Inside the Mind of BTK

My Lifelong Hunt for BTK 101
he can manipulate them in exchange for their affection,” he said. “I
also think he’ll have the ability to interact with others on a peripheral
level. He’s got what I’d call a ‘service personality.’ People will know
him, but they don’t really know him. The idea of him being a lone wolf
is a good description. In terms of employment, I think we’ll find he
does well in his job, but doesn’t like to stay in any one position for very
long. He doesn’t like anyone being over him. I also think he’d love to
drive and would probably have a fairly decent automobile. In fact, people
would associate him with driving.”
“His car will probably be a nondescript type of vehicle,” I said.
“Perhaps a sedan that will smack of law enforcement. He might have
even purchased it at an auction from law enforcement. He’s image
conscious, so there would antennas on the car, along with a scanner
and a CB.”
As I spoke, Walker stared out the massive glass windows at the far
end of the room. He appeared transfixed by the trees and freshlytrimmed
grass that stretched off into the distance. “I think he’s apt to
be an underachiever—that’s what his supervisors will say,” Walker
blurted out. “They’ll tell you he’s a smart guy who has the ability to
do better than he’s doing. But he refuses to work up to his potential
on the job. The reason is that he probably feels he’s better, more intelligent
than his supervisors. Why should he bust his ass when he’s
smarter than his boss? He’s egotistical with an exaggerated sense of
self-importance.”
I sat there listening to Walker, thinking about how fascinated BTK
was with the world of law enforcement, telling myself that if he ever
did become a police officer, he would have been one of those heavyhanded
cops who carried a service revolver, along with another handgun
in an ankle holster. Then, just to play it safe, he’d also stash a
couple of knives in his various pockets. He’d be the type of cop who
would have racked up a file cabinet full of complaints from those he
came in contact with while performing his duties.
“I think our UNSUB would have been openly critical of the investigation,”
Hazelwood said. “Not openly so, but more in terms of his
saying, ‘Those damn cops, they don’t know what they’re doing.’ He
holds the police in disdain because they’ve been unable to solve the
case, in spite of the tremendous amount of clues he believes he left
them, clues they should have been able to pick up on. He tells himself
that if he were a cop working the case, he would have picked up on
these clues. I’d say there’s a good chance he’s already been interviewed