The Green River Killer : Avoidable Or Inescapable?

way had glasses and a mustache and for the most part he looked normal. His nickname was The Green River Killer because some of the bodies of his killing were fished out of the Green River in King County, Washington. The killings took place from the 1982 to 2001 (Newton, 2000, p.223). It is known that Ridgway had sexual intercourse with the prostitutes before he killed them. After a while, he would also have sex with them after they were dead. Another interesting fact is that sometimes, after Ridgway had sex with the already dead victims, he would put rocks in their vaginas (Philbin, 2011, p.199). Ridgway may have easily killed up to 90 women, but it will never be known because in videos, he says that he is not completely sure exactly how many

Albert fish also known as Hamilton Fish was born on May 19, 1870. He is known as an American Serial killer and sadomasochistic cannibal. Many know him as the werewolf of Wisteria. He was one of the most wicked pedophiles and killer of his time. His name “Albert” came from a dead sibling. His family had a history of mental illness. Albert’s father died in 1875, which led to his mother putting him into an orphanage. They whipped and beat him but he learned to enjoy the physical pain. The beatings gave him erections and many of the orphans teased him for it. In 1882, he began drinking urine and coprophagia. He visited public baths where he would watch boys undress and became a male prostitute. Albert raped many young boys mostly under the age

Serial murder is defined as the murder of at least three victims accompanied with an intermittent “cooling off” period in between. Often during the “cooling off” period the serial killer fantasizes about his next potential victim and contrives a plan to enact said fantasy (Simons, 2001). The term “serial killer” was introduced into the English lexicon in the 1970’s and used to describe individuals who committed a series of murders under these pretenses. The typical age of onset for serial murder is usually in the mid-to-late twenties (Arndt, Hietpas, and Kim, 2004). It is difficult to determine when exactly Robert Pickton began his string of killing since much of his early life remains shrouded in mystery. The best way to examine the frequency of Pickton’s murders and the duration of the “cooling off” period between them then, is to examine data of women reported missing from the Downtown Eastside area of Vancouver. Using this data, it can be reasonably assumed that Pickton began his murders (at least within the context of his general modus operandi) sometime in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s (The Pickton Trial, CBC.ca/news). Using the missing women data along with evidence found on the Pickton farm, it is seen that the murders increased in frequency with a much smaller “cooling off” period throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s before his eventual arrest in 2002.

Gary Ridgway was a truck painter and he had a special place where he would go and dump his victims; in and around the green river. The first body was discovered in the green river by passing pedestrians in spring of 1982 it was the body of young 16 year old Wendy Lee Coffield and she was strangled to death. (Seattle times 2003) It seems that the green river killer didn’t care what age a girl was he was cynical enough to have sex with her and kill her. Age was defiantly not a factor; he viewed women as objects

Theodore Bundy was an infamous American serial killer who preyed upon numerous young women during the 1970s and possibly earlier. He was associated with at least 30 counts of homicide and suspected of an estimated one hundred or more. Beyond homicide, he also made it apparent that he was capable of other sinister crimes such as rape, kidnapping, and necrophilia. His most frequent method of killing was an attack with a blunt weapon to the head. However, he did not merely kill his victims; evidence concludes that each were also sexually assaulted and sodomized. It is reported that he even revisited his crime scenes to further engage in sexual acts with the decomposing corpses. Moreover, at least 12 of his victims had been decapitated .

There are numerous portraits, perspectives, and analyses of the life and deeds of American serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who is thought to have sexually assaulted and murdered 32 boys between 1976 and his arrest in December 1978 (Cahill, 1978; Gacy, 1989). This profile of Gacy compiles a birth-to-death chronology of events and activities that may lend insight to the personality of a habitual liar, model citizen, and serial murderer.

Then there was Shirley Vain, she was killed on March 17th, 1977, as her three children were locked in the bathroom with toys. Posing as a private detective, Rader pulled a .357 magnum hand gun and forced his way inside the home. Using as he would call it his “Hit Kit” a mix of bags, rope, tape and cords. He handcuffed Nancy Fox December of that same year tied her on her bed and strangled her with a belt, before preforming a sexual act next to the body. All the while Rader was writing letter to journalists and cops. How many people do I have to kill before I get my name in the paper or some national attention?” he wrote in

Gary Ridgeway, A.K.A, the Green River Killer, was one of the most notorious serial killers in U.S history. Over the course of two years in the 1980s nearly 50 lives were taken in the Seattle and Tacoma areas of Washington. This case was given this name because of the location of all of the bodies. Most of the bodies were dumped either in or around the Green River located in Washington. Upon discovery of these bodies, the king county sheriff department formed a task force to attempt to solve these murders. One of the interesting things the task force did was interview Ted Bundy to gain insight as to what the killer may be planning next. In 1982 and again in 2001, Gary Ridgeway, was arrested on charges that related to prostitution. This brought

