When your father is the BTK serial killer, forgiveness is not tidy

betteb · ‎03-09-2010

Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of the arrest of BTK. My local newspaper has done an excellent, in depth story about BTK and that day. I'm going to copy/paste the opener here and link to the rest.

I was a teenager when he was most active and had been just blocks from his home about an hour before his arrest, for my job.

The FBI man knocked on Kerri Rawson’s door 10 years ago Feb. 25. She looked out from her tiny apartment near Detroit. He was holding an FBI badge.

She almost didn’t answer. Her father, a code compliance officer in the Wichita suburb of Park City, had taught her to be wary of strangers, and this one had sat in his car next to her trash dumpster for an hour. She’d called her husband.

But after the FBI guy knocked, she let him into her kitchen, where she’d made chocolate bundt cake. From now on, the smell of chocolate cake would make her queasy.

He asked whether she knew who BTK was.

Yes. BTK – Bind. Torture. Kill. – was the serial killer who scared her mom decades ago. The FBI guy was her dad’s age – late 50s, wearing glasses and a necktie, nervous. She was a substitute teacher taking a day off, still wearing mint-green pajamas, though it was past noon.

Her dad had been arrested as a BTK suspect, the man said.

He needed to swab her cheek for DNA.

Read much, much more here:

http://www.kansas.com/news/special-reports/btk/article10809929.html

It's God's job to judge the terrorists. It's our mission to arrange the meeting. U.S. Marines

croemer · ‎03-10-2010

I remember this case well...he is a monster...killed Mothers in front of their children...a true boogeyman. Your worst nightmare. Would sneak in homes and wait for hours for his victims to come home. Shudder...

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**Careful... I have caps lock and I am not afraid to use it.**

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

Interesting article. I can't imagine ever coming to terms with your loving father being a monster.

betteb · ‎03-09-2010

On 2/24/2015 croemer said:
I remember this case well...he is a monster...killed Mothers in front of their children...a true boogeyman. Your worst nightmare. Would sneak in homes and wait for hours for his victims to come home. Shudder...

Oh yes. I remember my friends and I being really scared. Parents having whispered conversations, watching kids extra close, telling is to stay together.

Tansy-I know, I don't know how anyone could ever wrap their brain around that kind of news.

It's God's job to judge the terrorists. It's our mission to arrange the meeting. U.S. Marines

Irshgrl31201 · ‎03-18-2010

Thanks for this article Betteb. It was very interesting. I often think of the family of serial killers and how they must feel. They are victims too but very often they are not thought of this way. I can't imagine how surreal and traumatic it would be to have the police busting down your door one day and telling you all of this horrible stuff about your father. Strong lady she is.

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
JFK

betteb · ‎03-09-2010

On 2/24/2015 Irshgrl31201 said:
Thanks for this article Betteb. It was very interesting. I often think of the family of serial killers and how they must feel. They are victims too but very often they are not thought of this way. I can't imagine how surreal and traumatic it would be to have the police busting down your door one day and telling you all of this horrible stuff about your father. Strong lady she is.

You are right Irish, his family are also his victims, an the sympathy is not so much there for them. The burning question that no one could get out of their minds (myself included) is how could his wife live with him for all those years and not know something?? ${#emotions_dlg.confused1}$

It's God's job to judge the terrorists. It's our mission to arrange the meeting. U.S. Marines

Irshgrl31201 · ‎03-18-2010

On 2/24/2015 betteb said:
On 2/24/2015 Irshgrl31201 said:
Thanks for this article Betteb. It was very interesting. I often think of the family of serial killers and how they must feel. They are victims too but very often they are not thought of this way. I can't imagine how surreal and traumatic it would be to have the police busting down your door one day and telling you all of this horrible stuff about your father. Strong lady she is.

You are right Irish, his family are also his victims, an the sympathy is not so much there for them. The burning question that no one could get out of their minds (myself included) is how could his wife live with him for all those years and not know something?? ${#emotions_dlg.confused1}$

I think this happens more times than we would like to admit just on a smaller scale. I have known people who have done things to me or others that in a million years I would never thought they would be capable of. When people get caught doing something immoral or even illegal and people say oh his wife should have known. That just isn't true in many cases. First of all if people don't first suspect something, they will miss all the signs and cues. They don't think it is possible and not the person they know at all. You hear that a lot from friend/family people who do something horrible.

People like this are very good at hiding stuff when they want or need to.

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
JFK

NoelSeven · ‎03-09-2010

On 2/24/2015 Irshgrl31201 said:
On 2/24/2015 betteb said:
On 2/24/2015 Irshgrl31201 said:
Thanks for this article Betteb. It was very interesting. I often think of the family of serial killers and how they must feel. They are victims too but very often they are not thought of this way. I can't imagine how surreal and traumatic it would be to have the police busting down your door one day and telling you all of this horrible stuff about your father. Strong lady she is.

You are right Irish, his family are also his victims, an the sympathy is not so much there for them. The burning question that no one could get out of their minds (myself included) is how could his wife live with him for all those years and not know something?? ${#emotions_dlg.confused1}$

I think this happens more times than we would like to admit just on a smaller scale. I have known people who have done things to me or others that in a million years I would never thought they would be capable of. When people get caught doing something immoral or even illegal and people say oh his wife should have known. That just isn't true in many cases. First of all if people don't first suspect something, they will miss all the signs and cues. They don't think it is possible and not the person they know at all. You hear that a lot from friend/family people who do something horrible.

People like this are very good at hiding stuff when they want or need to.

I agree with you, Irsh.

A Thrill Of Hope The Weary World Rejoices

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

On 2/24/2015 betteb said:
On 2/24/2015 Irshgrl31201 said:
Thanks for this article Betteb. It was very interesting. I often think of the family of serial killers and how they must feel. They are victims too but very often they are not thought of this way. I can't imagine how surreal and traumatic it would be to have the police busting down your door one day and telling you all of this horrible stuff about your father. Strong lady she is.

You are right Irish, his family are also his victims, an the sympathy is not so much there for them. The burning question that no one could get out of their minds (myself included) is how could his wife live with him for all those years and not know something?? ${#emotions_dlg.confused1}$

Washington state's Green River Killer had a wife who I believe was totally in the dark as to what her husband was up to.

betteb · ‎03-09-2010

On 2/24/2015 tansy said:
On 2/24/2015 betteb said:
On 2/24/2015 Irshgrl31201 said:
Thanks for this article Betteb. It was very interesting. I often think of the family of serial killers and how they must feel. They are victims too but very often they are not thought of this way. I can't imagine how surreal and traumatic it would be to have the police busting down your door one day and telling you all of this horrible stuff about your father. Strong lady she is.

You are right Irish, his family are also his victims, an the sympathy is not so much there for them. The burning question that no one could get out of their minds (myself included) is how could his wife live with him for all those years and not know something?? ${#emotions_dlg.confused1}$

Washington state's Green River Killer had a wife who I believe was totally in the dark as to what her husband was up to.

Oh I know. I think it's just really scary to think it can happen that way. If you believe it could happen, somewhere down deep inside, you have to think, it could happen to you. ${#emotions_dlg.unsure}$