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By the time his trial was over, Gary Ridgway, known as the Green River Killer, had confessed to more killings than any American serial killer before him.

Though Ted Bundy was charged with murder in the 1970s and sentenced to death, he managed to make one final contribution to society before his execution, when he aided in the capture and arrest of Gary Ridgway, the Green River killer.

Gary Ridgway Becomes The Green River Killer

Between 1982 and 1988, Gary Ridgway, known by police as America's "most prolific serial killer," murdered 71 women. He was convicted for 49 of them but admitted that the number could have been closer to 90.

Most of Ridgway's victims were prostitutes or underage runaways, whom he picked up at truck stops and dive bars along Highway 99 outside Seattle. He would then rape and strangle them, sometimes by hand and sometimes with ligatures, before dumping their bodies in wooded areas around the Green River, leading to his nickname.

He would also purposely contaminate the crime scene with litter, gum and cigarette butts to throw authorities off. Occasionally he would dump the body in one place, leave it for a time, then transport to another location to create a false trail. At least two victims were transported as far away as Portland.

When the bodies started appearing, the King County Sheriff's Office started up the Green River Task Force, hoping to discover the person responsible.

Two members of the task force were Robert Keppel and Dave Reichert. Keppel and Reichert periodically interviewed psychologists and criminologists, hoping to gain insight into the motives behind the killer's movements.

Ted Bundy Helps Crack The Case

Eventually in 1984, their interviews led them to famed serial killer Ted Bundy.

Bundy had been imprisoned for the past six years for murder, rape, burglary, and necrophilia and was, at the time, awaiting his electrocution, which would come three years later.

Having deplorable, but valuable, first-hand experience with the same kinds of killings that had been happening in the Green River area, Bundy proved to be an asset to the case. He became a regular interviewee of the Keppel and Reichert and offered his opinion on the psychology of the killer, as well as his motivations and behavior.

During one interview session, Bundy suggested that the killer was most likely revisiting his dump sites to engage in sexual intercourse with the bodies. He advised the investigators that in case they find a fresh grave, stake it out and wait for the killer to return.

Bundy's theories turned out to be true, and the police were able to use them to collect samples and provide evidence for an arrest warrant. However, it took police until 2001 to finally arrest Gary Ridgway.

Gary Ridgway Finally Faces Justice

Twenty years after committing his crimes, Ridgway was arrested on suspicions of murdering four women, and his DNA was later conclusively linked to them. Forensic testing later revealed that the same spray paint Ridgway used at work during his crime spree was present at other crime scenes, and added those murders to the list of charges.

By the time of his trial, Ridgway was facing 49 murder charges and had admitted to 23 others. In exchange for life imprisonment instead of the death penalty, Ridgway agreed to provide the locations of the remains of all of his victims.

After his cooperation, he was sentenced to 49 life sentences to be served consecutively. An additional ten years was added to each sentence for tampering with evidence, adding 480 years to his 48 life sentences.

By the time his trial was over, Gary Ridgway had confessed to more confirmed murders than any other serial killer in America, claiming that murdering young women was his "career," making him the worst serial killer in American history.

Ironic that the worst serial killer would be apprehended with the help of one of the most famous ones.
Next, read about five serial killers you'll wish you'd never heard of. Then, read about how 20 serial killers met their chilling ends. Finally, meet Edmund Kemper, one of history's worst serial killers.

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How Ted Bundy Helped Catch America's Worst Serial Killer

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Though Ted Bundy was charged with murder in the 1970s and sentenced to death, he managed to make one final contribution to society before his execution, when he aided in the capture and arrest of Gary Ridgway, the Green River killer. Between 1982 and 1988, Gary Ridgway, known by police as America's "most prolific serial killer," murdered 71 women.

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Gary Ridgway pleaded guilty to killing 49 women, now he says there are more.

Sept. 17 ,2013 —, 2013 -- Gary Ridgway, the Seattle-area truck painter who was unmasked as the Green River serial killer and went on to plead guilty to killing 49 women, now claims that he killed closer to 80 women over two decades.

In exclusive interviews with ABC News affiliate KOMO, Ridgway, who is currently serving 49 consecutive life sentences in a Washington State penitentiary, told reporter Charlie Harger that he is confessing to dozens more murders to help bring closure to the families of his unidentified victims.

"The total number [of victims] is 75 to 80," Ridgway said in a phone interview recorded by Harger and broadcast on KOMO.

Ridgway, who said he is a changed man who has found God, now says that while he was telling police of his crimes following his 2001 arrest and subsequent confession, there was more he could have said to help locate other victims. But Harger said he remains skeptical about Ridgway's motive and tendency to lie.

"The strange thing about Gary Ridgway is if you didn't know the depravity, if you didn't know the evil that this man committed, you would have no clue when you talked on the phone with him," said Harger, a reporter for KOMO Newsradio. "This man sounds like he would be a perfect neighbor."

Ridgway confessed that he picked up prostitutes and teen runaways throughout the 1980s and 1990s in Washington's King County, strangled them during sex and dumped their bodies in remote areas near King County's 65-mile long Green River.

"Gary Ridgway is ... playing everybody when he talks," Harger said. "I don't think Gary Ridgway can even comprehend the truth." -- journalist Charlie Harger

Ridgway had been a suspect in the killings for years, but it wasn't until 2001 that he was arrested, thanks to DNA testing advances. To avoid the death penalty, Ridgway confessed to 48 murders in 2003. In 2011 a 49th body was found, and he received an additional life sentence.

