Who is Gary Ridgway?

Who is Gary Ridgway?

Gary Ridgway is a serial killer who is also known by his moniker ‘The Green River Killer’; Gary Ridgway was a resident in the State of Washington, within which the Green River resides. Gary Ridgway was given his moniker as a result of the discovery of 5 corpses – considered to be victims of Ridgway’s murderous spree – in the Green River. Gary Ridgway’s killing spree is reported as lasting over a decade, taking place within the 1980s and 1990s. Primarily, Gary Ridgway was reported as strangling his victims and disposing of the bodies.

Gary Ridgway Profile

The following outlines the crimes of Gary Ridgway

Date of Birth: Gary Ridgway was born on February 18th, 1949 in Salt Lake City, Utah

Residence: During the time of his killings, Gary Ridgway resided in Kings County in the State of Washington

Year of First Killing: Gary Ridgway’s first murder is reported as involving a 16 year old female victim named Wendy Cofield; she was reported as being strangled. Although no definitive date of her murder was determined, she was reported as missing on July 8th, 1982; he body was discovered on July 15th, 1982.

Year of Apprehension: Gary Ridgway worked at the Kenworth Truck Factory in Renton, Washington; subsequent to his monitoring by law enforcement agents, he was apprehended on November 30th, 2001.

Notable Details and Personal Information: The following personal details have been considered to be contributory to the behavior and criminal actions undertaken by Gary Ridgway; in addition, these case details were made mention within Gary Ridgway’s criminal trial:

Gary Ridgway was reported as possessing an IQ of 82, which he claimed contributed to difficulties in his schooling; he is reported to not have graduated high school

In his confessions, Gary Ridgway claimed to have been emotionally abused by his mother; he considered his home life and upbringing as extremely destructive and volatile

Gary Ridgway is reported as confessing to more murders that any other serial killer in the history of the United States

Locations of the Murders: Gary Ridgway’s murderous spree took place in both the States of Washington and Oregon

Victims: Gary Ridgway was charged for the murder of 48 individuals; however, he has been linked to as many as 71 murders – many of the bodies of his victims have never been found

Status as a Serial Killer: Gary Ridgway is classified as a serial killer due to the fact that Gary Ridgway was convicted of the murder of 3 or more individuals within the duration of a single month; this is conjunction to taking a break or ‘rest’ in the interim of his killings and continuing to commit murders

Nature of Victims: Gary Ridgway’s victims were female who were reported as ranging in age from 15 to 31; many of his victims were reported as impoverished runaways or prostitutes

Punishment and Conviction: On November 5th, 2003, Gary Ridgway was convicted of 48 murders; although Gary Ridgway was convicted of 48 murders, he had confessed to upwards of 71 murders. In an attempt to avoid the death penalty, the District Attorney of the State of Washington spared Gary Ridgway of the death penalty in lieu of a full confession. The terms of his punishment did not include the death penalty, but Gary Ridgway was sentenced to life incarceration without the opportunity for parole.

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