His First Murders

Since Rader convinced them that he was a criminal on the run and that he just wanted ‘food, money, and a vehicle,’ they allowed him to bind them as they lay down on the floor. But after they were tied up and helpless, he began his vicious attack starting with the dad. He took a plastic bag and strangled him first, while the family watched. But when Joseph Otero fought back, Rader had to come up with a cord tie that would further restrain him so he could finish the deed. Then he moved on to Julie. He attempted to strangle her as well, this time with his hands but he failed to do so. He would be surprised at how much harder it would be in reality than what he had dreamed of doing for so long. Finally after another attempt, he was successful in strangling her to death.

Moving On To The Others

Next, he placed another bag over the head of the 9-year old boy, Joseph Jr. And in a horrifically chilling tale, he proceeded to watch from a chair as the boy suffocated to death. After which, Rader attempted to strangle the the 11-year old daughter too, but when he failed again, he took her down to the basement and hung her with a noose, reportedly masturbating while watching her die. And in true serial killer fashion, he went around the house taking trinkets, souvenirs if you will, of his victims. To Rader, they were tiny reminders of what he had successfully done that day, reminders of what he had finally accomplished after fantasizing about them for quite some time.