a.m. so that the man was gone and Marine had gone to sleep. Rader came out of hiding, turned on the bathroom light, and jumped on top of Marine choking her to death.
Once she had died, he dragged her body outside into the trunk of her car. He drove to the church that he went to regularly, and because he was trusted member he had keys to the building. He put black plastic over the windows so no one could look inside, then he dragged her body to the basement of the church. He photographed the body in multiple different poses before putting her body back in the trunk of the car and taking off. He dumped the body in a ditch along a dirt road not far from their home in Park City.