An Eerie Look At BTK Killer's Self-Bondage Sessions

After his arrest on February 25, 2005, the “BTK Killer,” Dennis Rader, gave investigators an extensive 32-hour confession.

During the interview, Rader revealed the locations of his “stashes” containing artifacts taken and used during the murders, paraphernalia from his self-bondage sessions, as well as his “fantasy cards.”

BTK Killer During One Of His Self-Bondage Sessions

The BTK referred to one of these stashes as the “mother lode.”

Located in an office space in City Hall, the two-drawer metal cabinet contained an extensive collection of sketches, drawings, as well as bizarre Polaroid photos of Rader engaging in self-bondage while dressed in the victims’ clothing.

During his interview with Dr. Katherine Ramsland, Rader revealed that “motel parties” were among his most preferred self-bondage practices.

Alone in a motel room, BTK would bind his wrists and ankles, cover his head with a bag, and restrict his breathing—similar to what he did to his victims.

In a way, Rader’s murders were the climax of his expansive fantasy life.

The so-called “mother lode” provided the most compelling evidence against him.

Investigators discovered hundreds of pictures from magazines and catalogs mounted on index cards (Rader referred to these as “flash cards” that he would use to stimulate himself), with details of the warped fantasies that Rader dreamed of carrying out, as well as books on serial killers.

Rader had collected and maintained an extensive collection of Barbie-style dolls that he would pose in sexual positions.

The “mother lode” also contained a newspaper clipping about the arrest of David Parker Ray. Apparently, BTK admired Ray’s work and might have taken inspiration from the Toy-Box Killer.

Both the BTK and the Toy-Box Killer used anatomically correct dolls to enhance their fantasies and both drew perverse drawings of torture, rape, and murder to become sexually aroused when not participating in the actual events.