Episode 2.2

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**Episode 2.2** is the second episode of the second season and the 12th overall episode of **Mindhunter**.

## Short Summary

To glean insight into the elusive BTK killer, Bill and Holden interview the Son of Sam, who makes a startling admission.

## Full Summary

**Park City, Kansas**

Joanne brings blankets to the couch and kisses Dennis good night. She then returns to bring him some books. After she leaves, he picks up "Therapeutic Approaches to Sexual Deviances" and starts to read it.

**Wichita, Kansas**

Bill finds Bernie Drowatzky at the airport and introduces himself. They agree they both look like cops.

In the car, they start talking about the case. They have no leads, but every letter brings a new detail. They're trying to chase the copier he uses. Bill asks about access to the crime scenes and Bernie says they're all still vacant. They've been combed over, but Bill still wants to see them. Bernie suggests starting with the Oteros, the first.

They pull up outside the Otero house, where the grass is overgrown. Bernie tells Bill about the case as they approach the house. The killer cut the phone line and now women in the town still check the phones when they get home, five years later. Bernie walks Bill through the house and talks through the case details. Nothing about the case makes any sense. Bill flips through the crime scene photos. They realize the kids must have watched their parents die before being killed themselves. Bernie and his partner were the first on the scene. Down in the basement, his partner was feeling for a light when his hand brushed something. They found the youngest girl hanging from a pipe.

At a bar, Bernie tells Bill that the older two kids went to live with a relative in Albuquerque. They won't let the kids relive any part of it. The kids are the ones who found the bodies and cut the ropes to try to save their parents. They check in on the case every now and again. They've checked in on every sex offender in the area. They spent nights at the crime scene hoping the killer would come back. They even consulted a psychic, who got freaked out. Bernie asks if it's true that killers come back to the crime scene because they feel guilty. Bill says they do go back, like Ed Kemper said, but not because of guilt. The places were sacred to him. Bill asks about the letters. Cops have moved away because the case scared them so much. The woman who was almost killed by him moved away the next day. The brother of another victim, Kevin Bright, is still around, but BTK never officially claimed her as a victim. Unlike the others, she was stabbed. Bill asks to talk to the brother. Bernie says he was shot in the face, but Kevin's all they have.

Bill and Bernie wait in a car for Kevin. They have to make him feel safe or he won't stay. There's even a loaded gun in the back window. Kevin approaches the car and gets in. Bernie introduces them and Bill explains why he's there. Kevin tells the story of what happened when his sister died. Kevin thought they were just being robbed and handed over the keys. He then made Kevin tie his sister up. He separated them. Then he came back and started strangling Kevin. Kevin was finally able to break free and wrestled the gun away from the killer. He almost shot the killer, but the safety was on. Then the killer took the gun and shot Kevin. He played dead. The killer went back to Kathy. Then he came back to Kevin again. When the killer wasn't looking, Kevin ran and tried to get help. He feels guilty for leaving Kathy. Kevin then notes that the killer wore a large watch. Bill realizes the killer stole it from the Otero father. They promise Kevin they'll find him, but Kevin can't wait for that and gets out of the car and flees.

Bill gets home and grabs a beer. Then he notices the back door is unlatched. He opens it, but the outside is quiet, so he shuts and locks the door. He checks on Brian, who isn't in his bed. Then he goes to his bedroom and asks Nancy if she left the door open. She admits that she did. Brian's in their bed because he couldn't sleep. She asks Bill to come to bed, but he says he'll be a minute. Bill sits on the couch with his beer and a cigarette.

Holden comes in and tells Bill that Wendy is almost ready to meet about the Georgia interviews. Holden sees that Bill has information about BTK on his board goes to look closer. They talk about the case and what BTK did. They think he practiced before his first kill. He must have some kind of record prior to the murders. They're surprised that he seems clean and stable, because most of the guys they've interviewed haven't been able to keep jobs. They believe he's studying the other killers and modeling himself after them. In one of his letters, he suggests names for himself.

Wendy isn't happy that they're rearranging their interviews to work on active cases. Their work is important. Holden says Berkowitz has always been on their list, but Wendy says they have to think about where he fits in their work. They have to make considerations about his motives. They decide to push back their Georgia interviews to talk to talk to Berkowitz. Gregg is asked to change the flights. Once Gregg and Holden have left, Bill tells Wendy this is what they do now.