Through 1980 and 1990, Ridgway was to have killed at the least 71 people. In an interview he said he killed so many that the lost count. Most of his victims were runaways or prostitutes whom he had picked up and strangled along Pacific Highway South. A majority of the murders took place in 1982-1984. A lot of the bodies were dumped along the Green River, in the wooded area, hence the name”Green River Killer.” He would always keep up with where he threw the bodies, because he would later return and have intercourse with their corpse. Sometimes he would leave the bodies in a posed, nude position. Out of all of the women Gary killed, only 4 are unidentified. Most of his bodies were left in Washington, but often to throw off the police, he would cross over into Oregon and leave a few there. He would contaminate the crime scenes by leaving gum and written material belonging to others. His murders would start by just driving along and picking up a woman, most of the time a prostitute. To make them feel more comfortable with him, he would show them a picture of his son that he carried in his wallet. He would lure them in, get them to have sex with him and then he would murder them. He would always strangle them. Never would he use anything but his hands. You could tell where the girls would struggle,because he would have bruises and claw marks on his arms. After

In Salt Lake City, Utah, on Feb. 18, 1949, Ridgway was born the second of three brothers. The first brother being born in 1948 and the second 1951. Their parents, Thomas Newton and Mary Rita Ridgway, lived in a rented room close to a local high school. In 1960,the family moved into a five bedroom, two bathroom, one level home in what is now called the City of SeaTac. The home still stands at 4404 S. 175th Street, in the neighborhood called McMicken Heights. Growing up, Gary had an issue with wetting the bed. This caused his mother to wash him and humiliate him in front of his father and brothers. It also sparked a hatred towards her from Gary, but also arousal. Ridgway scored an I.Q. of 82, lower than the average of 100. His academic performance was so low he had to repeat a school year to obtain the grades needed to pass. He was a troubled teen. At the age of sixteen, he stabbed a six-year-old boy in the liver. Thankfully, the boy survived the attack. According to the victim and Ridgway, he laughed as he walked away saying, “I always wondered what it would be like to kill someone” (Ridgway).

Morrison, Helen, and Harold Goldberg. My Life among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers. New York: William Morrow, 2004. Print.

This report will focus on Theodore Robert Bundy. Bundy was confirmed to be have been connected to at least 40 murders and was executed by Old Sparky, Florida’s electric chair in January 24, 1989. Initially, Bundy was arrested for a driving violation in August 1975. When police searched his vehicle, suspicious items were found that led to Bundy’s charge of Carol DaRonch’s kidnapping. Bundy was sentenced to 15 years in prison in February 1976 but was later charged with the murder of Caryn Campbell in October 1976. However, Bundy escaped prison and proceeded to live a College life until brutally murdering two women of Florida State University and other reported murders. Bundy was finally brought to trial where he arrogantly acted as his own attorney.

Gary Ridgeway an American serial killer who has made the U.S. panic in the start of the mid 1980’s and was sentenced in the year 2001. Ridgeway had an infatuation with prostitutes but still tried to live the Godly life he was trying to portray as well. He was undergoing various tribulations by killing the prostitutes after he had sexual intercourse with them it was an excitement to him. He always wanted to know what it would feel like to “kill someone” he once said and then chuckled right after.

On Tuesday, law enforcement officials arrested a suspect for the attacks in the 1970s and 1980s in a small suburb of Sacramento, California. The so-called Golden State Killer was thought to have killed 12 people, raped at least 45 people, and burglarized more than 120 homes. The suspect 72-year-old, Joseph James DeAngelo, was taken into custody outside his home and charged with six counts of murder. In the past week, investigators identified Mr. DeAngelo matched his DNA to the murders of Lyman and Charlene Smith in Ventura County in 1980. Also, a database showed links to other murders in Southern California, the authorities said Wednesday. The infamous figure was a meticulous planner and seemed to know precise details about his victims. Cruel

Described as “THE execution” (Lyons & Trei, 1989, p. Ia) serial killer and rapist Ted Bundy was put to death by the State of Florida at 7.16 A.M. January 24, 1989. During his life he had been convicted of the 1978 rape and murder of a 12 year old, Kimberly Leach in Lack City; and the death of Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman, sorority sisters at Florida State University. Just two days before his execution Bundy also admitted to killing a number of other females of various ages in Washington, Colorado, Utah, Oregon and Florida although he was never tried or convicted for those (Rule, 1989, p. 479-480). In total it is estimated that he killed between 25 and 30 women (Rule, 1989).