Professor Hex: Possible Origin of the Name BTK Killer

I have always thought that the name BTK was rather clumsy and perhaps chosen by the killer to slyly reference something else.

It should be noted that BTK is also accepted short hand for Billy the Kid. The Kid, William Henry Bonney McCarty, spent time as a youth in Wichita, circa 1870. There has been speculation that the BTK killer has a strong interest in criminology. It would perhaps follow that he also has an interest in the legendary outlaws of the west. Further speculation might contend that the BTK killer fancies himself a descendant, spiritually or literally, of William Bonney McCarty, or that their names are similar. Many families have such folk legends (i.e. "I'm the great great great nephew of Billy the Kid"). BTK also patterned one of his missives to police after a poem found in a folklore textbook, so it would make sense that he was at least conversant with folklore of the west, if not a serious student. He might also belong to western historical societies and be a regular purchaser of Western books and movies. He might have also done some research on the historical Billy the Kid, where the family lived in Wichita, etc., and local historians may be familiar with him.

Another aspect of the case that has people puzzled is why he suddenly reappeared after all this time. Speculation has focused on the possibility that he might have been incarcerated (in prison or in a mental institution) since the eighties for other crimes. Some profilers do not think that he could have stopped his killing and that he simply moved his theater of operations away from Wichita and continued his string of murders. Perhaps he did. Then why did he come back?

One possible motive for his return may be the caretaking of an elderly parent or parents. If he fit the younger end of the most common profile for serial killers (mid twenties to mid thirties) in 1977, when the first killings took place, he would only be in his mid-fifties today. If his parents are twenty to thirty years older than him then they would currently be in their seventies or eighties, an age when most elderly people need some form of assistance. Perhaps one parent recently died, necessitating the caretaking of the surviving parent (most likely the mother) and a return to Wichita. If this parent dies, especially if it is the mother, I would expect BTK to go on another spree if his health permits and the desire to kill remains strong. Whether he could get away with it at his advanced age would be another question entirely.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:52 PM

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