Wendy and Bill sit in a bar. Bill says it doesn't seem like her scene, but she says Holden brought her there, even though it doesn't seem like his scene either. Wendy tells Bill about Holden's panic attacks, but Bill already knows. He doesn't want people walking on eggshells around Holden. Wendy tells Bill how serious it is. Gunn doesn't know. She tells Bill he has to take the lead with Berkowitz. He has to look for signs that Holden's panicking and get him out as soon as possible if he starts to panic. They also need to stop keeping secrets between them. Wendy looks over to the bar and says she'll get the next round. Kay Manz, the bartender, already has their drinks ready. Wendy watches as Kay keeps up with the two men sitting at the bar. One of them tries to pick Kay up, but she tells them she bats for the other team. Wendy then pays for the drinks and asks if that works for Kay, gesturing to the men. Kay says people see what they want to see.

**Attica, New York**

As they drive to the prison, Holden and Bill discuss Berkowitz's crimes and his claim that a dog made him do it. Bill doesn't buy it. Holden says there's just enough pattern to show intention. He only ever shot at the passenger sides of vehicles, where it's usually a woman. Bill and Holden arrive at the prison and go inside.

Bill and Holden are locked in a room with David Berkowitz. He's surprised they took so long and that they're interviewing others. Bill says he kept a whole town hostage with fear. They tell him about BTK and how BTK is inspired by him. They ask him about the name Son of Sam. He says he's not a crazed sex killer. He needed a name that reflected that. Holden asks him about being adopted. He traced his biological mother, who never wanted him. His adoptive mother told him that she had died. That's when he started hearing voices. Holden asks him more about the demon. He says the neighbor's dog started demanding blood. They ask why he didn't plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He says he's not insane, but Holden says he fits the definition. Holden then talks about the guy trying to write about Berkowitz's crimes. Holden says it's all a crock. There's no demon, no dog, no voices. He thinks Berkowitz read some books and made it all up. But everyone bought it, even the shrinks. Berkowitz says especially the shrinks. Even he started to believe some of it. It got tied up with his fantasies. He's a sex-starved daydreamer. He started fantasizing about women when he was a teenager. He says his crimes were not sex crimes. He never wanted to rape anyone, just kill them. He found his victims by driving around. He never picked victim out ahead of time. He bets that's what the Kansas killer does as well. He hunted every night. He never took souvenirs, unlike BTK. They ask if he even went back and he said he did all the time. Not because of guilt, but to relive the crimes.He would roll around in the dirt where they died just to feel it. And he'd masturbate, but not there, just at home. Sex and violence were alway separate for him. Berkowitz says BTK must go back. He wouldn't be able to resist.

Back at Quantico, Wendy says his narcissism forced him to admit that the demons weren't real. The thought of someone else making money off him was unbearable to him. Wendy says he's not schizophrenic. He doesn't want the insanity tarnishing his reputation, but demons make him a warrior. Despite his claims, his crimes are psycho-sexual. Holden says he kept saying that they were separate, but Wendy says that's his public image conflicting with self-image. Sex offenders are perverts. He's a tormented genius. When the media got it wrong, he had to correct them. Both the killings and the publicity are getting him off. He can't control how he fits into his family or how women treat him, so he had to create a monstrous persona. Bill says if he's right about BTK, he wouldn't be able to hold down a job. He's got a menial job at best and no real relationships. Wendy says they need a new category. They have to consider how they use media to create their own mythologies. Berkowitz is more organized than disorganized. After Gregg and Holden leave the room, Wendy asks how Holden was in the room. Bill says he was a little stiff at first, but then he was like his old self. Wendy still wants to be cautious, but Bill thinks he's back.

They all prepare to leave the for the night. Holden is left alone and goes into Bill's office and looks at his wall.

Bill is eating dinner while his wife does dishes when the doorbell rings. It's Detective Art Spencer looking for Nancy. Bill tells Art he's FBI and when Nancy has joined them, he asks if she's the realtor for a property. She confirms that she is and he tells her that it's a crime scene. A body was found in the garage. It's being investigated as a homicide. Bill asks how they can help. Art asks who has access to the house. There's a lockbox. No one else has access but the owner. Bill and Art sit down and talk about the case more. Art says he needs Nancy's shoes and Bill says he'll drop them off. Nancy gives Art the list of names of people Nancy took through the house and he leaves. Nancy says it's awful. Things like that don't happen there. Bill says it happens everywhere.

