Gary Leon Ridgeway “The Green River Killer” By Drew Morrison

About Gary Leon Ridgeway Born on February 18, 1949 in Salt Lake City, Utah and currently incarcerated at Washington State Penitentiary Moved and committed his crimes in the Seattle area Now 64 years old His known years of murdering range from 1982 to the early 1990’s

Childhood Background An IQ test performed on him as a child found his IQ to be a very low 82 Had trouble in school and was held back one year in high school At the age of 16, Ridgeway lured a 6 year old boy into the woods and stabbed him in the liver. The boy survived and mentioned that his attacker laughed as he left Came from a family known for constantly arguing

Does the Green River Killer fit the serial killer profile?...YES He often wet his bed and was humiliated for it by his parents Ridgeway was sexually attracted to his mother yet hated her at the same time He committed his murders as a middle-aged, white male Ridgeway’s parents frequently fought violently in front of him There were multiple months where he killed four or more women

Phases of The Green River Killer Aura – Ridgeway became desperate to find women to have sex with and later murder Trolling – Drove along Route 99 and other roads in the Seattle area to pick up young women who were usually prostitutes or runaways Wooing – He’d offer his victims rides to where they needed to go or picked them up to use as prostitutes. He often showed them pictures of his young son to make himself appear harmless Capture – Victims were lured into his truck, his home, or taken to secluded areas

Phases of the Green River Killer continued Murder – Ridgeway strangled his victims with a chokehold or ligature (rope, wire, etc.). Their bodies were dumped in wooded areas, mostly close to the Green River, hence his nickname Totem – He didn’t take things from his victims, but often revisited the bodies to have sexual intercourse with them Depression – Feeling sexually unsatisfied, Ridgeway became depressed and triggered his sadistic cycle to repeat itself

How many women did The Green River Killer kill? Ridgeway was convicted of killing 49 young women He confessed to 71 murders, but lost count so there is no definitive total Remains (skulls) of his victims have been found by people as recently as 2010 It’s possible and very likely that more of his victims will be found in the next few decades

Stable or Transient? The Green River Killer was stable because he kept his job with a trucking company for over 30 years and got his victims from the same area on and around Route 99. He also disposed of the bodies in areas along the Green River and the surrounding woods, and often returned to the burial sites to have sex with his victim’s bodies.

Organized or Disorganized The Green River Killer was disorganized because of his low IQ, he picked up women at the last minute, only murdered with his hands or cords, killed without concern for evidence, and had sex with the bodies after murdering them (necrophilia) The Green River Killer was organized because he had a high victim count, personalized himself with the victims, and was aware of the evidence he left at the scene such as gum, semen, and cigarettes

Conviction Gary Leon Ridgeway faced the death penalty, but instead he confessed to 48 murders and was sentenced to 48 life sentences without the possibilty of parole plus 480 years, 10 years per victim for tampering with the evidence. He’s imprisoned in Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington.

(Not So) Fun Facts Ridgeway was married three times He preached the Bible and often got himself so worked up that he cried He hated prostitutes and wanted to kill them all, yet regularly hired them to satisfy his insatiable appetite. This shows how he was torn between satisfying his cravings and sticking to his religious beliefs. Ridgeway was in the Navy during the Vietnam War and saw atrocities that may have further detached him from reality and caused him to be immune from human pain.

Photograph Credits http://i.cdn.turner.com/trutv/trutv.com/graphics/photos/s erial_killers/predators/robert_charles_browne/Gary- Leon-Ridgway150.jpg http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2011101320434 0/criminalminds/images/2/2b/Ridgway's_Victims.jpg http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9817/siegel20110 218ridgway.jpg

Sources " Gary Ridgway Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com ." Famous Biographies & TV Shows - Biography.com. A+E Networks, n.d. Web. 7 May 2013. <http://www.biography.com/people/gary-ridgway-10073409>. 


"CNN.com - Green River Killer avoids death in plea deal - Nov. 6, 2003." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., 12 Nov. 2003. Web. 7 May 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/11/05/green.river.killings/>.