Yes, Ridgway was one of the most "successful" serial killers in history and he was by indications below average intelligence. He must have possessed some animal cunning that gave him the "talent" to kill and not get caught.
STANDREID, Ridgeway was thought by investigators to be idiot savant. GR was able to remain stealth and hone his skills, as many of the serial killers past. Silence, perceived hypothesis, lack of instincts and antiquated strategies by investigators are the predators most lethal weapon, imo..
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Green-River-Running-Red-Killer-Americas/dp/0743460502"]Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer--America's Deadliest Serial Murderer: Ann Rule: 9780743460507: Amazon.com: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vZ-LES3oL.@@AMEPARAM@@51vZ-LES3oL[/ame]
Proclaimed: ‘The Real Story’ of America’s Deadliest Serial Murder’, the book highlights the lives of Gary Ridgeway’s victims, for which I salute the author: Ann Rule. They were mothers, sisters, aunts, grandaughters, neices, and daughters… Ann Rule, proclaimed the Master of True Crime Reporting, sifted through almost 100, 000 pages of official transcripts, pics, LE records/reports, and maps, identifying critical info.
For over two decades Ridgeway eluded Law Enforcement while the body count continued to rise and the suspect list of those scrutinized by the Green River Task Force grew to over 40, 000. Although Ridgeway’s first victim Wendy Lee Coffield was discovered in the Green River in July 1982, it wasn’t until November 30, 2001, almost two decades later, that Gary Ridgeway was identified by DNA as the Green River Serial Killer and Arrested.
GR, was housed in an ultra security cell. GR was arested for soliciting prostitutes two months prior to the discovery of the first victim and was suspected in 1987 as being the Green River Serial Killer. He was cleared after passing two polygraphs and convincing LE of his innocence. GR, would let some of his victims live as well as befriending some for alibis and witnesses to confirm his innocence. Obviously a psychopath, passing the polygraph was childsplay for him. GR also claimed that there was a Good Gary and an Evil Gary, although LE discounted the claim. On December 5, 2001, although responsible for many tragic murders, Gary Ridgeway was formally charged with the murder of only four victims: Marcia Chapman, Opal Mills, Cynthia Hinds, and Carol Ann Christensen. Ironically in August 1982, in the clenched hand of victim Opal Mills, was a brown Cau. hair yanked from her killer’s head. It had been bagged, tagged, and misplaced.
A tag number reported to LE, nineteen years before GR’s arrest by a friend of Kim Nelson; another victim, had also been lost… The Federal Govt contributed $500,000.00 in Dec 2001, to help pay for DNA tests for 45 more probable victims, where there were no charges yet filed. Several Meetings between Task Force Members and the Proscecutors were held to devise a strategy.
A unique or ‘out of the box’ strategy was agreed upon that was to be held in the upmost secrecy under the radar of the media and the public, even the victims families. Their first goal was to locate the previously owned vehicles of Ridgeway’s to check for DNA or other residue. The Green River Task Force was housed in a segregated building and no one outside the Task Force knew the strategy or the avenue of the continuing investigation of the victims where charges hadn’t been filed.
On March 27, 2002 Gr was charged with three more victims; Wendy Coffield, Debra Estes, and Debra Bonner. The discovery in the Green River Case produced overt 420, 000 pages of discovery evidence, and that was only the beginning. By June 2003, after threats by GR’s defense team of a change of venue, it apeared that GR would be tried in King County, Washington, where the murders occured. GR’s Defense Team consisted of 8 Lawers, 8 investigators, 2 clerks, and 6 paralegals. (Dream Team, huh..) The original jury summons consisted of over 10,000 registered voters, which was whittled down to 500 prospective jurors.
A very tight lid was kept on what was happening behind the scenes. Gary Ridgeway’s attorneys had contacted the Proscecutor to ask if GR might avoid the death Penalty, if he would plead guilty to the original charges and show the location of the undiscovered victims. Although there were more than 50 possible victims of Gary Ridgeway, the state could only proscecute on the seven victims, the rest going unavenged. Considering the lengthy Appeals process, the now 54 year old Ridgeway. might very well die of natural causes before excecution could be carried out….
