Inside the Mind of BTK

My Lifelong Hunt for BTK 107
“In all probability, this guy isn’t dead, unless it was from some
accident or he was killed while committing a burglary,” I said. “He
might be in jail in connection with a burglary, one where he was
picked up with a weapon on him. Burglaries are often a major first
step when a perp is planning an indoor rape or a homicide.”
“This guy will not stop killing,” Hazelwood said. “He’s either still
killing or is stuck somewhere where he can’t kill.”
“He’s emulating other crimes he’s read about in detective magazines,”
I said. “He cut phone lines because he read about that somewhere.
He’s adding bits and pieces of other crimes into his crimes. . . .
When I listen to his voice on that tape, when he called in to report the
Nancy Fox murder, I can’t get over how controlled and cryptic his
words were. He gave just enough information to get his point across.
The phrases he used reminded me of conversations you hear when
dispatchers speak among themselves. He sounded like he had some
experience talking on the radio.”
Keep things moving, I told myself. But stay alert. The one thing
I’d learned about these skull sessions was that I couldn’t allow my
mind to drift. Not even for a second. Do that and I’d miss something
crucial. And at that point in our session what was crucial was to steer
straight toward the last element on our agenda. Namely, how could
police—after pinpointing a credible suspect—cause him to crack.
“You need to break him down during that first interview you’ll get
with him, the first time you bring him in,” I said. “You need to disrupt
his life and make him lose sleep. Make sure he notices you in his
neighborhood, so he’ll begin to see you even when you’re not there.
When he starts to look disheveled, when you realize he’s starting to
turn to drink and soft drugs to cope with the pressure, when you can
tell he’s starting to lose sleep, then yank him in. Don’t give him time
to prepare. Bring him in when he’s not ready.
“A night-time interview would be best, between the hours of eight
or nine, in a confined area. Make sure the place where you hold the
interview is stacked high with mounds of information in order to project
your extreme level of thoroughness. The best place would be in the
task force offices. Let him see a bunch of flow charts in the background
and a file drawer with his name on it. Have some of the evidence present,
items that could link him to the crime, something significant that
he’ll react to. But don’t show him any crime scene photos. Because of
what he’s written in his communiqués about being controlled by evil
forces, he’s no doubt layered a strategy for the insanity defense. Show