While Gary Ridgway was convicted of killing 48 people, he admitted that he had taken the lives of nearly 90 victims. In this article, you will learn more about the man who earned the nickname of the Green River Killer, as well as the man who terrorized Atlanta between 1979 and 1981.
Gary Ridgway
Because he chose to dump bodies in the Green River of Washington, Ridgway was called the ‘Green River Killer.’ During the 1980s, he went on a killing spree that would earn him recognition as one of the most prolific serial murderers in America. His primary targets were runaways or prostitutes. After sexually assaulting his victims, he would kill them.
An arrest for charges related to prostitution in 1982 and 2001 would ultimately lead to Ridgway’s downfall. In 1983, his name was added to the list of suspects for the Green River killings. In 1984, Ridgway was given a polygraph test, which he passed. His hair and saliva samples were given to police in 1987. Later, these samples would undergo DNA testing, which would be used as evidence to obtain his arrest warrant.
In the end, Ridgway was convicted in 2001 for murders that dated back 20 years into the past. He actually stated that he viewed murdering young women as a career.
Facts
· Ridgway entered a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without a chance for parole.
· He was apprehended on November 30, 2001.
· When Ridgway was 16 years old, he stabbed a six-year-old boy, who luckily survived the attack.
· Ridgway’s primary method of murder was strangulation. He often used his arms to complete the task, but was also known to use props in the form of cord, such as rope or wire. A prostitute and one of his former wives claimed that he had placed them in a chokehold during one of their encounters.
· Ridgway would kill his victims at his home, in his truck, or in a secluded location.
Wayne Williams
Wayne Williams is typically associated with taking the lives of children and receiving credit for the highly publicized “Atlanta Child Murders.” He was responsible for the nightmare of many parents from 1979 to 1981, but it wasn’t only children that Williams preyed on. He also murdered two adult men, Jimmy Payne (29) and Nathaniel Carter (27). After Williams was arrested and convicted, the local police successfully tied in the death of 29 murdered children to him. To this day, he claims he is innocent. His suspected body count is between 2 to 31 individuals.
Facts
· Williams was apprehended on June 21, 1981.
· He was born and raised in Atlanta’s Dixie Hills neighborhood, which is the same place where the majority of the Atlanta Child Murderer’s victims would later disappear.
· A former FBI profiler named John E. Douglas wrote in his book Mindhunter that he believes Williams committed many of the murders, but doesn’t think he is responsible for all of them.