The Wives of Serial Killers

Mary Elizabeth Williams

When your husband has a collection of women’s panties in his underwear drawer, panties that do not belong to his wife, surly that’s cause for alarm? Not for Mary Elizabeth, whose husband of 19 years, respected Canadian Armed Forces Colonel Russell Williams, raped and murdered several women “” and here’s the clincher, kept the evidence as a trophy.

The couple owned two houses and both were filled with mementos of his crimes, including meticulous records of times and dates, complete with newspaper clippings, photos of his victims, and news videos.

Hidden or not, surely after 19 years a thorough bout of spring cleaning would have uncovered something?

On October 21, 2010, Williams was sentenced to two life sentences for first-degree murder, two 10-year sentences for other sexual assaults, two 10-year sentences for forcible confinement and 82 one-year sentences for burglary; all the sentences are being served at Kingston Penitentiary.

Paula Rader

Married for 34 years, you’d think you know someone. But Paula Radar had no clue her husband Dennis Radar was the “BTK Serial Killer”, who loved playing cat and mouse with the Kansas police through poems and letters.

Dennis killed 10 people during their marriage, expertly living his “family man” double life, while arriving home late at night after his killing sprees to a wife who was later shocked to learn the truth.

Dennis was sentenced to serve 10 consecutive life sentences on August 18, 2005. He would be eligible for parole after 175 years of imprisonment.

Linda Yates

Linda Yates knew her husband of 26 years to be a little shady, maybe he cheated on her once or twice, but she never suspected murder, especially not of 16 women. The father of four daughters and a son, Robert Yates led a relatively ordinary and unremarkable life in Washington D.C, and managed to get away with his crimes for almost 25 years.

But once police found a body buried in their family backyard, Linda had some time to think about his actions and admitted to him coming home late from work covered in dirt, sweating, and smelling funny, as well as leaving for hunting trips reeking of cologne. She later found out he was meeting his victims at hotels known for prostitution and drugs.

He was sentenced to death on October 3, 2002.