BTK Victims

A body is removed from the scene of BTK Killer Dennis Rader's first known murders. Joseph Otero, 38, Julie Otero, 34, and two of their children, Josephine and Joseph II, were found slain at their home Jan. 15, 1974.

Julie Otero is shown in this undated photo. "The whole family just panicked on me. I worked pretty quick." Rader said in courtroom comments. "I strangled Mrs. Otero. She passed out. I thought she was dead." He said he later went back and strangled her again, because he'd never done it before and wasn't sure he'd killed her.

Joseph Otero is shown in this undated photo. Rader said in court he "tried to make Mr. Otero as comfortable as I could; apparently he had a cracked rib from a car accident. ...There I realized I was already, I didn't have a mask on or anything, they already ID'd me, and made a decision to go ahead and put them down, I guess, or strangle them."

Joseph Otero II is shown in an undated photo.

Josephine Otero, one of the victims of the BTK serial killer, is shown in an undated photo.

The body of Shirley Vian, 24, is removed from her home, where she was found strangled on March 17, 1977; her three children were unharmed.

Shirley Vian is shown in this undated photo. "I told Mrs. Vian that I had a problem with sexual fantasies and I was going to tie her up and that I might have to tie the kids up, and if she would cooperate," Rader said in court.

Kathryn Bright, 21, was killed in her home April 4, 1974. Her brother, Kevin, was shot but survived. Rader said both put up a struggle, and he'd thought the brother was dead. As for Kathryn, "The strangulation wasn't working on her and I used a knife on her."

Nancy Fox, 25, was strangled with stockings in her home Dec. 8, 1977. Rader said, "When I was trolling through the area, I noticed her go in the house one night. ... I put her down as a potential victim. ... I did a little homework. I dropped by once to check the mailbox to see what her name was. I found out where she worked."

Vicki Wegerle, 28, was found strangled in her bed on Sept. 16, 1986. Her 2-year-old son was home but was not harmed. After years of silence, the BTK Killer resurfaced in 2004 with a letter to The Wichita Eagle that included photos of her murder and a photocopy of her missing driver's license.

Vicki Wegerle is shown in this 1976 photo.

Dolores Davis, 62, was abducted from her home on Jan. 19, 1991, and found 13 days later under a bridge. She had been strangled, and her hands, feet and knees were bound with pantyhose.

Marine Hedge, 53, was found along a dirt road eight days after she was abducted from her home on April 27, 1985, when she had spent the evening eating dinner and playing bingo with her boyfriend. She had been strangled, and a knotted pair of pantyhose was found nearby. She lived on the same street as Rader.