The Fager Family Murders: A Contractor's Trial and Unanswered Questions

The Fager Family Tragedy

• 💔 On New Year's Eve 1987, Mary Fager returned home to Wichita, Kansas, to find her husband, Phillip, murdered in the living room and her two daughters, Kelly (16) and Sherry (9), dead in the hot tub.
• 🏠 The investigation revealed no signs of forced entry, suggesting the killer was known to the family or was let in.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Phillip Fager was an accountant, Kelly was a high school junior, and Sherry was a third-grader, all described as well-loved members of their community.

The Investigation and Suspect

• 🚗 The family's 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit was missing, becoming a key lead for investigators.
• 🔍 Police identified William T. Butterworth, a contractor working on an addition to the Fager home, as a suspect when he also went missing around the time of the murders.
• 📍 Butterworth was apprehended in Florida with the Fager family's car, leading to his arrest for grand theft auto and later, three counts of first-degree murder.

Butterworth's Trial and Hypnosis

• 🗣️ Butterworth claimed amnesia, stating he could not recall events from Wednesday morning until his arrest in Florida.
• 🧠 His defense attorney successfully argued for the use of hypnosis to help Butterworth recall details, leading to 10 sessions with a therapist.
• ⚖️ Under hypnosis, Butterworth testified he heard a disturbance, saw Phillip Fager dead, heard screams from the basement, panicked, and fled, taking the car keys and eventually driving to Florida.

Circumstantial Evidence and Acquittal

• ❓ The prosecution's case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including Butterworth's possession of the stolen car and his financial troubles, but lacked direct evidence or witnesses tying him to the murders.
• 🤝 Butterworth had numerous character witnesses, including his wife and friends, who vouched for his non-violent nature.
• 🚫 The jury found Butterworth not guilty on all murder charges and even the grand theft auto charge, citing reasonable doubt and issues with the coroner's time of death.

Lingering Questions and BTK

• 🕵️ Despite the acquittal, the prosecutor and police chief maintained their belief that Butterworth was guilty.
• ✉️ Notably, serial killer Dennis Rader (BTK) sent a letter to Mary Fager acknowledging the murders but denying his involvement, though he later confirmed sending the letter after his own arrest.
• 🔗 A strange connection emerged when Rader's attorney after his 2005 arrest was the same public defender who represented Bill Butterworth in 1988.