Age, Biography, and Wiki
Gary Ridgway was born on February 18, 1949, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is recognized as the deadliest convicted serial killer in the United States, having confessed to 48 murders, although he claims to have killed as many as 80 women. Ridgway's early life was marked by a troubled childhood, with his mother engaging in behavior that he later described as inappropriate. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked as a truck painter in the Seattle area for many years.
| Occupation | Serial Killers |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 18 February 1949 |
| Age | 76 Years |
| Birth Place | Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is no publicly available information on Ridgway's height, weight, or other physical measurements.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Ridgway is believed to have murdered at least 71 teenage girls and women near Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. In court statements, Ridgway later reported that he had killed so many that he lost count. A majority of the murders occurred between 1982 and 1984. The victims were believed to be either sex workers or runaways, whom he picked up along Pacific Highway South. Ridgway sometimes showed the women a picture of his son, to trick them into trusting him. They would engage in sexual activity, and after minutes of intercourse from behind, Ridgway would wrap his forearm around the front of their necks and use the other arm to pull back as tightly as he could, strangling them. He killed most victims in his home, his truck, or a secluded area. Most of their bodies were dumped in wooded areas around the Green River, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, and other "dump sites" within South King County.
The body of Ridgway's first known victim was found in July 1982. A unique kind of spray paint was found on clothing wrapped around the victim's neck, but the paint was not tested for 20 years. If it had been tested at the time, it would have been easier to link the murder to Ridgway. After four more victims were found, the King County Sheriff's Office formed the Green River Task Force to investigate the murders. Task force members included Robert Keppel and Dave Reichert, who periodically interviewed incarcerated serial killer Ted Bundy in 1984. Bundy offered his opinions on the psychology, motivations, and behavior of the killer. He suggested that the killer was revisiting the dump sites to have sex with his victims, which turned out to be true, and if police found a fresh grave, they should stake it out and wait for him to come back. Also contributing to the investigation was FBI Special Agent John E. Douglas, who developed a profile of the suspect.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Ridgway has been married three times and has a son. His personal relationships have been complex, with his criminal activities contrasting with his family life.
His home life was somewhat troubled; relatives have described his mother as domineering and have said that, while young, he witnessed more than one violent argument between his parents. His father was a bus driver who would often complain about the presence of sex workers.
Ridgway and his brothers would face corporal punishment from his mother with belts or sticks for minor offenses. He would later tell defense psychologists that, as an adolescent, he had conflicting feelings of anger and sexual attraction toward his mother, and fantasized about killing her.
Ridgway graduated from Tyee High School in 1969 and married his 19-year-old high school girlfriend, Claudia Kraig. He joined the United States Navy and was sent to Vietnam, where he served on board a supply ship and saw combat. During his time in the military, Ridgway had frequent sexual intercourse with sex workers and contracted gonorrhea; although angered by this, he continued this activity without protection. The marriage ended within a year.
When questioned about Ridgway after his arrest, friends and family described him as friendly but strange. His first two marriages resulted in divorce because of infidelities by both partners. His second wife, Marcia Winslow, claimed that he had placed her in a chokehold. He became religious during his second marriage, proselytizing door-to-door, reading the Bible aloud at work and at home, and insisting that his wife follow the strict teachings of their pastor. Ridgway would also frequently cry after sermons or reading the Bible. Despite his beliefs, Ridgway continued to solicit the services of sex workers and wanted his wife to participate in sex in public and inappropriate places, sometimes even in areas where his victims' bodies were later discovered.
According to women in his life, Ridgway had an insatiable sexual appetite. His three ex-wives and several ex-girlfriends reported that he demanded sex from them several times a day. Often, he would want to have sex in a public area or in the woods. Ridgway himself admitted to having a fixation with sex workers, with whom he had a love/hate relationship. He frequently complained about their presence in his neighborhood, but he also took advantage of their services regularly. In a statement read at his plea hearing, Ridgway said he hated prostitutes and did not want to pay them for sex. Some have speculated that Ridgway was torn between his lusts and his staunch religious beliefs. With his second wife Marcia, Ridgway had a son.
