The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgeway

• Feb. 18, 1949 Gary Ridgeway was Born in Salt Lake City
• He was the 2nd of three sons
• As a child Ridgeway was a avid bed-wetter. He recalls his mother "washing him" which he found embarrassing.
• 1960's he moved to the Seattle Washington area
• His father drove for the local transit system (bus # 174)
• In Ridgeway's late teens, he stabbed a boy. The boy lived and Ridgeway never paid for his crime.
• Ridgeway also once urinated on a boy
• Ridgeway was a poor student w/ a low 80's IQ.
• 1969 Ridgeway graduated High School and enlisted in the US Military.
• Ridgeway also married after High School.
• Despite being married, he often had relationships with prostitutes, and caught a variety of STD's
• Upon his discharge from the military, he divorced his wife for cheating and went to work for Kenworth
• He married Marcia and she gave birth to a child.
• After the birth of the child their relationship changed. He started choking her.
  Marcia left Ridgeway and filed for divorce.
• Ridgeway liked having sex outdoors, it was these locations that became his "dumping ground" for the garbage (prostitutes) he chose to kill.
• Ridgeway often took his son along on his hunts. He would use his son to draw the women in to his world.
• Ridgeway would squeeze the last breath from these women, and enjoyed when they would beg. Matter a fact, the more they begged; the better.
• After killing a woman, Ridgeway often returned to the scene where he ingaged in sexual relations over and over again with the corpse (Necrophilia) .
• Ridgeway viewed these activities as "free dates"
• During the investigation, police even talked to Ted Bundy who stated that a man who committed these murders would probably be addicted to porn, and probably engaged in sex with the corpse. They utilized this information to create a profile of Ridgeway. Bundy
• Police interviewed 12-1500 suspects. During this time Ridgeway was questioned several times, but displayed no signs. They checked his credit cards, gas mileage and he even passed a polygraph test.
• Everything they had against him was circumstancial.
• 1988 - Ridgeway married Judith. In public he appeared to be a good husband father and employee, but he lead a double life and through secretive adventures he had caused 40 women in the area to vanish. (His wife was clueless)
• Employers called him "Green River Gary"
• Ridgeway often played tricks on co-workers by hiding his victims belongings around them. He also used the victims belongings as Yard sale merchandise.
• By 1992, police was accumulating alot of evidence including DNA, but there was only one investigator in charge of keeping the investigation alive. 
• Finally DNA advanced enough to track Ridgeway. Not only was Ridgeway's DNA linked to the crimes, but paint belonging to him was as well.
• Ridgeway was arrested November 30, 2001 and labeled as "The most prolific serial killer" of all time. His friends, family, and associates were shocked. His wife assumed they had the wrong person, and his family stood by his side.
• Once they realized the truth, they distanced themselves and dropped all contact.
• Ridgeway avoided the trial, and the death penelty by pleading guilty. He showed no remorse.
• December 18, 2003 - Ridgeway was sentanced to life without parole. During this hearing one of the victim's (Linda Rule) father's testified. He was forgiving, and this testimony finially broke Ridgeway . He began to cry.