Serial killers feel like a fad from the late 80s, but it wasn't until 2001 that Gary Ridgway, the man who killed at least 70 women was brought to justice. Called the Green River Killer, Ridgway's MO was to rape and strangle his victims. Like many serial killers of the time, he also targeted women from the weaker sections of the society who wouldn't be missed - namely prostitutes.
Investigation Discovery is delving into the mind of this terrible killer in its two-hour special 'The Green River Killer: Mind of a Monster' that airs this week and here's the real story behind the man, who wrote his name down in history in the worst way possible.
God-fearing man
Gary Leon Ridgway was born on February 18, 1949, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He would paint trucks as a job and did so for almost 30 years. He was raised near a low-income area near Seattle's Pacific Highway. He wasn't the brightest at school and went on to Vietnam as part of the Navy, after finishing high school. Married thrice, he was obsessed with religion and hated prostitutes. He had one child, a son, named Matthew.
Many have described Ridgway as friendly but strange. He was known to have an insatiable sexual appetite and his first two marriages ended because of cheating. He also wanted his second wife to participate in sex in public and sometimes at areas where his victims' bodies had been discovered. He hated prostitutes but had sex with them frequently.
At the time of the killings, he confessed, he wanted himself to be the one with the highest number. He wanted to kill as many prostitutes as he could and it is estimated that he may have killed about 90 women.
Ted Bundy helped catch him
Bundy, a prolific serial killer himself, had been sitting in prison waiting for his turn on the chair around 1984. He had been sent behind bars 6 years priors for a plethora of crimes - murder, rape, burglary, and necrophilia. Bundy helped the investigators gain valuable insight into Ridgway's mind and it was his tip that got him caught.
When the investigators told him about the bodies in the Green River area, Bundy guessed that the killer would be revisiting the sites of the dump to have sex with the bodies. What they should do, Bundy suggested, is to find a body and stake it out. The tips proved useful and they were able to collect evidence and build a case.
The murders
The killing started happening as early as the 1980s when young women along Route 99 in South King County, Washington started disappearing. Some of his first few bodies started getting washed up at the Green River and that's how he got his name. Most of his victims were women in their teens to late 20s.
He would often bring the women to his house, and then would kill them and dump the bodies in the woods. Sometimes, to throw off the police, he would place cigarette butts, gum, etc at the crime scene. Other times, he would move the bodies. He evaded the police for almost twenty years but was caught after his DNA matched the first few victims. He was charged with four counts of aggravated murder in December 2001 and then eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated first-degree murder in dozens of cases in exchange for getting the death penalty off the table.
He was convicted of killing 49 women from 1982 to 2001. He has, however, confessed to 70 killings but it is suspected he killed more than 90. He was sentenced to 48 life sentences on December 18, 2003.
'Green River Killer: Mind Of a Monster' airs on Monday, February 17 at 9 pm on Investigation Discovery.
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