Is Kerri Rawson Still Married?
For years, readers have asked one question about Kerri Rawson, the daughter of BTK serial killer Dennis Rader; “is she still married?”
The answer is no. Kerri Rawson quietly confirmed in May 2021 that she was going through a divorce from her husband, Darian Rawson, after nearly two decades of marriage.
“There’s a quote going around Twitter: ‘We need to restore shame to divorce,’” she wrote on Facebook. “I, myself, am going through a divorce.
There is no condemnation in Christ. God is with me. Always. We need to love and care for people. Meet them where they are hurting.”
It was a rare personal admission from a woman who had already lived through unimaginable public trauma; the discovery that her father, once a church president and Boy Scout leader, was BTK, the serial killer who had terrorized Wichita, Kansas, for over two decades.
Marriage to Darian Rawson
Now, Kerri Rawson met Darian Rawson in 1999 at their local church in Kansas. At the time of their meeting in 1999, Kerri Rader, born 1978, was 21, while Darian, born 1979, was 20. What began as a friendship built on shared faith soon deepened into something more.
The two got married on July 26, 2003; the same year Kerri completed her second degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from Kansas State University, where she had earlier earned a Bachelor’s in Life Sciences in 2001.
Darian Rawson, on the other hand, also graduated from the same Kansas State University in 2003, but with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design.
Their early years together were ordinary and content; teaching, designing, and planning for a family. But in 2005, just eighteen months into their marriage, their world was turned upside down.
That February, Kerri’s father, Dennis Rader, was arrested and later confessed to being the BTK Killer, responsible for ten murders committed between 1974 and 1991.
“I was 26, Darian was 25, and we had been married a mere 18 months when the world crumbled underneath us,”
Kerri later wrote in a 2018 Facebook post reflecting on her memoir, A Serial Killer’s Daughter.
Despite the shock, trauma, and relentless public scrutiny, Kerri and Darian stayed married for nearly two decades, raising their children away from media attention.
Now, back in 2008, they welcomed their first child, Emilie Rawson, followed by their son, Ian, in 2011. For years, the family lived quietly, moving & living between Kansas, Michigan, and later Oldsmar, Florida, as Kerri built her writing career and Darian pursued design work.
Their union, though deeply tested, stood as a symbol of quiet endurance; until Kerri revealed in 2021 that she was going through a divorce, asking for grace and understanding rather than judgment.
As of today, Kerri is divorced, living with her two teenage children and two pet cats in Michigan, Florida, where she continues to write, speak, and advocate for survivors of trauma.
Who Is Kerri Rawson?
Born Kerri Lynn Dietz-Rader in 1978, in Wichita, Kansas, Kerri Rawson grew up in Park City with her older brother, Brian Rader, born 1975. To the outside world, they were an ordinary Midwestern family; church every Sunday, family camping trips, Boy Scouts, potlucks, and faith.
But that illusion shattered on February 25, 2005, when the FBI knocked on her door, asked Kerri right off the door:
“Is your father Dennis Rader? He’s been arrested for murder.”
That day, the mask fell.
Her father, Dennis Rader; the man who led Sunday services and read bedtime stories, was the BTK Killer, responsible for the deaths of ten people between 1974 and 1991.
Education and Early Life
Kerri Rawson attended Kansas State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences in 2001, and a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Teaching in 2003. She loved writing and teaching; quiet, stable paths that reflected her need for structure.
In 2003, just months after graduating, she married Darian Rawson, a visual artist, graphic designer, and front-end developer she met at church.
As of 2025, Kerri has not remarried. She remains single, living quietly with her two children and two cats, occasionally sharing updates about her faith, writing, and advocacy work. She and Darian have been divorced since 2021.
Where Is Kerri Rawson in 2025?
In 2025, Kerri Rawson returned to public attention through Netflix’s new documentary, “My Father, the BTK Killer,” released October 10, 2025.
The series features exclusive interviews with Kerri, exploring her relationship with her father and her long path toward forgiveness.
In 2024, she confronted her father during a prison visit, questioning him about possible abuse from her childhood.
