Psychologist's New Book Reveals Official Story of BTK Killer Dennis Rader

By: Aug. 26, 2016
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Until now, the story of Dennis Rader - the BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) Killer, who brutally murdered ten people in Sedgwick County, Kansas between 1974 and 1991- has largely been told through the lens of the investigation that led to his 2005 arrest.

Forensic psychologist Dr. Katherine Ramsland - who has, for the past five years, worked closely with Rader himself to analyze the layers of his psyche, culminating in the groundbreaking new book, Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, The BTK Killer [University Press of New England], set for release on September 6, 2016.

Based on a full decade of correspondence and five years of close contact with Rader, with Confession of a Serial Killer, Dr. Ramsland (as featured on 20/20, Dateline, Today and more) offers an unparalleled look at the inner workings of one of America's most notorious serial murderers - and presents in fascinating, agonizing detail the roots and development of one "ordinary" man's motivation to stalk, torture, and kill.

"Because I listened to Rader and assisted him to view his 'dark side' from various angles, including neuroscience - which fascinated him - he dove deep," she continues. "It took nearly two years before he opened up in a way that I think is valuable for criminologists and psychologists, but he did manage it. We taught things to each other, which doesn't happen very often in my world."

Dr. Katherine Ramsland is director of the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Program at DeSales University, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on forensic psychology and extreme offenders. An in-demand expert who has appeared on hundreds of television and radio programs including 20/20, The TODAY Show, NPR, and Coast to Coast AM, Dr. Ramsland writes a regular blog for Psychology Today, has published over 1,000 articles, stories, and reviews, and written 59 books, including The Mind of a Murderer and Psychopath. Dr. Ramsland regularly presents workshops to law enforcement, psychologists, coroners, judges, and attorneys, and has consulted for several television series, including CSI and Bones. In addition to Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, The BTK Killer this year, she published The Ripper Letter in July 2016, a supernatural murder mystery based on Jack the Ripper lore.

"Confession of a Serial Killer" will be released on September 6 on all major booksellers, pre-order on Amazon here.



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