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BTK Killer May Be SOL - Thousands of Murders Now Under Review
The BTK serial killer, whose alleged crimes terrorized Wichita for 31 years, is now considered a possible suspect in 3,435 murders across America during that period, Kansas authorities said.
Dennis Rader, a 59-year-old municipal employee in a Wichita suburb, was charged with 10 murders as the self-proclaimed BTK killer, which stands for 'Bind, Torture and Kill.'
But police, seizing a golden opportunity to clear unsolved homicides - and even some that were believed solved - said Rader may be a suspect in thousands of other killings.
"Sure, we have no evidence," said Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams, who chastised the media for reporting details of the cases. "But we have all these murders, and we have a suspect, and, well, why not? And it may get some old cases off the books. I know our critics have said the circus has come to town, but we have a job to do.
"The BLT, er, BTK killer caused us quite a bit of heartache and pain over the years when he was living so quietly and unobtrusively among us," Williams said. "Now it's time to turn the tables."
Among the unsolved killings that police are examining for a possible link to the BTK killer are 436 in Kansas, 272 in Nebraska, 769 in California and 195 in North Carolina, plus smaller numbers in 23 other states.
Authorities also said they'll check the murders of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, Robert Blake's wife, Laci Peterson, the D.C. sniper killings and Malcolm X to see if the BTK killer had anything to do with them.
"You can never be too careful," Williams said. "We know BTK stands for 'Bind, Torture and Kill.' But it's also the initials of Billy the Kid, who was a pretty notorious outlaw in his own right.
"We have ruled out the shootings of President William McKinley and President Abraham Lincoln, since they were killed way before BTK was born," Williams said. "Otherwise, anything is fair game."
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