Vicki Lynn Wegerle's house

This is the house where serial killer Dennis Rader (BTK) murdered Vicki Wegerle.

It is located at 2404 West 13th Street North in Wichita, Kansas.

In August 1986, Rader selected the 28-year-old wife and mother as one of his "projects."

Stalking and murder

Rader stalked Wegerle for three weeks to learn her family's routine. He referred to her as "Project Piano," a nickname he chose after hearing the sound of a piano coming from the house while he was staking it out.

On the morning of September 16, 1986, Rader put on a Southwestern Bell hard hat and knocked on Wegerle's door, posing as a telephone repairman. After she allowed him inside to check the phone lines, he walked to the telephone and pretended to examine it with a fake instrument.

Once he spotted an opportunity, he drew a pistol and directed Wegerle into a bedroom, telling her he intended to tie her up.

Although Rader tied Wegerle's hands, she managed to break free and fight back. Following a short struggle, he overpowered her and fatally strangled her with a nylon stocking. Afterward, Rader rearranged her clothing and took photographs of the body.

Escape

Rader did not stay long, as the struggle had agitated dogs in the backyard. Wegerle had also told him that her husband was coming home at any minute.

A neighbor said the dogs started barking at about 10:15 a.m.

Sensing he was short on time, Rader cleaned up his tools and took a few "trophies."

Fifteen minutes later, another witness saw the family's 1978 gold Monte Carlo pull out of the driveway.

As Rader fled, Wegerle's husband, Bill, passed his wife's car while driving home for lunch and noticed a stranger behind the wheel.

Rader then drove the Monte Carlo to a spot near Johnson's Garden Center at the top of Edwards Court, a one-minute drive from the house.

Discovery and investigation

When Bill returned home, he found his wife's body in the bedroom.

Authorities did not initially attribute the crime to BTK. Many people, including police officers, suspected Bill had murdered his wife. These suspicions grew after he failed two lie detector tests.

Arrest

Bill remained a suspect until Rader reestablished contact with the media in 2004. In March of that year, following a decade of silence, he sent Wegerle's driving license and photographs of the body to the Wichita Eagle.

Authorities arrested Rader in February 2005 after they traced a floppy disk to his church.

He subsequently pleaded guilty to Wegerle's murder and provided a detailed account of the crime in court.

This cleared Bill of any involvement in his wife's death.