Ridgway was arrested in 1982 and 2001 on charges related to prostitution. He became a suspect in the Green River killings in 1983, when 18-year-old Marie Malvar disappeared. Her boyfriend and her pimp later found a truck in front of Ridgway's house which they thought was the same one she had boarded the day she went missing. Ridgway was interviewed in conjunction with that event, and police received several other tips that mentioned him. In 1984, he passed a polygraph test.
Around 1985, Ridgway began dating Judith Mawson, who became his third wife in 1988. Mawson claimed in a 2010 television interview that when she moved into his house while they were dating, there was no carpet. Detectives later told her he had probably wrapped a body in the carpet. In the same interview, she described how he would leave for work early in the morning some days, ostensibly for the overtime pay. Mawson speculated that he must have committed some of the murders while supposedly working these early morning shifts. She claimed that she had not suspected Ridgway's crimes before she was contacted by authorities in 1987, and had not even heard of the Green River Killer before that time because she did not watch the news. Ridgway said that while he was in a relationship with Mawson, his kill rate went down and that he truly loved her. Of his 49 known victims, only three were killed after he married Mawson. Mawson told a local television reporter, "I feel I have saved lives ... by being his wife and making him happy."
* Evidence exists to suggest that Ridgway murdered McGinniss. Shortly before her disappearance, McGinniss was questioned by a Port of Seattle police officer while "dating" Ridgway near the SeaTac Strip. Furthermore, during the summer of 2003, Ridgway led authorities to the bodies of several of his victims. One of those bodies, later identified as that of April Buttram, was initially identified by Ridgway as being that of McGinniss. According to Ridgway, he often confused McGinniss with Buttram because of their similar physiques.
* McGuirk was the mother of NBA player Martell Webster. She was last seen leaving her three children in the company of her aunt. Her vehicle was later found near Aurora Avenue north. Although her body was never found, Ridgway is thought to be responsible for killing her.
* Green River Serial Killer: Biography of an Unsuspecting Wife by Pennie Morehead, telling the story of his third wife and her struggles with the truth (April 1, 2007)
* Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, a 2011 graphic novel by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case. Jensen's father was Tom Jensen, one of the detectives who worked on the case for 20 years.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Claudia Kraig Barrows (m. August 15, 1970-January 14, 1972) Marcia Lorene Brown (m. December 14, 1973-May 27, 1981) Judith Lorraine Lynch (m. June 12, 1988-September 5, 2002) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As a convicted serial killer serving life imprisonment, Gary Ridgway does not have a significant net worth. His previous salary as a truck painter is not publicly disclosed, but it would have been moderate. His financial life is largely irrelevant due to his incarceration and lack of ability to earn income since his arrest in 2001.
Career, Business, and Investments
Ridgway's career prior to his arrest included working as a truck painter. There is no information about him having any business or investments, as his life has been marked by his criminal activities rather than legitimate business ventures.
Social Network
Ridgway does not have an active social network presence, as he has been incarcerated since 2001 and does not have access to social media platforms.
* Ridgway denied killing Agisheff who does not fit the profile of any of the victims of the Green River Killer considering her age, and she was not a sex worker or a teenage runaway.
* The Riverman is based on the true story of Ted Bundy assisting investigators trying to identify and catch the Green River Killer. It is based on the book of the same name by Robert D. Keppel.
Education
Ridgway graduated from high school in 1969. There is no information about him pursuing further education.
In conclusion, Gary Ridgway's life is defined by his criminal activities rather than a successful career or personal financial achievements. His infamous status as the Green River Killer overshadows any aspect of his life that might have been considered ordinary or successful.
Ridgway is dyslexic, and was held back a year in high school. When he was 16, he stabbed a six-year-old boy, who survived the attack. Ridgway had led the boy into the woods and then stabbed him through the ribs into his liver. Ridgway's IQ was recorded as being in the "low eighties".
On November 5, 2003, Ridgway entered a guilty plea to 48 charges of aggravated first degree murder as part of a plea bargain that would spare him execution in exchange for his cooperation in locating the remains of his victims and providing other details. In his statement accompanying his guilty plea, Ridgway explained that he had killed all of his victims inside King County, Washington, and that he had transported and dumped the remains of the two women near Portland to confuse the police.
