Who is Kerri Rawson? BTK killer's daughter faces domestic violence allegations; placed 911 call with shocking claims
The daughter of BTK serial killer Dennis Radar has been hit with a domestic violence injunction, the New York Post reported. Kerri Rawson is one of America’s most renowned advocates for abuse victims.
A Florida petition for a restraining order was filed by her ex-husband, 48-year-old Darian Rawson. The order alleged that a series of terrifying incidents left him fearing for the safety of both himself and their children, with him writing Kerri had “expressed statements multiple times that her kids are in immediate danger.”
Kerri, 48, lost custody of her two teenagers as a result of the petition, which was granted by a judge. She allegedly repeatedly warned they were going to be murdered.
Allegations against Kerri Rawson
According to the petition, Kerri called Darian to a police station in Altamonte Springs close to where she lived on January 5 last year, where she allegedly told him “she had psychic powers and had detected that the kids were in immediate danger and would be murdered that morning.” This happened just two years after the couple had divorced following almost 20 years of marriage.
The filing also claimed that Kerri warned police “people were coming to harm them” and later placed a 911 call reporting “shots had been fired and three people were dead,” referring to her kids and their father. However, responding officers found everyone safe.
“Rawson advised dispatch that there were approximately three to four active shooters at the apartments and three people down,” the police report stated. “Police were able to locate Kerri at [Orlando International] airport and transported her to a local hospital where she voluntarily admitted herself into a hospital in Orange County.”
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According to the petition, Kerri was taken into custody under Florida’s Baker Act for a mental health evaluation.
The New York Post obtained an incident report, which described Kerri as “an individual known to make inaccurate and fabricated statements about incidents that did not actually occur, due to mental health issues.”
After a hearing, a Florida judge granted a domestic violence injunction for protection until further court orders. The order gave Darian temporary full custody of the couple’s two teen children and limited Kerri to electronic communication with them. The order also prohibited her from going near their home, school or having contact with their family pets.
Darian reported to police just the next month that Kerri had violated the no-contact order. He accused her of making several phone calls to him on February 4 last year, and in one voicemail, Kerri allegedly “asked for money,” according to the offense report.
In another voicemail, Kerri was “asking about the children and made reference to the protection order being in place and said ‘I don’t mean to break it with phone calling, I’m just trying to understand some things that have happened in the last month,” police said.
The report said that Kerri also sent a Facebook message to a family member in which she “talks incoherently” and “starts by saying that she has to go undercover.”
“Kerri also stated ‘Now I’m being told my kids are dead and have been since 1-5 [sic]. I tried to warn my family and went into PTSD mode to grizzly protect them’,” the report claimed. “[Darien] is worried that Kerri has had a break from reality.”
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Kerri did not publicly speak about the incidents. However, she indicated that she was going through a tough time and sought donations in a Facebook post last February.
“It’s been a brutal few months on top of everything else,” she wrote. “If you are able to help please give support below.”
The post linked to a GoFundMe, which said that Kerri was hospitalized with what organizers described as long COVID-related health issues. They said she was left without stable housing because of medical bills. The campaign raised nearly $9,500.
Kerri’s landlord launched legal proceedings to evict her that month, claiming she had failed to pay rent for January and February that year, court records obtained by the outlet revealed. Kerri was evicted from the property after a judge granted the order in March.
Who is Kerri Rawson?
Kerri’s father, known as the BTK killer – which stands for “bind, torture, kill” – was arrested in 2005, when Kerri was around 27. Radar terrorized the people of the Wichita, Kansas, area, and murdered 10 people between 1974 and 1991. He committed the crimes while he was married and a father-of-two who worked as a code compliance officer and was a Cub Scout leader and a higher-up in the Christ Lutheran Church.
After his conviction, Kerri became a bestselling author, frequent media commentator and CrimeCon speaker. She is known for being an outspoken advocate for victims of violent crime and domestic abuse.
“What’s in my past is what it is; it can’t be changed — dad murdered 10 people and devastated countless lives,” she wrote in her book ‘A Serial Killer’s Daughter.’
“Yet on the days when I’m not wrestling with hard, terrible truths, I will tell you: I love my dad — the one I mainly knew. I miss him,” she wrote.
Recently, Kerri appeared in the Netflix documentary ‘My Father, the BTK Killer’. It premiered in October 2025. A few months ago, she also gave an interview on Peacock’s documentary series, ‘The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets.’
“My father lived a double life,” Kerri told the filmmakers. “He was hiding in plain sight for 31 years.”
Radar, 81, is now serving 10 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
“My dad is a chameleon, you’d not think anything of him if you met him under everyday circumstances. He underwhelms,” Kerri wrote in a December 2024 Facebook post. “He was also extremely deadly when he decided to be. He can turn it on and off like a switch. I and my immediate family only saw mere flashes. If we had seen more, we’d be dead.”
She added, “He also has the capacity to love, guide, and protect. No, he’s not rehab-able and he pathological lies like he breathes. Still, I know a good man also. And it wasn’t just a mirror or acting. I love him, and I miss him every damn moment even though he’s still alive. It’s beyond complicated.”