EPISODE · Oct 9, 2025 · 41 MIN
Trapping the BTK Killer
from 48 Hours · host CBS News
When Vicki Wegerle, the mother of two young children, was strangled in Wichita, Kansas, in 1986, her husband Bill was considered by many to be the prime suspect. For the next 18 years, police lacked evidence to charge Bill, or anyone else with Vicki’s murder. Subsequently, a desire for recognition led Dennis Rader, aka the BTK (bind, torture, kill) killer, to fall into a police trap and supply them with incriminating evidence. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 10/1/2005. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.
What this episode covers
When Vicki Wegerle, the mother of two young children, was strangled in Wichita, Kansas, in 1986, her husband Bill was considered by many to be the prime suspect. For the next 18 years, police lacked evidence to charge Bill, or anyone else with Vicki’s murder. Subsequently, a desire for recognition led Dennis Rader, aka the BTK (bind, torture, kill) killer, to fall into a police trap and supply them with incriminating evidence. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 10/1/2005. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.
NOW PLAYING
Trapping the BTK Killer
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
May 12, 2026 ·43m
May 8, 2026 ·55m
May 5, 2026 ·55m
May 1, 2026 ·56m
Apr 28, 2026 ·62m
Apr 24, 2026 ·64m