Gary Leon Ridgeway: the Green River Killer
CRMJ329: Criminal Profiling
Gary Leon Ridgway
By: Donna Jamison
Born in Salt Lake City Utah in the year 1949, Gary Leon Ridgway was the middle child of three sons. Ridgway was raised in a chaotic and underprivileged household with a domineering mother and a father who reportedly despised prostitutes (Prothero, 2006). Ridgway wet the bed until his late teens. His mother reportedly bathed him until he was well into his teenage years, paying special attention to his genitals (Prothero, and Smith, 2006). His mother frequently berated him in the presence of others and would dress provocatively and regularly spoke of sexualized encounters with the men worked with (Rule, 2004).
As a child, Ridgway experimented with arson, suffocated a cat and paid a female child to allow him to molest her. As he grew older his behavior became more violent when he lured a six year old boy into the woods and stabbed him for the purpose of exploring the feeling of killing another human being (Vronsky, 2004). Turvey defines a sociopath as an individual with the same characteristics as a psychopath who is subjected to early childhood trauma. If sociopathic behavior is molded from early childhood experiences, then Gary Ridgway was a sociopath in the making at this point (Turvey, 2008).
After completing high school at age twenty, Ridgway enlisted in the United States Navy. During a tour overseas, he engaged in sexual activities with prostitutes where he contracted a sexually transmitted disease on two separate occasions. It is widely speculated that this event may have contributed to Ridgway’s choice in victims. He would loudly proclaim his hatred of prostitutes to anyone who would listen to his ranting (Mayo, 2008). Still others believe that his misogynistic view of women is a reflection of his mother’s unorthodox approach to child rearing (Vronsky, 2004).
After returning home from the service, he married. His first marriage failed and he and his wife divorced in
Gary Leon Ridgway
By: Donna Jamison
Born in Salt Lake City Utah in the year 1949, Gary Leon Ridgway was the middle child of three sons. Ridgway was raised in a chaotic and underprivileged household with a domineering mother and a father who reportedly despised prostitutes (Prothero, 2006). Ridgway wet the bed until his late teens. His mother reportedly bathed him until he was well into his teenage years, paying special attention to his genitals (Prothero, and Smith, 2006). His mother frequently berated him in the presence of others and would dress provocatively and regularly spoke of sexualized encounters with the men worked with (Rule, 2004).
As a child, Ridgway experimented with arson, suffocated a cat and paid a female child to allow him to molest her. As he grew older his behavior became more violent when he lured a six year old boy into the woods and stabbed him for the purpose of exploring the feeling of killing another human being (Vronsky, 2004). Turvey defines a sociopath as an individual with the same characteristics as a psychopath who is subjected to early childhood trauma. If sociopathic behavior is molded from early childhood experiences, then Gary Ridgway was a sociopath in the making at this point (Turvey, 2008).
After completing high school at age twenty, Ridgway enlisted in the United States Navy. During a tour overseas, he engaged in sexual activities with prostitutes where he contracted a sexually transmitted disease on two separate occasions. It is widely speculated that this event may have contributed to Ridgway’s choice in victims. He would loudly proclaim his hatred of prostitutes to anyone who would listen to his ranting (Mayo, 2008). Still others believe that his misogynistic view of women is a reflection of his mother’s unorthodox approach to child rearing (Vronsky, 2004).
After returning home from the service, he married. His first marriage failed and he and his wife divorced in
References: Turvey, B. E. (2008). Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis (Third ed.). Burlington, MA: Academic Press. Hare, R. D. (1999). Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopath Among Us. (9th ed.) Prothero, M., & Smith, C. (2006). Defending Gary: Unraveling the Mind of the Green River Killer Reichert, D. (2004). Chasing the devil, my twenty-year quest to capture the Green River Killer (1st ed.) Rule, A. (2004). Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer- America 's Deadliest Serial Murderer Quinet, K. (2011). Prostitutes as Victims of Serial Homicide: Trends and Case Characteristics 1970-2009