1. Dennis Radar (BTK) is a perfect example of a "lust killer". Lust serial murders are the acts of deviant behaviors by the means of brutally and sadistically killing multiple victims to achieve ultimate sexual satisfaction with cooling off periods. The most common motives within the lust crimes are the gaining of pleasure, control, and satisfaction toward hostile fantasies through the resulting of crimes. Lust murderers are likely to repeat the crimes over a long period of time with an increase of aggressive paraphilia process. In his confessions during court Rader stated that he committed these crimes to feed the sexual fantasies in his head. In multiple cases, there was semen left at the murder scene usually next to one of his female victims that was either partially undressed or fully nude. All of his victims were bound by the wrists and ankles, either strangled by his bare hands or a rope/cord around the neck. He would do this so that the victims would not be able to put up a fight and therefore he could have his way with them.
While confessing about the Otero family murder Radar states:
The Court: -- you were engaged in some kind of fantasy during this period of time?
The Defendant: Yes, sir.
The Court: All right. Now, where you use the term “fantasy,” is this something you were doing for your personal pleasure?
The Defendant: Sexual fantasy, sir.
2. Dennis Radar was a very organized serial killer. During his confession about the Otero family in 2005 he states:
The Court: I see. So you went to this residence, and what occurred then?
The Defendant: Well, I had – did some thinking on what I was going to do to either Mrs. Otero or Josephine, and basically broke into the house –or didn’t break into the house, but when they came out of the house I came in and confronted the family,and then we went from there.
The Court: All right. Had you planned this beforehand?
The Defendant: To some degree, yes. After I got in the house it – lost control of it, but it – it was – you know, in back of my mind I had some ideas what I was going to do.
Radar carefully thought out his plan on when to attack his victims. He would watch and stalk them at their house and while they were at work to see their daily routine. From this, he was able to figure out the perfect time and way to finally attack.
3. BTK would take his victims drivers licenses, take pictures of the victims and steal the clothing of some of the women he murdered. He would later wear them for his own personal pleasure. Rader recreated the murders by making his own pictures, pretending to be some of his victims. Also, he would cut out pictures of the murder being reported in the newspaper. He took these things so then he could relive the murder and to feel accomplishment of what he had done.
With a few of BTK's murders he would leave semen near the body. He would leave letters or poems around the area of the murder that would mock his victim and newspaper articles and he used his signature BTK for all of them.
4. Aura Phase: The aura phase means that person is heightened by his/her senses thinking or planning the murder. BTK would carefully plan out his murders or as he called them "projects". He would stalk his victims when he had time to see how they lived their life. He also committed these crimes to satisfy his sexual fantasies.
Trolling Phase- The trolling phase is the behavior patterns that he/she does to lure his victims to do what he/she wants. On the day he killed Vicki Wegerle, Rader pretended to be a telephone repair man so he could get inside of the house. He would also talk to the children and persuade them to take him either to a home or inside. Lastly, for the majority of his victims he told them that he was wanted by the police and that he needed food, a car, and money. This got his victims afraid of him and to do whatever he said.
Wooing Phase- This phase is how the murderer gets the confidence of the victims before the truth comes out. BTK would force the victims to do what he said by saying that he was wanted by the police.
Capture Phase- This phase is how he/she actually gets the victim to themselves which is very important or satisfying to the killer. BTK would tie up his victims by the hands feet and sometimes cover their heads with either a tee-shirt, bag, or mask. As he was getting the victims to the point where they cant fight back, he would tell them that he was going to have his way with them and was going to strangle them. It is clear that he did this to see the fear in his victims eyes when he was confessing in 2005, those moments made him like he was in charge of the situation.
Murder Phase- This phase is when the killer would reenact the crime to feel a sense of accomplishment. BTK would steal objects from his victims and use them later on to relive the moment in his head. Many times he stole clothing from his women victims and took pictures of himself in poses that happened in that moment. He would wear the same clothing that belonged to his victims and wear a mask to make himself look more feminine, making it look more realistic to satisfy his sexual fantasies. He also would draw vivid pictures on what he had done to his victims.
Totem Phase- The totem phase is when the murderer may sink into a depression and preserve their success of the murder. Rader would steal items from his victims like watches, radios, driver's licenses, clothing, and sometimes took pictures of the dead bodies. Then, when the story went out on the newspaper he would cut them out and make collages. All of these items were hidden in his office at home and called it the "mother load".
