WICHITA, Kansas -- BTK serial killer, Dennis Rader, will defend himself in the civil suits filed against him by victim’s family members. Many people question Rader’s true motivation and whether he will ever actually appear in court as his own attorney.

In a criminal case, individuals have a constitutional right to an attorney. In a civil case, we have no right to an attorney.

In Rader’s criminal case, a judge appointed him a public defender because he didn’t have the money to hire an attorney.

He has a lot less money now and presumably can’t afford an attorney for the civil cases so Rader will go it alone as his own lawyer.

But some question whether there is a more sinister reason for why he wants to represent himself.

Dennis Rader likes to go to court. Back in his dog catching days, Rader accused a woman of letting her dog run around unleashed. He then showed up in court acting like a prosecutor. He had pictures, tapes and surveillance logs. He won that case.

Now Rader will try his luck again by defending himself against family members of those he tortured and killed.

"He will certainly be detail oriented," said Jim Pratt, Wichita attorney.

Pratt said Rader, acting as his own attorney, would be entitled to depose witnesses. Imagine Charlie Otero, Kevin Bright or other family members being questioned face to face by Rader.

"He has a right to take depositions in defense of himself," said Pratt.

Those depositions and any pre-trail activities would likely take place in prison. The Kansas Department of Corrections rarely lets an inmate out to appear in court.

"He may have entered his appearance thinking it will get him out of prison to do depositions and court hearings. It is more likely that, except for the trial, most things will be done at the prison."

So what is Dennis Rader’s motivation to act as his own lawyer? One theory is morbid, that BTK wants one more chance to revel in murder.

"He may be entering an appearance to try to work out a settlement so it doesn’t affect his wife and the property she got in the divorce. He may be entering an appearance because he wants to defend it and relive all the experiences again," said Pratt.

It has been done before. Serial killer, Ted Bundy, and Unibomber, Ted Kaczynski, both acted as their own attorneys in their criminal cases.

It didn’t work out well for them -- Bundy has been executed and Kaczynski is doing life in prison.