Editing Gary Ridgway
The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
{{Mature}} | {{Mature}} | ||
{{Villain_Infobox | {{Villain_Infobox | ||
| | |image = [[File:720.jpg|thumb|Gary Ridgway "he Green River Killer"]] | ||
|fullname = Gary Leon Ridgway | |fullname = Gary Leon Ridgway | ||
|alias = The Green River Killer | |alias = The Green River Killer | ||
|origin = Salt Lake City, Utah, | |origin = Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. | ||
|occupation = Kenworth truck factory worker | |occupation = Kenworth truck factory worker (formerly) | ||
|type of villain = | |type of villain = Serial Killer | ||
|goals = Kill as many prostitutes as possible (failed) | |goals = Kill as many prostitutes as possible (failed) | ||
|crimes = [[ | |crimes = [[Murder]]<br>Rape<br>[[Necrophilia]] | ||
|hobby = | |hobby = killing people}} | ||
{{Quote|I killed so many women I have a hard time keeping them straight.|Gary Ridgway}} | {{Quote|I killed so many women I have a hard time keeping them straight.|Gary Ridgway}} | ||
'''Gary Leon Ridgway''' (born February 18, 1949) is an American serial killer known as the '''Green River Killer''', convicted of 48 separate murders and confessed to nearly double that number. As part of his plea bargain, another conviction was added, bringing the total number of convictions to 49, which made him the most prolific serial killer in United States history according to confirmed murders until 2017, when [[Samuel Little]] was confirmed to have committed | '''Gary Leon Ridgway''' (born February 18, 1949) is an American serial killer known as the '''Green River Killer''', convicted of 48 separate murders and confessed to nearly double that number. As part of his plea bargain, another conviction was added, bringing the total number of convictions to 49, which made him the most prolific serial killer in United States history according to confirmed murders until 2017, when [[Samuel Little]] was confirmed to have committed 50 murders. | ||
He murdered numerous women and girls, most of whom were also alleged prostitutes, in Washington during | He murdered numerous women and girls, most of whom were also alleged prostitutes, in Washington during the 1980s and 1990s, earning his nickname when the first five victims were found in the Green River. He strangled them, usually with his arm but sometimes using ligatures. After strangling the women, he would dump their bodies throughout forested and overgrown areas in King County, often returning to the dead bodies to have sexual intercourse with them. | ||
On November 30, 2001, as he was leaving the Renton, Washington Kenworth Truck factory where he worked, he was arrested for the murders of four women whose cases were linked to him through DNA evidence. As part of a plea bargain wherein he agreed to disclose the whereabouts of still-missing women, he was spared the death penalty and received 49 life sentences - one for each of his victims - plus an additional 480 years for evidence tampering in each murder case, all with no possibility of parole. He is currently serving his sentences at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington. | On November 30, 2001, as he was leaving the Renton, Washington Kenworth Truck factory where he worked, he was arrested for the murders of four women whose cases were linked to him through DNA evidence. As part of a plea bargain wherein he agreed to disclose the whereabouts of still-missing women, he was spared the death penalty and received 49 life sentences - one for each of his victims - plus an additional 480 years for evidence tampering in each murder case, all with no possibility of parole. He is currently serving his sentences at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington. | ||
He was caught after [[Ted Bundy]] provided advice to catch the killer where he was dumping the bodies. | He was caught after [[Ted Bundy]] provided advice to catch the killer where he was dumping the bodies. | ||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
Ridgway grew up in what became SeaTac, Washington. After graduating from high school in 1969—at the age of 20—he served a two-year stint in the U.S. Navy and later settled in the Seattle area, where he worked as a truck painter. Over the next 30 years, he married three times and had a son. | Ridgway grew up in what became SeaTac, Washington. After graduating from high school in 1969—at the age of 20—he served a two-year stint in the U.S. Navy and later settled in the Seattle area, where he worked as a truck painter. Over the next 30 years, he married three times and had a son. | ||
| Line 27: | Line 26: | ||
By August 1982 police believed that a serial killer was at work, and they eventually formed a special task force. Ridgway soon became a suspect. In 1983 he was questioned in the disappearance of a prostitute who a witness claimed had gotten into his truck. Ridgway denied the allegations and passed a polygraph in 1984. Detectives later discovered a 1982 report about police finding Ridgway with a prostitute in a parked car; two years later a body was found nearby. In 1987 law-enforcement officials obtained a search warrant for Ridgway’s home and work. However, none of the items—including carpet fibres and ropes—could be linked to the victims. They also obtained a DNA sample from Ridgway, but the technology then available was unable to match it with semen recovered from the bodies. However, following the advent of more sophisticated tests, a match was made in 2001, and Ridgway was arrested later that year. | By August 1982 police believed that a serial killer was at work, and they eventually formed a special task force. Ridgway soon became a suspect. In 1983 he was questioned in the disappearance of a prostitute who a witness claimed had gotten into his truck. Ridgway denied the allegations and passed a polygraph in 1984. Detectives later discovered a 1982 report about police finding Ridgway with a prostitute in a parked car; two years later a body was found nearby. In 1987 law-enforcement officials obtained a search warrant for Ridgway’s home and work. However, none of the items—including carpet fibres and ropes—could be linked to the victims. They also obtained a DNA sample from Ridgway, but the technology then available was unable to match it with semen recovered from the bodies. However, following the advent of more sophisticated tests, a match was made in 2001, and Ridgway was arrested later that year. | ||
Although he initially proclaimed his innocence, Ridgway soon confessed to the crimes, stating that he wanted to kill as many prostitutes as possible. He targeted sex workers because he thought they might not be reported missing and because he “hated” most of them. In 2003 he accepted a plea deal in which he was sentenced to | Although he initially proclaimed his innocence, Ridgway soon confessed to the crimes, stating that he wanted to kill as many prostitutes as possible. He targeted sex workers because he thought they might not be reported missing and because he “hated” most of them. In 2003 he accepted a plea deal in which he was sentenced to 48 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. In addition, he agreed to reveal the location of undiscovered bodies. Many speculated that he was responsible for more deaths, and in 2013 Ridgway said that he had murdered upwards of 80 women. | ||
==Gallery== | |||
[[File:GaryRidgway.jpg|thumb|280px]] | |||
[[Category:List]] | [[Category:List]] | ||
[[Category:Serial Killer]] | [[Category:Serial Killer]] | ||
| Line 185: | Line 65: | ||
[[Category:Adulterers]] | [[Category:Adulterers]] | ||
[[Category:Cowards]] | [[Category:Cowards]] | ||