Biography serial killer

Gary Ridgway

American serial killer (born 1949)

"Green River Killer" redirects here. For the 2005 film, see Green River Killer (film).

Gary Ridgway

Ridgway's mugshot, November 2001

Born

Gary Leon Ridgway


(1949-02-18) February 18, 1949 (age 75)

Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

Other namesThe Green River Killer
Spouses

Claudia Kraig Barrows

(m. ; div. )​

Marcia Lorene Brown

(m. ; div. )​

Judith Lorraine Lynch

(m. ; div. )​
Children1[1]
Conviction(s)
Criminal penalty49 life sentences without the possibility of parole
Victims49 convicted
71–90+ confessed and suspected

Span of crimes

1982–1998 confirmed (possibly as recent as 2001)
CountryUnited States
State(s)Washington, Oregon

Date apprehended

November 30, 2001
Imprisoned atWashington State Penitentiary

Gary Leon Ridgway (born

Serial killer

Murderer of multiple people

A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,[1] with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separate events.[1][2] Their psychological gratification is the motivation for the killings, and many serial murders involve sexual contact with the victims at different points during the murder process. The United StatesFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) states that the motives of serial killers can include anger, thrill-seeking, attention seeking, and financial gain, and killings may be executed as such. The victims tend to have things in common, such as demographic profile, appearance, gender, or race.[5] As a group, serial killers suffer from a variety of personality disorders. Most are often not adjudicated as insane under the law.[6] Although a serial killer is a distinct classification that differs from that of a mass murderer, spree killer, or contract killer, there are overlaps between them.

Etymology an

SERIAL KILLER VICTIM SELECTION

"No one knows for sure why a serial killer will choose a certain individual as their victim. When asked why, serial killers often give a wide range of answers regarding the reasons for their murders. The most common belief is that the killer wants to feel complete control over another person. They thrive on the fear their victims display and see the murder as the ultimate form of dominance over a human being.

"In order for any person to be defined as a serial killer, they must satisfy a few criteria, specified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The person in question must have murdered a minimum of three individuals (not simultaneously), there must be a period of time in between the murders (to prove that multiple victims were not killed during a single fit of rage), and the circumstances of each murder should indicate that the killer felt a sense of dominance over the people they have killed. The victims must also be vulnerable to the killer in some way, a characteristic which indicates that the killer has sought to achieve

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