Killer's 'remorse' for BTK deaths

Dennis Rader had previously pleaded not guilty

A former US church leader who confessed to the notorious "Bind, Torture, Kill" (BTK) serial murders in Kansas has expressed remorse at the deaths.

Dennis Rader, from Kansas, said he believed "demons" within drove him to commit the murders.

Mr Rader, who went on trial last month, has admitted 10 charges of murder between 1974 and 1991.

Police arrested him in February after a TV station received a letter from a person claiming to be the BTK killer.

If found guilty, Mr Rader could face life in jail but will not be executed because the crimes were committed before Kansas adopted the death penalty.

"I have a lot of remorse. I'm very sorry for them. It is something I wouldn't want to happen to my family," he told local television station Kake-TV.

Lawsuits

He said his troubles began when he was at school, and his tendencies ought to have been spotted at some point, he told the TV station.

"Somewhere along the line, someone had to pick something up from me somewhere that there was a problem," he said.

Mr Rader is a former church leader and Boy Scout leader.

Most of the BTK killer's victims were women, often strangled in their homes.

Local media later received rambling letters claiming responsibility from the killings from a person who named themselves BTK for "Bind, Torture, Kill".

Relatives of two the BTK killer's victims have filed civil lawsuits seeking damages from Mr Rader.