Judge Greg Waller, known for BTK plea hearing, was one of few Black judges in Kansas

Greg Waller, a Black judge in Sedgwick County District Court who handled the BTK serial killer case, has died at age 72.

Sedgwick County spokesperson Kate Flavin said Waller died Wednesday evening of a heart attack.

“The family will not be holding a memorial service due to COVID-19 restrictions nor is the family wanting visitors for the same reason,” she said.

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett tried dozens of cases in Waller’s courtroom. As a prosecutor, he appeared in front of the judge nearly every day.

“He was a prince of a guy, a gentleman, very cordial, very professional,” Bennett said. “But he also had a tremendous amount of skill and intelligence.”

“He was a guy who spent 18 years in the DA’s office, 21 years on the bench, nearly 40 years of his life devoted to public service,” Bennett said. “He was the epitome of a public servant. He used his intellect to serve the community.”

Waller may be best known in the Wichita area for being the judge in the BTK serial killer case. He handled the guilty plea and sentencing, which became national news.

“You can’t really tell the story of Greg Waller without talking about that particular day where he took the plea on Dennis Rader’s case,” Bennett said.

“Rarely does the judge take center stage, unless they do something wrong. But this was a time where Judge Waller took center stage, because he said ‘I need more facts’ and drew out the information from Rader. ... He did a masterful job of it.”

The case did not go to trial. When Rader entered his guilty plea, his initial admissions lacked detail on how he would bind, torture and kill his victims. As the judge, Waller had to ensure Rader provided sufficient factual basis for the plea. Otherwise, Rader could try to withdraw the plea later.

“Everyone would have been relieved to have it done, but Greg said I need more information,” Bennett said. “They went through every detail of it.”

“There was never going to be a more important plea in his life, and he wanted to make sure he did it right, and Greg Waller had the skill and experience to do it.”

Waller grew up in Hutchinson and graduated from Washburn Law School in the 1970s. At the time, the large law firms in the Wichita area did not hire Black associates, Waller later told Bennett. So the young lawyer started at a small firm, Hayes and Waller, in 1972.

“He understood that was the situation,” Bennett said. “Instead of lamenting it or leaving the state, he stayed and made his way.”

Waller joined the district attorney’s office in 1975. He was appointed to a vacant district court judge position in 1993 by Gov. Joan Finney.

Waller had been a judge for 21 years before losing the 2014 election. At the time, he had been one of the longest-serving judges in the county and was one of only three Black district court judges in Kansas. Most recently, he was serving on a bar association committee analyzing racial minorities and the justice system.

“I never heard him talk about it as some sort of a mission he had, but I know he was proud to be on the bench and represent an underrepresented population of the community,” Bennett said. “It was not lost on him to be one of the few African American judges on the court.”

This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 10:25 AM.