BEAKING NEWS: Possible BTK suspect in custody

[sharinbo]

From KSN.com:
USA - Wichita police have taken a man into custody they believe could be linked to the BTK case.

Officers, including those involved in the BTK investigation and members of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, surrounded a home on East Mt. Vernon Wednesday around 7:30 p.m. They booked a man, said to be about 64 years old, into the Sedgwick County Jail about an hour later on charges unrelated to the BTK murders.

As police lieutenant Ken Landwehr said during a media briefing on Tuesday, new clues suggested the serial killer had a fascination with trains. The home on Mt. Vernon is located near railroad tracks.

The BTK suspect is linked to a string of eight killings in Wichita, dating back to 1974.

A news conference is scheduled later this morning, but at this time police are not releasing the suspect's name.

From kake.com:
December 2 - Wichita police investigators are working what appears to be a major crime scene.

A 64 year old man is arrested in his south Wichita home after a flurry of activity since Wednesday evening.

Police will not confirm or deny that the arrest has anything to do with the BTK case. But, sources are telling KAKE News they believe the arrest is related to the BTK case.

Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, at least half a dozen police and detective cars were in front of the home on East Mount Vernon. Several lead investigators on the BTK case are there.

The man was arrested at 7:30 Wednesday night and booked into the Sedgwick County jail on criminal trespass charges. Later, a second warrant was issued for housing violations.

KAKE News has learned the man was born in November of 1940, which makes him 64 years old. That is the same age BTK investigators believe the serial killer to be.

The man's home is located just yards from railroad tracks. In a news conference earlier this week, police say information from BTK indicated he lived near railroad tracks all his life, and had a fascination with trains.

Again, police will not confirm or deny if the arrest has any connection to the BTK case, but his bond has been set at $25,000 cash, plus $1,500 bond, which means he needs $26,500 to get out of jail, a very high amount for trespassing and housing violation charges.


From kwch.com:
BREAKING NEWS: Possible BTK suspect in custody


By Cindy Klose
KWCH 12 Eyewitness News Team
Thursday, December 2, 2004


Wichita police were at a house in southeast Wichita into the early morning hours Thursday in a raid that may be connected to the BTK serial killer.

Lead detectives on the BTK investigation were among those seen by reporters leaving the house.

Police officers were also seen wearing gloves and carrying out plastic bags from the home in the 1400 block of Mt. Vernon.

Eyewitness News has learned police were executing a search warrant in connection with the BTK case but police would not comment on activities at the home on Mt. Vernon.

Wichita police booked a 64-year-old man into the Sedgwick County jail Wednesday evening on an old trespassing charge. The Wichita Eagle reports bond was increased to $17,000 after a second warrant charged the man with housing code violations.

Police have not confirmed anything about the developments overnight Wednesday into Thursday. But a reporter with our News Partner KFDI saw the initials BTK on the booking paperwork for that man.

The house on Mt. Vernon sits next to railroad tracks and Eyewitness News crews could hear trains pass by several times through the night. On Tuesday, Wichita police released details information about the BTK Suspect, including his admitted fascination with trains.

Name of suspect: Roger Valadez
KBI states that they are doing DNA tests as we speak.

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[nanajoanie]

OMG!! What wonderful possible news. Sure hope they got the correct creep. With as much publicity as been about this case, I'm sure they didn't make arrest until they had something positive to nail him to the wall. If this is true, what a wonderful Christmas present for your town and surrounding area

[YNKYH8R]

Since I live under a rock and only come out for air every twenty years I have to ask what is BTK?

[justme23]

Since I live under a rock and only come out for air every twenty years I have to ask what is BTK?

BTK is a serial killer from a LONG time ago... and then he just disappeared til I think 2 years ago... he resurfaced.

[janelle]

Go to www.kwch.com or www.kake.com to find out more. He was a serial killer in the Wichita area who killed in the 70s and early 80s. Strangled his victims and then when they were on the verge of dying he brought them back to strangle them until they died. A real psycho. Do a search on BTK and you will find web sites who discuss the case. I think there is also a coldcase web site. Shari posted it yesterday, I think.

If this guy is the one they can find out very fast. They have his seman and it can only be his. I hope it is since he resurfaced this year and has been mailing letters to the police taunting them but then an expert on serial killers said they never tell the truth so what he told them about himself may be all lies. If he is setting this man up the seman will prove him innocent. I hope they have the ----- whatever you want to call him.

[janelle]

Man in custody may be linked to BTKKSNW-TVWICHITAUSA - It appears police may have made a major break in the BTK serial killer case. Wichita police raided a house Wednesday night and arrested a 64-year-old man.

The house is in the 1400 block of East Mount Vernon in Wichita.

Officers arrested 64-year-old Roger Valadez and booked him on outstanding warrants for trespass and a domestic violence case from 1995.

We do know KBI agents were at the scene and witnesses saw them taking out bags of what may have been evidence.

Wichita Police will not comment on the arrest except to say this is just another lead in the BTK serial killer case.

