Sparky-Watts
Banned
In the early 1970's in Wichita, when I was much more naive, there was a serial killer that dubbed himself BTK for the method in which he killed his victims; Bind, Torture, and Kill. His last known murder was 1984, then he dropped out of sight. Last year, right around this time, he began sending letters to a local news station again. In the letters, he started giving clues to his identity, taunting the police, and apparently wanting them to catch him. In one letter, he included a drivers license and a photograph of a murdered woman that had previously been unsolved that occurred in 1986, making her the 8th victim in 10 years. Many of the recent letters and packages from BTK have included "trophies" from his kills such as jewelry and other personal items that could be linked directly back to his victims. Police knew the letters were real due to the information he was able to provide about the crimes that were never made known to the public. He was even featured on "America's Most Wanted" a few weeks back. Tonight, he is finally in custody. There are a lot of questions yet to be answered, such as where was he over the 20 years of silence. Some feel he was in prison on another charge, but information gathered from neighbors tonight indicates that he was living in Park City (a suburb north of Wichita) for at least the past 14 years. Coincidently, he lived in the same block where a woman was murdered in 1985 and whose case has never been solved....possibly the 9th victim of BTK.
I am glad he is behind bars, but a part of me is strangely saddened. I grew up fearing BTK. In the atrocities he has created, the death of so many, and the fear he caused in Wichita and the surrounding towns, he has become a legend. Up until his arrest today, it was estimated that he would be in his mid-60s, and the fear of him committing any more murders was mostly gone because of his age. Most think he wanted to get caught because of failing health. In a way, I guess I had hoped this would be a mystery that he would take to his grave. Yeah, I know that's wrong. I don't want to feel that way, but I do. I feel sorry for his victims and their families, and I'm hoping that they finally get some sense of closure now. He was a terrible, terrible man that did terrible, terrible things to people that can never be undone, but I'll miss him....or maybe the notoriety of having lived within 30 miles of him and possibly even knowing him. They haven't released any names yet, but there is a very good chance I may have met him at some point in the last 40 years.....that's odd to think about. Neighbors said he was a normal person, had a steady job, a wife and kids. Not quiet, but not overly boisterous either.
Because of the 20 year lapse in communications with him before he resurfaced last March, he will no doubt go down in history as one of the most notorious serial killers ever. And tonight, by the Grace of God, he is behind bars. I'll post more as the events unfold......
Here is a link to the story in the Wichita Eagle:
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/10994370.htm
I am glad he is behind bars, but a part of me is strangely saddened. I grew up fearing BTK. In the atrocities he has created, the death of so many, and the fear he caused in Wichita and the surrounding towns, he has become a legend. Up until his arrest today, it was estimated that he would be in his mid-60s, and the fear of him committing any more murders was mostly gone because of his age. Most think he wanted to get caught because of failing health. In a way, I guess I had hoped this would be a mystery that he would take to his grave. Yeah, I know that's wrong. I don't want to feel that way, but I do. I feel sorry for his victims and their families, and I'm hoping that they finally get some sense of closure now. He was a terrible, terrible man that did terrible, terrible things to people that can never be undone, but I'll miss him....or maybe the notoriety of having lived within 30 miles of him and possibly even knowing him. They haven't released any names yet, but there is a very good chance I may have met him at some point in the last 40 years.....that's odd to think about. Neighbors said he was a normal person, had a steady job, a wife and kids. Not quiet, but not overly boisterous either.
Because of the 20 year lapse in communications with him before he resurfaced last March, he will no doubt go down in history as one of the most notorious serial killers ever. And tonight, by the Grace of God, he is behind bars. I'll post more as the events unfold......
Here is a link to the story in the Wichita Eagle:
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/10994370.htm
