They got their man

(_This was originally posted on Saturday, February 26 but will stay at the top of the blog throughout the weekend. Check back Sunday for new content appearing below.)
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Ladies and Gentlemen, BTK (for “Bind, Torture, Kill”) has been caught. A thirty-plus year reign of terror is over, and Dennis Rader is in custody. I never thought I’d see the resolution of this case during my lifetime, but I’m sure glad to be wrong.

The press conference announcing the arrest took place earlier today and I’ve never been so twitchy in my life.  Maybe because the first 45 minutes was devoted to back-patting and congratulations by various members of the task force without revealing any details. Maybe because Rader’s name and picture weren’t put in the public record until the conference was over an hour old. And it was almost amusing to see how frustrated media people were getting, even if I wanted to strangle CNN’s Andrea Koppel for her interjections and airhead-like statements (honey, 1986 was not “25 years ago.” Sorry.)

So who is Dennis Rader? He was a cipher, not surprisingly. President of the Lutheran Church in near his neighborhood of Park City.  A compliance officer for the government of Park City, responsible for Animal Control, Nuisances, Inoperable Vehicles and General Code Compliance, meaning that he often had easy and readily available access to people’s homes. A graduate of Wichita State University in the late 1970s, studying Administrative Justice.

A family man, aged 59, married with two children, ages 26 and 29. One of whom may have been instrumental in breaking the case.

I’m still processing this, but suffice it to say I’ll have more on this over the weekend, as more people report, weigh in, and make comments.

Unbelievable.

UPDATE #1, 2:25 PM EDT: Unconfirmed reports have it that Rader’s wife was also arrested late last night as an accomplice.

UPDATE #2, 6:45 PM EDT: By far, hands down, the creepiest video of the week.

Even KSN was stunned when they realized what they had on file. Compare

and contrast Rader’s voice with the one recorded during the 911 call placed after the Nancy Fox homicide.

UPDATE #3, 10:30 PM EDT: And now the bloodsuckers are out in full force….

UPDATE #4, 10:50 PM EDT: The website of the Christ Lutheran Church, where Rader served as president of the parish council, is back up and has released a statement.

UPDATE #5: 11:30 PM EDT:  More recent pictures of Rader (acting in some kind of church skit) and quite possibly, what he might have looked like as a baby (this picture was in one of BTK’s more recent dispatches, though never officially identified. Personally, I think there’s a resemblance, especially around the eyes.)

UPDATE #6: 11:45 PM EDT: Does this look like a happy kinda guy? I think not.

UPDATE #7, 12:00 PM EDT: Rader’s wife, Paula, was reportedly released from custody, and it also looks like her detainment was for protective purposes, not because of an arrest. According to the message boards at AMW.com it seems she was preparing to file for divorce as early as January 2004 — which may have been a mitigating factor in BTK’s resurfacing in the media two months later…