One of the unusual aspects of the case is that Valadez is reportedly being held on a $40,000 bond. Many consider that a high amount for the misdemeanor charges against him.

The Associated Press is reporting that Valadez' DNA is being checked by officials.

He will reportedly be arraigned Thursday afternoon.

Who is BTK?

In January 1974, police found four members of the Otero family slain in the 800 block of North Edgemoor.

In April 1974, Kathryn Bright was murdered in her home in the 3200 block of East 13th Street. BTK later claimed responsibility.

Three years later, in March 1977, officials found the body of Shirley Viann at her home at 1311 South Hydraulic.

Then in December of 1977, Nancy Fox was murdered at 843 South Pershing.

Authorities also pinned the September 1986 murder of Vicki Wegerle on BTK after he sent a letter to the Wichita Eagle in March of 2004. Wegerle was murdered in her home in the 2400 block of West 13th Street.

What's the connection?

Shirley Vian was murdered by BTK in 1977. Valadez purchased his home about half a mile away from Vian's home in 1976.

In a profile released Tuesday by Wichita Police, it was noted that BTK had been in the military. Two vehicles at Valadez' home have veteran plates.

The profile also stated BTK had an interest in trains and lived close to railroad tracks.Valadez' home is just across the street from a set of railroad tracks.

Police were staking out the house Wednesday during the day. They approached the home around 7:30 p.m. and made their arrest.

Who is Roger Valadez?

Valadez was born in 1940. He has lived in the home on Mt. Vernon for 28 years.

Court records indicate Valadez was arrested in 2000 on 24 counts of fraud and obtaining unemployment benefits.Because he had no prior record, he was given a diversion.

Valadez comes from a large family with four brothers and three sisters.One of his brothers died this past January.

Neighbors say Valadez is divorced and has three grown children of his own.In fact, one daughter and a grandchild share the home with Valadez.

Neighbors react

When neighbors awoke to the news that one of their neighbors had been arrested they were shocked.

Wes and Dorothy Barrow sold Valadez his home in 1976.

"I was totally shocked.We drive by here almost every day. We have said he has let the house run down," said Dorothy. "He has his toys for little kids out here in the yard but during the summer you would not see one child around those toys."

While most neighbors were shocked by news that their neighbor may be BTK, others were not so surprised.

"It's like, when we walk by, he won't look at us and turn away.He just stares at us as we walk," said one teenage girl in the neighborhood.

Other neighbors say Valadez was quiet, kept to himself and was rarely seen by those who live near him.

BTK author reacts

Author Robert Beattie is in the process of writing a book about BTK.He urges the public to be cautious about assuming Valadez is responsible for the BTK killings.

He points out that many years ago another man was arrested for the Otero murders then let him go.

But Beattie also said he would not be surprised if there is a connection.

Earlier this week, police released personal information about BTK that was provided by the killer himself.Beattie said police will probably find more than one man who fits that profile.

Beattie also said he doesn't understand why BTK would provide police with so many clues.

"This guy's behavior is not what most people would consider, I don't think anybody would consider, rational -- either his behavior as far as committing the crimes or in communicating with the police and the press," said Beattie.

Beattie said one of the victim's families called him Thursday morning and was very tearful and uncertain about these latest developments.

Where did the tip come from?

There are many amateur investigators around Wichita who have tried to solve the BTK case. Now it appears one of them may have provided evidence that led police to the house on Mt. Vernon.

Two women in the right place at the right time may have witnessed the tip that ended the hunt for BTK.

Tia Ortiz and Tina Foults are sisters. They were at the south police substation Wednesday to file a complaint involving a personal matter when, they say, that's when a man walked in and told police he knew the exact identity of BTK and provided plenty of evidence to back up his claim.

"He had direct pictures of the front of the house, side of the house, vehicles. He pointed out to the Police Department that they were veterans and that BTK was military and the railroad tracks also," said Ortiz.

The sisters say the tipster has tried for years to convince Wichita Police the man who lives in the house is BTK.

"When he left there, he slammed his hand on the door holding the pictures. He pushed the door open and he was out of there," said Foults.

"Because the officers were laughing him off," said Ortiz.

But before he left, the man was given the number of a detective working the BTK case. If he made the call and provided valuable evidence, this mystery man may have helped break the BTK case.

Tia and Tina say they were shocked by what they saw on the news this morning.

"I'd been up all night long. I woke my sister up at 6:00 this morning and said 'Tina, the house the guy showed the police officers is on TV. They arrested somebody,' said Ortiz.

"I was like, 'no way,'" said Foults.

They may have witnessed history, but it is important to remember that police have not confirmed that information provided at the South Substation Wednesday had anything to do with the arrest on Mt. Vernon Wednesday evening.

It is also important to note that police have not made a connection between Valadez and the BTK murders.

