BTK killer’s arrest forced film rewrite

Producers of a made-for-TV movie about the BTK killer were preparing a story about a community terrorized and investigators frustrated by a mystery man -- until Dennis Rader was caught.

It forced them to rewrite on the fly and rush to make deadlines. The final scene was shot less than a month ago, and the movie was still being edited this week -- even though “The Hunt for the BTK Killer” is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. Sunday on CBS.

Judith Verno, the film’s executive producer, said she optioned the rights to Robert Beattie’s book on the BTK killer last year when the then-unknown Rader began communicating with authorities after years of silence. The movie she was shopping to networks was to focus on the search for him.

Rader, a city worker who gave himself the nickname that stood for “Bind, Torture, Kill,” was arrested in February. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to multiple life sentences in August for 10 killings between 1974 and 1991.

His arrest was both a boon and bane to the filmmakers. CBS swiftly bought rights to the film after Rader was taken into custody, but it forced major changes, including adding scenes of Rader (played by Gregg Henry) being interrogated.

From Associated Press