Bind, Torture, Kill....and Keep Alive

Unless Dennis Rader starts eating his yogurt now, he probably won't live to see the day he is released.

That's right, even if he should live to be three hundred years old, he'll be able to see the light of day.

Does one multiplied by ten equal one hundred and seventy-five? According to the courts of Kansas, if one person takes the lives of ten, that works up to a (minimum) sentence of one hundred and seventy-five years in jail with no option for parole. This judicial math confuses me.

Known throughout the press as the BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) Killer, Rader, now 60, terrorized the state of Kansas with the murders of ten individuals between 1974 and 1991.

His victims: Joseph Otero, 38. Julie Otero, 34. Josephine Otero, 11. Joseph Otero Jr, 9. Kathryn Bright, 21. Shirley Vian Relford, 24. Nancy Jo Fox, 25. Marine Hedge, 53. Vicki Wegerle, 28. Dolores Davis, 62. They were the mothers, fathers, children, brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends of Kansas. They were also human beings. The criminal, a "human" himself, was a father, former congregation leader, and a Boy Scout leader.

I know the victim’s families will never be able to forgive me. I hope somewhere deep down, eventually that will happen.” Rader stated at his sentencing. In addition, the BTK Killer spewed a myriad of Biblical quotes, apologies to the victims’ families, and words of thanks to the police.

Yes, Dennis, you may have killed a love one, but since you asked so nicely, I think I’ll just go ahead and forgive you. Now, would you like to be the guest of honor for Thanksgiving supper and carve the turkey? I think not.

As far as I’m concerned, Dennis Rader does not deserve to live. I want him to suffer as much as he made his victims suffer,” said Beverly Plapp, whose sister, Nancy Jo Fox (then 25), was the seventh of Rader’s ten victims.

Indeed, Rader should pay for what he did; to suffer the consequences of the most heinous crime imaginable. What exactly was going through Rader’s mind as he tied, bound, and killed his victims? It certainly wasn’t about roasting marshmallows with his Boy Scout troop.

Due to the fact that Kansas had no death penalty at the time that the crimes were committed, the Boy Scout leader will not receive the death penalty. The state of Kansas ended the death penalty in 1972 after about one hundred and twenty years; it was reinstated in 1994. What a day for timing, right?

Has justice been served? Why does this matter? The fact is that Dennis Rader committed murder. Why should the time frame of his crimes dictate his sentencing? Rader's crimes are clearly illustrated in the 2005 Kansas Death Penalty Guide (http://www.ksu.edu/amnestyintl/deathpen.html)

The court should pay no mind to the time constraints and get the job done, so to speak.

I believe that the outcome of Dennis Crime’s crimes should truly be known as PTC – Prepare the Chair.

James Falcon is a freelance writer. He lives on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota and can be reached for comment at: littlechief_falcon@yahoo.com