On June 13, 2003, the proscecutors and the defense team entered into an agreement: the State would not seek the Death Penalty, but GR, would have to plead guilty to aggravated murder in the 1st degree for all the homicides that he had committed in Kings Co., Washington. The plea agreement was not revealed to the public or the innocent victims’ families. It was June 2003 when the rumors began: Where was Gary Ridgeway?
It was certain that he was not in the King County Jail, but any info on his whereabouts had been ‘Sealed by a Judge’….
Green River Task Force Members and Search & Rescue teams were spotted in areas where victim’s remains were previously located. Questions were asked, were proscecutors seeking evidence overlooked or or had they struck up some kind of plea deal with the defense team; ‘Ridgeway’s Life, in exchange for the identity and location of the unknown victims from Kings County, Washington? The plea deal did not include other geographical area that Ridgeway preyed.. The task force personnel wore civilian clothes to remain stealth to the media and behind the heavely tinted glass of the unmarked cars was a Prolific Serial Killer, wearing leg irons and handcuffs. Rumors of where Ridgeway was being out of control. It was reported that he was being kept secured under armed guard in a posh apartment. The public was outraged that he was being held in luxury after the body count that he had amassed.
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When referring to his innocent victims remains, he would say, “I dumped ‘it’ in that location”, meaning that they were objects subject to disposal… GR, had let some of his intended victims, go free. He would say. “your to cute for a guy like me”. He later admitted that he let them go for future witnesses, in case he should ever need them to verify that he was a good guy and couldn’t possibly be the Green River Serial Killer. After being asked to elaborate on his abnormal sexual desires during childhood, he admitted to frotterism, exposing himself, stalking, voyerism, rape, murder for sexual release, and finally Necrophillia. Ridgeway had, indeed, had an inapriate relationship with Mary Ridgeway, his late Mother. After wetting his bed at the age of 13 or 14, she had humilated him as well as sexually stimulated him. Ridgeway to being sexually aroused when his mother apeared half naked in front of him and spent 15 minutes or more soaping, washing, and drying his penis and testicles, causing an erection.
Oedipus syndrome
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_complex"]Oedipus complex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
Wikipedia (Thumbnails)
(According to my info, GMH’s childhood friend was asked if GMH, had mentioned having sex with his mother)
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He began taking skeletons or partial skeletons to an adjacent State at that time to confuse task force detectives and prevent them from confiscating any more of his possessions. By the time Ridgeway was scheduled to go to trial, 71 innocent victims’ remains had been located in Kings County, WA, alone, by Task Force members with the assistance of Gary Ridgeway, K9s, Sonar-XRay Devices provided by the FBI, and ‘Grave Dowsing, yes, that’s correct; ‘Grave Dowsing’: an Ancient Art, utilized by Law Enforcement Agencies across the US, for locating remains and other items of evidence…
Ridgeway, feeling invincible, continued his research to perfect his crimes. He not only took great pains to remove all forensic traces of himself from the victims, his house and truck, and went as far as planting evidence; cigarette butts & chewed gum of others, that he found at the airport, to confuse investigators into believing that the unsub was a traveler. False tips were sent to the media: ‘The Post Intelligencer’.
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GR, revealed to the investigators that he had read many crime magazines, including “True Detective”, and other fact-detective magazines that Ann Rule, had written articles for and even dropping her name on occasion.
GR said that he researched Zodiac articles, two or three of Ann rule’s, and how not to act in a courtroom; when to speak up and when to keep quiet.
Ann Rule, states that writting about Gary Ridgeway, was one of the hardest things that she has ever done. She said that she had no desire to be inside his head due to the sheer cruelty and brutality that consumed him and his total inability to empathize with humanity, possesing a black cloud of Evil, that was so hard to erase from her memory…
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A statement by one of the victim’s mother read, “There is a Hole in My Heart, a Vacancy that only a Child can Fill, the Emptiness is very Deep and it Hurts!”
