Gary Ridgway

Gary Leon Ridgway (born February 18, 1949), also known as the Green River Killer, is an American serial killer. He was initially convicted of 48 separate murders. As part of his plea bargain, another conviction was added, bringing the total number of convictions to 49, making him the second most prolific serial killer in United States history according to confirmed murders. He killed many teenage girls and women in the state of Washington during the 1980s and 1990s.

By Hilary Shenfeld - August 16, 2018 - cc.bingj.com

To an outsider, Gary Ridgway seemed like a regular guy. Married with a son, he had served in the military, attended church and held a steady job. But that image of normalcy quickly crumbled after his unmasking as one of the nation’s most prolific serial killers—and his true nature came to light.

“Gary spent his entire life knowing he was different, but trying to fit in,” Thomas Jensen, the now-retired lead police detective who spent months interrogating him, tells A&E True Crime. “He did not want to be viewed as a pervert.”

Yet, in fact, Ridgway was obsessed with deviant sex and frequented prostitutes. That uncontrollable impulse, combined with his aggression and violence, were significant driving forces behind his murderous actions, says Mary Ellen O’Toole, a retired FBI senior profiler who also interviewed Ridgway.