BY BOOMER SABATA
Trigger Warning: This post contains references to violence and sexual assault.
The human mind holds no boundaries, only kept together by a loose knot of morals and restraint. There are times when this knot comes untied, sending an individual’s soul into a dark, thick oblivion of homicidal fantasies.
This fascinating enigma has shown its demonic presence many times throughout human history. In Kansas, two separate cases of brutal murder stick to the memories of its citizens like hot, black tar; the serial killings of Dennis “BTK” Rader, and the killing spree performed by Reginald and Jonathan Carr. These three madmen still reside in Kansas. In fact, they are housed in the same building.
I recently came into contact with a correctional officer from the El Dorado Correctional Facility, about 35 miles east of Wichita. Since he wished to be kept anonymous, let’s call him Mark. This facility holds both “The BTK Killer” and the Carr brothers. After a brief interview, I was able to slither into the mind of someone who has made physical contact with these human hunters. First, we discussed BTK before diving into the Carr Brothers.
Dennis Rader murdered ten people between 1974 and 1991 in Wichita, Kansas. The method in which he killed his victims gave him his moniker, “Bind. Torture. Kill.” Nine of his ten victims were tied at the hands and feet, abused in various ways, and eventually killed by strangulation or suffocation (the remaining victim was stabbed 11 times in the torso and back).
Rader’s “work” was not familiar to Mark when he was first hired. When I asked what his reaction was after a quick Google search of BTK’s doing, the answer I received was surprising.
“Stuff like that doesn’t bother me,” Mark said. “He did what he did, and me looking at him in a particular way can’t really change that.”
As previously mentioned, this officer has made physical contact with BTK, though it was not a playful game of “patty cake.”
“We have to escort him to the showers,” the officer said. “He’s one of the few people who smell worse when they get out of the shower.”
An interesting side note, according to Mark, BTK finds it very displeasing when his coffee is less than lukewarm. “I’m not a Starbucks barista, so I can’t really help him on that,” Mark said.
The Carr brothers are located in the same area of the prison as BTK. Reginald and Jonathan Carr are responsible for what is being tagged as “The Wichita Massacre.” The killings began on December 11, 2000, when the duo shot a 55-year-old librarian.
Three days later, the Carrs invaded a home on Birchwood Drive and proceeded to raid and sexually abuse three men and two women. Each victim was forced to strip naked, and the two women were raped by the Carrs. The five individuals were then forced to perform sexual acts on each other.
The victims were then taken to ATMs to empty their bank accounts. Eventually, they were all shot execution-style in an abandoned sports complex. The Carrs then drove a stolen truck over the bodies and left them for dead, leaving one survivor.
“People remember them the most because of the graphic detail from the survivor,” Mark said. “Plus, it was more recent, and this a ‘What have you done for me lately?’ type of society.”
During their incarceration, the Carrs have been known to complain frequently, one of their bigger pet peeves being the tightness of the handcuffs.
The mental capability of a human being is boundless. Every now and then, someone will appear from a dark pit of emotional despair and push the envelope of what is expected. BTK and the Carr brothers have admitted to their crimes with little to no remorse. Grimly, these behavior butchers are often idolized by those flirting with the darkness. For example, BTK receives fan mail, money, and gifts.
“There’s a line between being fascinated in a ‘serial killer documentary’ way and being a total fanatic of a killer,” the officer said at the end of the interview. “Stop being weird. It’s just weird and disturbing.”
Before his apprehension, BTK was married 34 years and had two children. And, although the Carr brothers are much younger, they still have a mother who loves them.
“The Carr brothers (and BTK) seem like normal people,” the officer said. “I mean, BTK had a family. When you first see them you’d never think that they did those things.”
With the rising worship of serial slayings and the climbing mental health crisis, it is only a matter of time before a new BTK or Carr brother rises from the abyss.
“When this monster entered my brain, I will never know, but it is here to stay. How does one cure himself? I can’t stop it, the monster goes on, and hurts me as well as society. Maybe you can stop him. I can’t.” – Dennis Rader, The BTK Killer.