Key Takeaways:
- The Netflix documentary My Father, the BTK Killer features new interviews with Kerri Rawson, the daughter of infamous serial killer Dennis Rader.
- She learned of her father’s murderous behavior in 2005 and has since confronted Rader in prison about his past.
- Rawson is raising her own family and advocates for the families of other violent criminals.
“Can you imagine finding out that your father is one of the most evil people on Earth?”
The trailer for Netflix’s My Father, the BTK Killer poses this exact question, and Kerri Rawson still grapples with it after 20 years.
Rawson, the daughter of Dennis Rader—who terrorized the Wichita, Kansas, area from 1974 through 1991 under his murderous persona, the BTK Killer—reflects on her father’s sinister legacy and its influence on her life in the new Netflix documentary, which begins streaming Friday, October 10.
Born in 1978 amid Rader’s murder spree, Rawson remained unaware of her father’s alternate life as the BTK Killer for almost 30 years. In the years since his capture and conviction, she has advocated for the victims and family members of other violent criminals, knowing firsthand the trauma they can endure.
Rawson remembers her father as mostly “kind and warm”
Some of Rawson’s earliest memories of her father are that of a firm, but loving, family man.
Rawson—whose mother is Dennis Rader’s ex-wife, Paula Dietz, whom he married in 1971—previously said she “pretty much had the American dream” growing up in the family’s Kansas ranch house. In an interview with 20/20, Rawson recalled their pet springer spaniel and a large treehouse that Rader built for her and her older brother, Daniel, when she was 4 years old.
However, Rader’s emotions fluctuated, hinting at the darker persona underneath. “Most of the time, he was even-keeled and kind and warm. At times, he could be very firm or have flashes of anger or outbursts that you weren’t expecting,” Rawson explained. She claimed she only remembered two instances of physical abuse, including one where Rader lunged at her brother during a dinner argument and began choking him.
What Rawson didn’t know was that her father had already committed multiple murders—starting with the 1974 strangulation of Joseph and Julie Otero and their two children inside their Wichita home. As the attacks continued, Rader taunted police through letters, poems, and newspaper submissions, and his self-proclaimed methods of binding, torturing, and killing victims formed the basis of his BTK moniker.
Rawson, at age 6, began to feel something was off when in 1985, police found the body of Rader’s neighbor, Maureen Hedge, nude and badly decomposed in a ditch. “It scared me. Like, I started having night terrors around that time, I would wake up screaming, sitting up in bed,” Rawson explained, adding she sensed a “bad man” in the house.
As we now know, Rader was responsible for Hedge’s killing—and Rawson had every reason to be fearful.
Rawson discovered Rader’s crimes from an FBI agent
Rawson attended Kansas State University and, in 2003, married her campus sweetheart, Darian, according to Esquire. Rader walked her down the aisle like any loving dad.
By this time, any criminal activity attributed to the BTK Killer had ceased, with authorities believing the person responsible either dead or imprisoned. However, Rader wrote another provocative letter as his alternate persona in 2004, claiming another victim from decades prior and revealing clues about his personal life.
The 2004 holiday season was the last time Rawson saw her father under normal circumstances. “All right, love you,” Rader had told her. “See ya in a while.”
Then, in February 2005, police pulled Rader over on his way home to lunch and arrested him. He confessed to his murders as the BTK Killer later the same day.
An FBI agent arrived at Rawson’s home to deliver the news, followed by journalists looking to ask her questions. “I felt like I was over there, on the other side, even though I haven’t done anything wrong,” Rawson said. “You become viewed in the public, sometimes by certain people or the media, that you’re culpable just because you’re part of that breaking headline news.”
Rader ultimately pleaded guilty to 10 counts of first-degree murder in June 2005 and was sentenced to to a minimum of 175 years in prison without chance of parole.
Meanwhile, Rawson enrolled in grief counseling and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
Rawson has visited Rader in prison to question him
Rawson told Esquire she and her father maintained contact through letters, but she had not spoken to him on the phone or visited him in prison following his conviction.
However, in 2023—the same year she published a second book, Breaking Free: Overcoming the Trauma of My Serial Killer Father—she saw Rader in person for the first time in 18 years at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas. She questioned her father for three hours total about missing persons cases under investigation, she told NewsNation.
Rawson admitted it was the “first time he ever dropped his mask and became BTK” in her presence.
“It took him a minute to process who I was,” Rawson said. “He’s lost like 7 inches and he’s in a wheelchair. He’s pretty much rotting to his core, so he didn’t even necessarily recognize me.”
Just weeks after their encounters, Osage County, Oklahoma, police searched Rader’s former home in Park City, Kansas, for evidence in the 1976 disappearance of Cynthia Dawn Kinney. Rader has denied involvement, though investigators later discovered a crossword puzzle potentially connecting him to the case.
Rawson returned to the prison to confront Rader about evidence suggesting he sexually abused her as a young child, she revealed at CrimeCon in May 2024. “Soon you will meet your maker. You’re going to have a few things to discuss. You will be gone soon,” she said of her father.
In 2025, Rawson met with the family of another infamous figure. She spoke with the wife, daughter, and stepson of Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann for the Peacock documentary The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets.
In particular, she felt compelled to offer support to Heuermann’s daughter, Victoria, because of their similar experiences. “Her and I’s reality is we’re never gonna be able to separate ourselves from our fathers,” Rawson said. “I know in the bottom of my heart, my father loved and cared for us and protected us, but he also, I know, in the bottom of my heart, committed murder.”
Rawson has two children and was recently hospitalized
Rawson’s own life has seemingly had its share of recent turmoil as well.
Although she has not given an official confirmation of her marital status, she revealed in a 2021 Facebook post she was going through a divorce, suggesting she and Darian are no longer together. They have two children together: daughter Emilie, born in 2008, and son Ian, born in 2011.
According to a GoFundMe page shared by Rawson in February 2025, she had an extended hospitalization for health issues “likely related to long COVID,” which threatened to leave her homeless. The campaign was created to cover housing and medical expenses.
An update later claimed Rawson was able to secure temporary housing and began looking for a permanent apartment.
Watch My Father, the BTK Killer starting October 10
Rawson is featured prominently in the Netflix documentary trailer through interview footage and family photographs. The Osage County Sheriff’s Office is also shown in the clip, suggesting she will discuss her recent visits with Rader. It’s unclear if any other family members participated in the project.
My Father, the BTK Killer begins streaming Friday, October 10, on Netflix.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
