Shirley Vian's house

This is the house where the BTK killer, Dennis Rader, murdered Shirley Vian Relford.

It is situated at 1311 South Hydraulic Avenue in Wichita, Kansas.

Rader strangled the 26-year-old to death with a rope after locking her terrified children in the bathroom.

On March 17th, 1977, BTK drove to this neighborhood in Linwood and parked his car at a Dillons grocery store on East Lincoln Street.

At the time, he was stalking a woman that he had previously seen at a bar.

After watching his target's house for a while, he finally picked up the nerve to knock on her front door. However, he was frustrated to discover that no one was home.

By that stage, he was reportedly so "keyed up" and excited about the prospect of attacking a new victim that he decided to troll around the area and find someone else.

As Rader was walking along South Hydraulic Avenue, he came across Vian's young son, Steve, who was returning home from a nearby grocery store.

Upon meeting the boy, Rader produced a photograph of his own wife and son and asked him if he knew where they were.

After politely telling Rader that he didn't know them, Steve continued on his journey home.

Following the short exchange, Rader continued to watch the young boy until he saw him entering this house at 1311 South Hydraulic Avenue.

Moments after Steve arrived home, there was a knock at the front door. When Steve and his brother Bud answered it, Rader was standing on the porch with the same photograph in his hand.

Although he initially claimed to be a private detective, he quickly dropped this ruse when he noticed that there were no adults in the living room. Sensing his opportunity, he forced his way into the house and produced  a .357 Magnum handgun.

Once inside, Rader quickly pulled down the blinds and turned off the television.

Upon hearing the commotion, Vian came out of her bedroom and was shocked to find an armed man standing in her living room.

While BTK was holding Vian at gunpoint, he explained to her that he had a "problem with sexual fantasies" and that he was going to tie her up. He also explained that he had done it before.

At first, Rader attempted to tie the children up. However, when that proved to be too difficult, he decided to put them in the bathroom with some toys and blankets.

To prevent the children from escaping, he tied the door handle shut with a rope and then pushed one of the beds up against the bathroom door.

It seems as though Vian was under the illusion that she would survive the encounter if she complied with his demands. That or she was in such a state of shock that she didn't know how to react.

According to Rader, he had to fetch her a glass of water at one point because she had vomited.

Once the kids were locked away, he tied Vian to the bed, put a plastic bag over her head, and then strangled her to death using a rope.

During his court confession in 2005, he recalled how the three children were shouting and banging on the bathroom door while the crime was taking place.

Following the murder, Rader cleaned up his "tools" and left the house as quickly as possible. He then walked back to his car in the Dillons parking lot.

Photos

Photos of the house and other related images.

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