Dennis Rader describes Vicki Wegerle's murder

WICHITA, Kansas -- Judge Gregory Waller: Sir in Count 9 it is claimed, on or about the 16th of September 1986, in Sedgwick County, Kansas, that you unlawfully killed a human being, Vicki Wegerle, maliciously, willfully, deliberately and with premeditation by strangulation, inflicting injuries from which said Vicki Wegerle did die on September 16th 1986. Can you tell me what you did here in Sedgwick County on that day that makes you believe you are guilty?

Dennis Rader: Yes. Again, Vicki Wegerle was a potential victim. I went through those different phases, locked in on her as I would call it and decided that I would try that date. I used a ruse as a telephone repairman to get in her house. [I] drove there in my own personal car around lunch time having lunch hour or approximately that time. It was earlier in the morning then. And uh put my.. I actually went somewhere else and changed uh, changed my clothes into what I call my 'hit clothes.' And um...

Judge: Hit Clothes?

Rader: Hit Clothes. Basically different, you know, things I need to get rid of later. Not the same kind of clothes I had on. I don't know a better word to use it -- crime clothes or hit clothes -- I just call them hit clothes. Uhh, anyway I walked from my car as a telephone repairman. As I walked there I donned my telephone helmet. I had a briefcase. Went to one other address just to kind of size up the house. I'd walked by it a couple of times but I wanted to check it a little bit more. As I approached it I could hear a piano sound. I went to this other door, knocked on it and told them that we were recently working on telephone repairs in the area. And then went to her and knocked on the door and asked if I could check her telephone lines inside.

Judge: Did she allow you in?

Rader: Yes she did.

Judge: What happened then?

Rader: Uhh, went over and found out where the telephone was, simulated that I was checking the telephone. I had a make believe instrument and after she was looking away I drew a pistol at her asked her if she would go back to the bedroom with me.

Judge: Is this the same .357 Magnum you'd used earlier?

Rader: No, this was a different one.

Judge: A different pistol?

Rader: *Nods*

Judge: Alright, you asked her to go back to the bedroom with you after drawing the pistol on her?

Rader: Yes, Sir.

Judge: What happened then?

Rader: I told her, when we went back to the bedroom, I told her I was going to have to tie her up. She was very upset. And I think we, I, used some material that was in, and that's another thing, I'm not sure but I that I used the material that they had in their bedroom, and after I tied her hands she broke that and we started fighting. And we fought quite a bit, back and forth.

Judge: She was physically fighting you?

Rader: Oh yeah, yes sir.

Judge: What happened then?

Rader: I finally got the hand on her and got a nylon sock and started strangling her.

Judge: So you wrapped the stocking around her neck?

Rader: *Nods* Yes.

Judge: So what happened then?

Rader: I finally gained on her and put her down and I thought she was dead but apparently she wasn't. But, uh, after she was down and not moving any more I rearranged her clothes a little bit and took some quick photos -- I think three of them if I remember. And then after that there was a lot of commotion. She had mentioned something about her husband coming home so I got out of there pretty quick. The dogs were raising a lot of cain in the back. The doors and windows were all open in the house. There was a lot of noise when we were fighting so I left pretty quickly after that. Put everything the briefcase and had her, I already gone through her purse and got the keys to the car, and used her car for my get away car.

Judge: Alright, you indicated that you thought that she was dead. Did you assume later that she was not dead.

Rader: Yes. I guess the paramedics arrived and they tried to attempt to relieve her, revive her, and that failed. I don't know if she died there or on the way to the hospital or at the hospital. I don't recollect.

Judge: But you later found out that she did die as a result of your strangulation.

Rader: Yes.