Wichita ? Some 31 years after the first killings that began a reign of terror in this Midwest city, the man accused of being the BTK strangler is expected to plead not guilty at his arraignment.

Dennis Rader, formerly a city ordinance enforcement officer for suburban Park City, was arrested Feb. 25 and is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. His arraignment, scheduled for Tuesday in Sedgwick County District Court is expected to last a few minutes.

Rader, 60, waived his right earlier this month to a preliminary hearing, an acknowledgment that the state has enough evidence to go to trial. That means prosecutors will not have to publicly reveal any of their case against Rader until trial.

The BTK strangler, whose nickname stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill,” had been suspected of eight deaths beginning in 1974, but since Rader’s arrest authorities have linked two more victims to the serial killer.

Rader’s attorney Steve Osburn told reporters after the brief preliminary hearing that Rader would plead not guilty and request a jury trial at his arraignment. Neither he nor the spokesman for the public defender’s office returned calls for comment.

Speculation about Rader’s plea has been growing since rumors surfaced that Rader’s wife, Paula, had sent him a letter. The couple’s pastor, the Rev. Michael Clark, confirmed that Paula Rader sent her husband a letter but said she did not divulge its contents to him.

Citing pastoral confidence, Clark also declined to say whether she had expressed any desire to him in the past that her husband avoid an embarrassing trial for the sake of his family.

She has been in seclusion since her husband’s arrest.

“Right now, Paula has to take care of herself in the best way she can,” said Clark, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Wichita. “She needs to do more healing before she can stand on her feet.”

Criminal defense attorney Dan Monnat said that guilty pleas were more formally arranged because as a practical matter, more questions have to be asked by the court.

“For instance, the court needs to satisfy itself that any plea of guilty is knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily entered with a full knowledge of the consequence,” Monnat said.

A defendant’s other option is to plead no contest to the charges. That means he agrees not to fight the charges but does not admit guilt.