“Soon you will meet your Maker,” she said. “You’re going to have a few things to discuss.”
That confrontation, painful and necessary, was part of Kerri’s ongoing process of reclaiming control; speaking not as a victim’s daughter, but as a survivor.
Career and Books
Kerri Rawson never planned to become a public figure. But when her father’s arrest became national news, her private life was ripped open.
In 2019, she published “A Serial Killer’s Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming,” a memoir detailing her disbelief, rage, and eventual journey toward forgiveness. The book became a New York Times Bestseller, earning praise for its honesty and grace.
Four years later, in 2023, she released “Breaking Free: Overcoming the Trauma of My Serial Killer Father,” a sequel chronicling her therapy, healing, and faith.
Kerri now works full-time as a writer, speaker, and advocate, helping other families affected by violent crime and teaching them how to live beyond their trauma.
Family Background
- Father: Dennis Lynn Rader (born 1945); BTK Killer; convicted of ten murders
- Mother: Paula Dietz (born 1948); former bookkeeper; divorced Rader in 2005
- Brother: Brian Rader (born 1975); Navy veteran
- Ex-husband: Darian Rawson (born 1979); graphic designer & front-end developer
- Children: Emilie (born 2008) and Ian (born 2011)
Her paternal grandparents, William Elvin and Dorothea Mae Rader, died long before Dennis’s confession. Her uncles, Jeff, Paul, and Bill Rader, have remained private.
Does Kerri Rawson Still Speak to Her Father?
Yes; though rarely.
After years of silence, Kerri reached out to her father in 2012, moved by faith and a sense of unfinished business.
“I hope to see him in heaven someday,” she said. “Because even he could be forgiven.”
Their contact since then has been limited to letters and occasional law enforcement visits. Her relationship with him remains complicated; a tension between belief in grace and the knowledge of horror.
Health and Personal Life
In early 2025, Kerri revealed she had been hospitalized for health complications related to long COVID, forcing her to pause public appearances. A GoFundMe was launched to help with medical and housing costs.
She has since stabilized, continuing to write from home while caring for her children.
Despite the ongoing challenges, she describes her life today as “quiet, ordinary, and exactly what I prayed for.”
Kerri Rawson Net Worth (2025)
As of 2025, Kerri Rawson’s estimated net worth is between $380k thousand and $460k thousand.
Her income sources include:
- Royalties from her two books
- Public speaking and documentary appearances
- Consulting work in trauma and advocacy
- Documentary consulting and interview appearances
Despite the attention, Kerri Rawson leads a fairly modest life. Her financial stability, much like her peace, was hard-won; the product of resilience rather than fame.
Profile Summary
- Full Name: Kerri Lynn ‘Dietz-Rader’ Rawson
- Birth Name: Kerri Lynn Dietz-Rader
- Date of Birth: 1978
- Age: 47
- Birthplace: Wichita, Kansas, USA
- Parents: Dennis Rader & Paula Dietz
- Siblings: Brian Rader
- Ex-Husband: Darian Rawson
- Children: Emilie & Ian
- Height: 5 feet 6 inches tall (167 cm)
- Weight: 68 kg (150 lbs)
- Religion: Christian
- Occupation: Writer, Advocate, Speaker
- Residence: Michigan, Florida, USA
- Ethnicity: White (European descent)
- Net Worth: $380,000 – $460,000
The Daughter Who Refused to Inherit Her Father’s Darkness
Kerri Rawson never chose the spotlight. It found her; the daughter of a man who called himself “BTK.”
And yet, two decades later, she has transformed that legacy into something redemptive. Through faith and words, she became a voice for families who carry the shame of crimes they never committed.
Her life is not a story of survival alone, but of reclamation; the slow rebuilding of a woman whose world ended one February morning, and who decided, quietly, to keep living anyway
Kerri has spent twenty years answering for sins that were never hers. Yet she has turned that unwanted legacy into light; a story of faith, pain, and survival.
She may be divorced, yes; but that word doesn’t define her any more than “BTK’s daughter” does.
She is simply Kerri: a mother, a survivor, a woman who learned to forgive without forgetting.