Depression Phase- This last phase is when the person may confess of what he/she has done before it starts up again. BTK communicated with the police through the newspaper, letters, poems, dolls, cereal boxes, and the floppy disks. In these letters he confessed what he had done but he never confessed facts about himself. He explained everything he did, how and why. Rader always had a strong need to be liked or accepted by the police, which makes perfect sense why he would send them things either before or after his murders.
While confessing about the Otero family murder Radar states:
The Court: -- you were engaged in some kind of fantasy during this period of time?
The Defendant: Yes, sir.
The Court: All right. Now, where you use the term “fantasy,” is this something you were doing for your personal pleasure?
The Defendant: Sexual fantasy, sir.
2. Dennis Radar was a very organized serial killer. During his confession about the Otero family in 2005 he states:
The Court: I see. So you went to this residence, and what occurred then?
The Defendant: Well, I had – did some thinking on what I was going to do to either Mrs. Otero or Josephine, and basically broke into the house –or didn’t break into the house, but when they came out of the house I came in and confronted the family,and then we went from there.
The Court: All right. Had you planned this beforehand?
The Defendant: To some degree, yes. After I got in the house it – lost control of it, but it – it was – you know, in back of my mind I had some ideas what I was going to do.
Radar carefully thought out his plan on when to attack his victims. He would watch and stalk them at their house and while they were at work to see their daily routine. From this, he was able to figure out the perfect time and way to finally attack.
3. BTK would take his victims drivers licenses, take pictures of the victims and steal the clothing of some of the women he murdered. He would later wear them for his own personal pleasure. Rader recreated the murders by making his own pictures, pretending to be some of his victims. Also, he would cut out pictures of the murder being reported in the newspaper. He took these things so then he could relive the murder and to feel accomplishment of what he had done.
With a few of BTK's murders he would leave semen near the body. He would leave letters or poems around the area of the murder that would mock his victim and newspaper articles and he used his signature BTK for all of them.
4. Aura Phase: The aura phase means that person is heightened by his/her senses thinking or planning the murder. BTK would carefully plan out his murders or as he called them "projects". He would stalk his victims when he had time to see how they lived their life. He also committed these crimes to satisfy his sexual fantasies.
Trolling Phase- The trolling phase is the behavior patterns that he/she does to lure his victims to do what he/she wants. On the day he killed Vicki Wegerle, Rader pretended to be a telephone repair man so he could get inside of the house. He would also talk to the children and persuade them to take him either to a home or inside. Lastly, for the majority of his victims he told them that he was wanted by the police and that he needed food, a car, and money. This got his victims afraid of him and to do whatever he said.
Wooing Phase- This phase is how the murderer gets the confidence of the victims before the truth comes out. BTK would force the victims to do what he said by saying that he was wanted by the police.
Capture Phase- This phase is how he/she actually gets the victim to themselves which is very important or satisfying to the killer. BTK would tie up his victims by the hands feet and sometimes cover their heads with either a tee-shirt, bag, or mask. As he was getting the victims to the point where they cant fight back, he would tell them that he was going to have his way with them and was going to strangle them. It is clear that he did this to see the fear in his victims eyes when he was confessing in 2005, those moments made him like he was in charge of the situation.
Murder Phase- This phase is when the killer would reenact the crime to feel a sense of accomplishment. BTK would steal objects from his victims and use them later on to relive the moment in his head. Many times he stole clothing from his women victims and took pictures of himself in poses that happened in that moment. He would wear the same clothing that belonged to his victims and wear a mask to make himself look more feminine, making it look more realistic to satisfy his sexual fantasies. He also would draw vivid pictures on what he had done to his victims.
Totem Phase- The totem phase is when the murderer may sink into a depression and preserve their success of the murder. Rader would steal items from his victims like watches, radios, driver's licenses, clothing, and sometimes took pictures of the dead bodies. Then, when the story went out on the newspaper he would cut them out and make collages. All of these items were hidden in his office at home and called it the "mother load".
Depression Phase- This last phase is when the person may confess of what he/she has done before it starts up again. BTK communicated with the police through the newspaper, letters, poems, dolls, cereal boxes, and the floppy disks. In these letters he confessed what he had done but he never confessed facts about himself. He explained everything he did, how and why. Rader always had a strong need to be liked or accepted by the police, which makes perfect sense why he would send them things either before or after his murders.