Who Is Gary Ridgway Commit Serial Killers?

Researching serial killers and attempting to come up with reasons why they commit such brutal and outrageous crimes is difficult. One has to not only look back in to how the killer was brought up but the relationships they experienced throughout their lives and the factors which may have lead them to their crimes. Throughout this paper, a background of one of the most notorious serial killers in the U.S., Gary Ridgway will be analyzed. A look into his childhood will discover both psychological and sexual abuse brought on by his mother and father. Ridgway’s adolescent years were also filled with indicators of a teenager in need of help. Finally, his relationship experiences will be looked at and given a psychological reasoning behind his horrendous

There were several psychological factors that help explain why Ridgway committed the awful crimes he did.

OVERVIEW OF CRIMES The crimes committed by serial killer Gary Ridgway began in 1982, when two boys playing found the body of a woman prostitute. Soon after, 4 more victims were discovered along the Green River. Thereafter a task force was developed to deal exclusively with the Green River killings. Although there was a task force designated to the Green River killings, one year later there was a body count connected with Green River killings of up to 20 women. While Ridgway was not directly linked to any of the murders at this time, he did actively try to be involved in the investigation, which then tipped off investigators. Ridgway was then given a polygraph test, which he passed. It was three years later that Ridgway's home was finally searched and DNA was taken that would eventually link him to several of the murders. As more evidence came in linking Ridgway to the murders he ultimately made a plea deal which would take the death penalty off of the table and he would be sentenced to life in prison. Ridgway pled guilty to 48 counts of

He felt as though he was never able to please her and felt inadequate due to his low academic performance. The violence in Ridgway's sexual fantasies is something of particular interest. According to Alley et al., (2014) “sadistic or controlling sexual fantasies increase the risk of murderous behaviour” (p.290), which is precisely the type of behaviour displayed by Ridgway early in his adolescent years. Displaying these this type of behaviour so early in life is troublesome. Most adolescent boys do not dream of having sadistic sex with their mothers at any age, so experiencing it during the adolescent years is disturbing. It is especially concerning knowing now what he did to his victims; having violent sex with the prostitutes, strangling them to death and returning back to the corps to engage in necrophilia. This indeed could be related to a number of issues that occurred throughout Ridgway's life, including the fantasies about his mother. There is also a connection between Ridgway's feelings toward his mother and who he would later choose to victimize, all being women prostitutes. This could potentially be Ridgway seeking revenge on his mother for issues suffered during his childhood. As acknowledged by Miller (2014) “their fantasized fusing of cruelty and sexuality usually begins