The Chilling True Story Behind My Father: The BTK Killer

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Premiering October 10th, the Netflix documentary *My Father: The BTK Killer* tells the story of Kerri Rawson, daughter of Dennis Rader, a serial killer who terrorized the Wichita, Kansas area for nearly two decades. Rader murdered 10 people between 1974 and 1991 and was finally apprehended in 2005.

Dennis Rader often used the phrase “bind, torture, kill” in letters sent to the media, asking them to investigate him – which led to him being called the “BTK killer.” He was eventually caught when a floppy disk he mailed to a news station in 2005 was traced back to a church where he was a leader. During the investigation, authorities also found a DNA sample from a Pap smear taken from one of his victims, Rawson, at a Kansas hospital, and it matched Rader’s DNA.

Rader is in prison for life, with ten consecutive sentences, for the ten people he murdered. The documentary is based on a memoir Rawson wrote in 2019 and includes interviews with reporters and police officers who followed her father’s case.

Rawson shares her experiences growing up with her father, Dennis Rader, and explains how she’s now dedicated to assisting law enforcement in their search for any additional victims connected to his crimes, giving her life new meaning.

Finding out the truth

Okay, so this is wild. Back in February 2005, I was just a 26-year-old substitute teacher enjoying a day off when the police showed up at my door. They basically asked if I knew my dad was the BTK killer. Can you imagine? It was completely shocking and out of the blue.

She recalls that after her father’s arrest, her family sat down to eat KFC, and her mother remarked that it felt as though he was gone, like they were together after a funeral.

After Rader’s arrest, Rawson initially told anyone who asked about her father that they were estranged, quickly changing the subject to avoid deeper conversation. But as she reveals in the documentary, she was secretly devastated. “I was dying inside,” she explains, “and spent almost ten years silently suffering after his arrest.”

She recalls wondering at the time: “I have no idea who my father is. What secrets is he keeping? Did he exploit my family for his own purposes? It’s difficult to build an identity when your whole life feels based on deception.”

What it’s like to be the daughter of a serial killer

Rawson remembers her father seeming different after losing his job at Cessna in 1973, but he remained a caring parent. He encouraged her to be herself, letting her be active and sharing his interests. As she puts it, he wasn’t afraid to let her have fun and get a little messy.

But Dennis Rader had a hidden, darker side, and his series of killings was just starting. In January 1974, he murdered an entire family – a couple and their two children – by strangling them in their own home. Shortly after, he broke into the home of a young woman, 21 years old, and fatally stabbed her. As he continued to kill, Rader began taking items from the victims as keepsakes, such as underwear.

In her document, Rawson describes experiencing night terrors, bed-wetting, and a fear of the dark as a child. She wonders if these issues were connected to a traumatic experience, possibly a home invasion, similar to what her abuser did to other victims. She believes her subconscious mind may have been trying to reveal this danger to her from a young age, warning her that ‘a bad man’ was present in her home.

Her father often repeated the phrase “bind, torture, kill,” and she believed it revealed his sexual fantasies, which he acted out on his victims. After his arrest, she discovered a notebook from the early 1980s detailing a bondage game played in a bathtub – a game that included her name. This discovery led her to question whether he had abused her as a young child, perhaps when she was around three years old, during bath time, as she shares in the documentary.

She also read a letter she’d written to her father, sharing how shocked she was when the FBI contacted them. She explained she tried to defend his character, telling the agents what a good man and father he was, but they wouldn’t listen. She admitted they didn’t know who another man mentioned by the FBI was, but reaffirmed their love and complete trust in him. She also wondered if he’d experienced something difficult as a child and encouraged him to share if he wanted to. Shortly after, Rader wrote back, mostly to express his love for her without addressing her questions.

In a document, she details a difficult prison visit with him in 2023 – their first in 18 years. During the two-hour meeting, she questioned him about other potential victims, but he avoided answering, insisting he simply wanted to have a normal conversation with her as a father and daughter. When she brought up notes he’d written about her and a bondage scenario, he dismissed it as fantasy, claiming he’d never sexually abused anyone in his family.

Kerri Rawson’s life now

The movie concludes with Rawson declaring she’s done with her father for good. The last shots show her enjoying a meal with her lifelong friends – the people she truly trusts.

She says it feels like everyone is trying to get close to her, constantly asking about her famous father. It’s gotten to the point where she finds it hard to trust anyone, as she feels people are only interested in her because of her family connection, not who she is as a person.

For years, I read that she purposefully avoided the spotlight, really prioritizing her family and dedicating herself to raising her kids, cooking, and leading a women’s group. It was amazing to me. But even with all that, she still faced a shocking amount of negativity online. I was horrified to learn she’d been getting hateful emails and Instagram messages, even death threats! And on Twitter, people were just relentlessly attacking her, predicting she’d never work again or have a fulfilling life. It’s awful to think someone could be treated like that, even when they’re intentionally living a private life.

Despite the pain, she remains dedicated to supporting victims of crime and trauma. Although Rader hasn’t been charged with any further murders, she cooperates with law enforcement in their investigations into whether he was involved in other cases. She believes it’s crucial to uncover the full truth, especially before her father dies, if he committed additional crimes.

Honestly, most of the time I don’t even think about my dad being famous. I’m a pretty normal person, really. I love kicking back with the TV and just playing fetch with my dog – that’s what makes me, *me*.

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2025-10-10 19:06