[sharinbo]

On the news, the police are saying "We have NOT made an arrest in connection with the BTK case"

So people are all saying No, it's not him. I, on the other hand, wouldn't be surprised if it IS him, but at this point, they sure don't want to say it is him. It could ruin their case if they don't have definitive proof and he has already been tried and convicted in the media. It's been a media circus all over town today. The man's neighborhood is packed with reporters, (and police cars, too), and the courthouse has every single news station you can think of stationed outside it. It's wall-to-wall satellite dishes mounted on vans downtown. All the police substations had reporters filming outside them today, too. The media could easily mess up the police departments case, so of course, the police are going to say, "No arrest in the BTK case". The man has been arrested for other warrants, so technically, even if they think they have the right guy, they are being truthful.
JMO!

[Jolie Rouge]

Police dismiss reports of 'BTK' arrest
But state authorities say man's DNA tested for links
Thursday, December 2, 2004 Posted: 10:49 PM EST (0349 GMT)

(CNN) -- Police in Wichita, Kansas, dismissed television reports Thursday that said a 64-year-old man arrested on minor charges may be linked to the so-called "BTK" killings in the 1970s.

"We have not -- and I repeat -- we have not made an arrest in connection with BTK," said Police Chief Norman Williams, using the shorthand for "bind, torture, kill" that the killer has called himself in letters to police and the news media.

The Associated Press quoted Kansas state police as saying the DNA of a man arrested Wednesday night on minor trespassing and housing code violation charges was being tested for links to the serial killings that terrorized Wichita in the 1970s.

Officials noted that hundreds of samples of blood and DNA in the case have been screened by police since the 1980s, the AP reported.

Williams expressed dismay at the overwhelming response by members of the news media to unverified reports that the arrested man had been linked to the killings. "A community, a neighborhood will be forever impacted by what has happened to their neighborhood, and that's unfortunate," he said.

The media attention, he said, "has taken away from our ability to focus on following up on different types of leads."

From 1977 until 1979, police and news outlets received letters from a writer claiming to be the killer. After 25 years, the letters resumed last spring, with BTK linking himself to an eighth killing and divulging what he said was more information about himself.

On Tuesday, Wichita police began releasing some of the details contained in those letters, including his claim that he was born in 1939, which would make him 64 or 65. He said that his father died in World War II and his grandparents raised him while his mother worked. He said his hobbies include hunting, fishing and camping.

Around 1960, the letter writer said, he attended military school, then served in the military. After he was discharged in 1966, he repaired copy machines and business equipment and had a female Latina acquaintance named Petra, he said. He added that he had solicited prostitutes and had a lifetime fascination with railroads and trains.


Authorities said they believe the man frequented the Wichita State University campus during the 1970s and that he used fake IDs to gain access to people's homes.


http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/12/02/bt...ngs/index.html

[Jolie Rouge]

Police: BTK Killer Sent Three Packages[i]
By ROXANA HEGEMAN [i]

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - The BTK serial killer sent investigators at least three packages containing jewelry, and investigators were trying to determine whether any of it was taken from his victims, police said Thursday.

Along with a padded manila envelope sent Wednesday to KSAS-TV in Wichita, the communications were a cereal box found in a rural area northwest of Wichita in late January and a package found a few days later that police identified only as Communication No. 7.

All were sent to the FBI for analysis, said police Lt. Ken Landwehr, commander of the BTK task force.

The BTK killer - the initials of the killer's self-coined nickname stand for ``Bind, Torture, Kill'' - has been linked to eight unsolved killings committed between 1974 and 1986. He resurfaced last March after years of silence, sending letters to media and police.


Landwehr said he was ``very pleased with the ongoing dialogue through these letters.''


The FBI's behavior analysis unit has confirmed two earlier letters as authentic communications from BTK, Landwehr said Thursday. They were a letter dropped in a United Parcel Service box in October 2004 and a package found in Murdock Park in December, containing the driver's license of Nancy Fox, who was killed in 1977.


The envelope received Wednesday at KSAS contained a piece of jewelry, a letter and another unidentified item, said Don North, news director at KWCH-TV, which produces the KSAS newscast. He declined to further identify the items at the request of police. BTK has communicated primarily with Wichita's KAKE-TV, but the letter in Wednesday's package suggested the killer wanted to spread his correspondence to other stations.


``KAKE is a good station, but I feel they are starting to be single (sic) out, because of me, and causing problems among the people. Let's help the news media and WPD (Wichita Police Department) by using this package as a start,'' the letter read. The letter's return address said ``PJ Fox'' and listed KSAS's address.

``It was an unusual letter, kind of weird. It wasn't real long at all,'' North said. ``The way it reads, I don't know if the guy felt sorry for KAKE or felt sorry for the other TV stations.''


http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news...1420181474.htm


On the Net:


Police: http://www.wichita.gov/cityoffices/police



02/17/05 14:20

[nanajoanie]

Jolie, hope this is true and they finally got the devil himself. This has been such a scary and sad story going on thru the years. Maybe the families can finally have some kind of closure knowing he can't kill or destroy anyone else.

[tsquared]

They are talking that the killer is trying to give them clues as to who he is.........so he can possibly get caught............they will have a real time on their hands when they do catch the right person trying to keep the vigilantees away..........
Sad to say the killer will get a fair and just trial, but his victims didnt have that choice!!!