The Psychology of Notorious Serial Killers: the Intersection of Personality Theory and the Darkest Minds of Our Time by Todd Grande

Author:Todd Grande
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: -
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2021-04-05T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Gary Ridgway: The Green River Killer

High Conscientiousness—Low Neuroticism

Gary Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer, was one of the most prolific serial killers who has ever lived. It is believed he killed at least 71 people, although the actual number could be substantially more than the official count. Gary Ridgway himself lost track of how many people he had murdered. He was eventually convicted of 49 murders after one of the longest and most extensive criminal investigations in United States history.

Gary Ridgway’s Background

Ridgway was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 18, 1949. His family moved to King County, Washington when he was 11 years old. He had one elder and one younger brother. Ridgway’s mother was dominant and aggressive and his father was submissive. She reportedly broke plates over her husband’s head, which elicited no reaction from him.

Ridgway’s father introduced him to the idea of necrophilia. His father had worked in a mortuary when Ridgway was young and would return from work and tell stories of a coworker who apparently engaged in sex acts with the corpses. This became one of Ridgway’s fantasies as a teenager. He liked the idea of it because there were no feelings involved and it was difficult to get caught.

Ridgway was a chronic bedwetter when he was young, which deeply offended his mother. While barely dressed herself, she would scold him and give him a cold bath paying attention to what she referred to as his “dirtiest parts.” She maintained terrible boundaries with Ridgway, often talking about her sexual behavior. He would eventually develop an attraction for her and fantasize about raping and killing her.

There were several other warning signs that the future was dark for Gary Ridgway. He performed poorly in school, killed animals, set fires, and had an extreme obsession with true crime. In addition to the bedwetting behavior, the other two behaviors of the MacDonald Triad were present: killing animals and setting fires. It is believed that Ridgway drowned a boy in a lake when he was young, but this report was never confirmed. Ridgway stabbed a boy in the woods one day after school. He was never arrested for this crime, but police confirmed with the victim years later that the crime did in fact happen. The boy was taken to the hospital and recovered.

Despite being held back two grades, Ridgway did eventually graduate high school in 1969; his IQ was in the low eighties. That same year he entered the Navy, and, in 1970, he married his first wife, who he had known for several years. As part of the service in the Navy, he spent some time in the Philippines, where he claims that he first had sex with prostitutes. While Ridgway was overseas, his wife started having an affair. Upon his return to King County in July of 1971, his wife requested a divorce. It is reasonable to believe that this incident contributed to Ridgway’s already distorted view of women.

In August of 1971, he

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