WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – The courtroom confession by the BTK serial killer answered many questions haunting the families of his victims, who struggled for years with the horror of their loss and the mystery about who inflicted it.

But Dennis Rader’s chilling, emotionless narrative June 27 about the way he tortured, strangled, stabbed and shot his 10 victims was only one side of the story.

Prosecutors say there’s much more to it, and at his Aug. 17 sentencing they plan to present more evidence about the killings and Rader’s sexual motivations – details that could ensure the maximum penalty and, perhaps, help the community come to grips with the case.

Among family members hoping to get more answers is Kevin Bright, the only known survivor of a BTK attack. He surprised Rader when he accompanied his sister, Kathryn, home on April 4, 1974. He loosened his bonds and escaped, despite being shot in the head. His sister was strangled and stabbed.

Bright plans to be in court for the sentencing, said his wife, Sharon Bright.

“He still has some questions. He heard some of the answers to questions like ‘Why did he pick my sister?’ He has other questions he hopes will come out,” she said from the couple’s home at Goodrich, Texas.

In a nearly hourlong confession on Monday, Rader said sexual fantasies drove him to kill 10 people in the Wichita area between 1974 and 1991. BTK – Rader’s self-styled moniker for “Bind, Torture, Kill” – taunted media and police with cryptic messages that became increasingly frequent in the months before his arrest.

Prosecutors want to make their case even though Rader’s lawyers aren’t opposing Kansas’ “hard-40” sentence, which means life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 40 years. That law applies only to the last killing, committed in 1991; state law at the time of the other slayings carried a maximum of life with eligibility for parole after 15 years. Kansas had no death penalty when the crimes were committed

The only real question is whether he will be ordered to serve his 10 sentences consecutively or concurrently. District Attorney Nola Foulston wants Rader to get the longest possible sentence – a minimum of 175 years without a chance of parole.

Given Rader’s age of 60, and lack of defense opposition, there is little practical reason to push the evidence, said Brian Withrow, an associate professor of criminal justice at Wichita State University.

“If the district attorney says ‘I want him to have a hard-40′ and the convicted says that is fine, there is no reason to have any kind of a hearing,” Withrow said.

After Rader’s confession, Foulston told reporters that in other serial killing cases, such as the Green River killer in Washington state, the community was deprived of information when the suspect pleaded guilty.

Foulston said she wants Wichita to know the facts behind his “sexually sadistic murders,” and hear details of the investigation that led to his arrest.

“I suspect she wants to help the community deal with the issue,” Withrow said. “This is a 30-year victimization and it is going to take a lot of years to let us feel comfortable in our homes again.”

There is also a legal reason to unveiling all the evidence. Hard-40 sentences are automatically appealed to the state’s Supreme Court, which makes it important to present all evidence, said Georgia Cole, spokeswoman for Foulston’s office.

Along with prosecution and defense presentations at the hearing, victims’ relatives also may testify.

Rader’s attorneys did not return calls seeking comment but they told reporters after the guilty plea that psychological evaluations of Rader showed an insanity plea wouldn’t have worked. They also acknowledged the prosecution’s “very solid case” that included a confession, DNA evidence and personal trophies BTK took from his victims.

For years, police did not connect Kathryn Bright’s stabbing death to the BTK serial killings. Kevin Bright wants to know what information police got that finally connected his sister’s death to the serial killings.

“That is the main thing, for him to have peace in his heart,” his wife said.

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