## Cast

* Holden Ford
* Bill Tench
* Wendy Carr
* Nancy Tench
* Gregg Smith
* Kay Manz
* Bernie Drowatzky
* David Berkowitz
* Joanne Rader
* ADT Serviceman Dennis Rader
* Kevin Bright
* Brian Tench
* Marine #1
* Marine #2
* Art Spencer
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### Main Cast

* Jonathan Groff as Holden Ford
* Holt McCallany as Bill Tench
* Anna Torv as Dr. Wendy Carr
* Stacey Roca as Nancy Tench
* Joe Tuttle as Gregg Smith
* Lauren Glazier as Kay Manz

### Also Starring

* Jeb Kreager as Detective Drowatzky
* Oliver Cooper as David Berkowitz

### Other Cast

* Katherine Banks as Joanne
* Sonny Valicenti as ADT Serviceman
* Andrew Yackel as Kevin Bright
* Zachary Scott Ross as Brian Tench
* Jimel Atkins as Marine #1
* John O'Donnell, Jr. as Marine #2
* Nate Corddry as Detective Art Spencer

## Cases

### BTK

Bill met Bernie Drowatzky at the airport and they talked about the case. Bernie said they were trying to trace the copy machine he was using for the letters. Bernie also told Bill all the crime scenes were still vacant, so he agreed to take Bill first to the Otero house. As they went through the house, Bernie shared pictures and details of the murders, following the killer's pathway through the house. The killer took the father's watch and both parents' money and licenses. The kids were forced to watch their parents die before dying themselves. The little girl was found hanging from a pipe in the basement. Bernie told Bill later that the older kids, who were not involved in the attacks, but found the bodies, were taken to Albuquerque by relatives who don't like having them relive the case. They even had a psychic spend the night in the house with them to try to solve the case. Most of the people who worked the original case were gone, many having fled the town. The one victim he missed, Anna Williams, moved out of town the very next day, leaving everything behind. Kathryn Bright's brother was still around, which they think is why BTK never claimed her directly. Bill wanted to talk to the brother, who is their only witness, so they met him out in the middle of nowhere, unarmed and with Bill unable to look at him. Bill had him talk about the day his sister was killed and he was attacked. Kevin remembered that the killer was wearing a large watch and when Bill showed him a picture of the Otero father's watch, he said that was the one. Bill took the case back with him and Holden talked about how BTK was able to adapt after being surprised. Holden said he practiced before his first kill. Holden figured out he was studying other killers and modeling himself after them. He also suggested some names to call himself. BTK was using a symbol similar to David Berkowitz. After talking to Berkowitz, they learned that he must be revisiting his crime scenes and concluded that he must have a menial job at best and no real relationships.

### David Berkowitz Interview

Bill and Holden went to the prison to interview Berkowitz about his crimes. They told him about BTK idolizing him. They asked him why he named himself and he said it's because the press was calling him the .44 caliber killer and believed the gun symbolized his penis. He needed to correct that misconception. He also was adopted and his adoptive mother lied to him and told him his birth mother died, when she really just didn't want him. Berkowitz then started to talk about demons. Holden asked him questions about that and then told him he believed Berkowitz made the demon thing up as backup, because he didn't use it at his trial to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. Berkowitz then admitted that he made it all up. There was no demon and the dog didn't talk. He started having fantasies as a teenager. He also told them adamantly that his crimes were not sex crimes. He just wanted to kill people. He hunted every day, looking for girls to kill. He thinks BTK must be doing the same thing and also is certain that BTK is resisting his crimes. Because of the interview, Wendy believed he was more organized than disorganized and said that he used demons because they made him special instead of being crazy, which made him look weak. He got satisfaction both from the killers and from the media coverage.

### Murdered Child

Art Spencer came to the Tench house to inform Nancy that a house she was selling was a crime scene. A body had been found in the garage. He questioned Nancy about who had access to the house. He also asked for Nancy's shoes so they could eliminate her footprints from the evidence.

## Music

 "I Love a Rainy Night"
 "Call Me"
 "Tusk"

## Notes and Trivia

* The crime scene sketch that Holden examines is also seen at the end of Episode 10

## See Also

 **#02** | "**Episode 2.2**"
 **#03** | "Episode 2.3"