Now that he has admitted to dozens of other murders, the question remains whether he is now genuinely trying to help the families of supposed victims, or if he's trying to "up his count" for further notoriety.

Harger said that Ridgway is a sly, deceptive man.

"Gary Ridgway is absolutely playing me. He's playing everybody when he talks," Harger said. "I don't think Gary Ridgway can even comprehend the truth.

"I think he wants to show the world that, 'Here I am, Gary Ridgway, the truck painter from Kenworth, the guy who everybody thought was slow since elementary school, somebody who couldn't hold a candle to Ted Bundy. But, here I am, and I'm the best at something,'" Harger said.

Ridgway has been speaking with Air Force criminal investigator Rob Fitzgerald for years about his crimes, and for the past five years, Fitzgerald has hunted for unidentified victims of the Green River Killer. The two men speak multiple times per week, KOMO reports, and Ridgway even provides Fitzgerald with photos of supposed "dump sites" that he says should be searched.

Despite Ridgway's dubious motive for divulging these locations, Harger said he should still be heard, for a possible "nugget of truth" in what might be a web of lies.

"Maybe if we listen to the clues and cut through his lies, we will find a nugget of truth, the clue investigators have waited for," he said. "It's a chance we have to take."

KOMO News will be exploring Harger's interviews with Ridgway throughout this week.

Sept. 17 ,2013 —, 2013 -- Gary Ridgway, the Seattle-area truck painter who was unmasked as the Green River serial killer and went on to plead guilty to killing 49 women, now claims that he killed closer to 80 women over two decades.

In exclusive interviews with ABC News affiliate KOMO, Ridgway, who is currently serving 49 consecutive life sentences in a Washington State penitentiary, told reporter Charlie Harger that he is confessing to dozens more murders to help bring closure to the families of his unidentified victims.

"The total number [of victims] is 75 to 80," Ridgway said in a phone interview recorded by Harger and broadcast on KOMO.

Ridgway, who said he is a changed man who has found God, now says that while he was telling police of his crimes following his 2001 arrest and subsequent confession, there was more he could have said to help locate other victims. But Harger said he remains skeptical about Ridgway's motive and tendency to lie.

"The strange thing about Gary Ridgway is if you didn't know the depravity, if you didn't know the evil that this man committed, you would have no clue when you talked on the phone with him," said Harger, a reporter for KOMO Newsradio. "This man sounds like he would be a perfect neighbor."

Ridgway confessed that he picked up prostitutes and teen runaways throughout the 1980s and 1990s in Washington's King County, strangled them during sex and dumped their bodies in remote areas near King County's 65-mile long Green River.

"Gary Ridgway is ... playing everybody when he talks," Harger said. "I don't think Gary Ridgway can even comprehend the truth." -- journalist Charlie Harger

Ridgway had been a suspect in the killings for years, but it wasn't until 2001 that he was arrested, thanks to DNA testing advances. To avoid the death penalty, Ridgway confessed to 48 murders in 2003. In 2011 a 49th body was found, and he received an additional life sentence.

Now that he has admitted to dozens of other murders, the question remains whether he is now genuinely trying to help the families of supposed victims, or if he's trying to "up his count" for further notoriety.

Harger said that Ridgway is a sly, deceptive man.

"Gary Ridgway is absolutely playing me. He's playing everybody when he talks," Harger said. "I don't think Gary Ridgway can even comprehend the truth.

"I think he wants to show the world that, 'Here I am, Gary Ridgway, the truck painter from Kenworth, the guy who everybody thought was slow since elementary school, somebody who couldn't hold a candle to Ted Bundy. But, here I am, and I'm the best at something,'" Harger said.

Ridgway has been speaking with Air Force criminal investigator Rob Fitzgerald for years about his crimes, and for the past five years, Fitzgerald has hunted for unidentified victims of the Green River Killer. The two men speak multiple times per week, KOMO reports, and Ridgway even provides Fitzgerald with photos of supposed "dump sites" that he says should be searched.

Despite Ridgway's dubious motive for divulging these locations, Harger said he should still be heard, for a possible "nugget of truth" in what might be a web of lies.

"Maybe if we listen to the clues and cut through his lies, we will find a nugget of truth, the clue investigators have waited for," he said. "It's a chance we have to take."

KOMO News will be exploring Harger's interviews with Ridgway throughout this week.

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Green River Killer Claims He Murdered Dozens More Women

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Gary Ridgway pleaded guilty to killing 49 women, now he says there are more. Sept. 17 ,2013 -, 2013 -- Gary Ridgway, the Seattle-area truck painter who was unmasked as the Green River serial killer and went on to plead guilty to killing 49 women, now claims that he killed closer to 80 women over two decades.

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Murders A-Z is a collection of true crime stories that take an in-depth look at both little-known and famous murders throughout history.
In January 1984, the 55-member Green River Task Force was formed to investigate the murders. Due to his previous arrests and his connection to the Malvar disappearance, Ridgway was in regular contact with detectives. That spring, he agreed to take a polygraph test, during which he denied killing any women ad passed, according to The Seattle Times.

Ridgway's victim count, however, continued to grow, and he received his 49 th life sentence in 2011, after confessing to the 1982 murder of Rebecca Marrero, according to Reuters. Ridgway had previously confessed to her murder, but prosecutors couldn't pursue charges due to a lack of evidence. Her remains were discovered by teenagers in 2010.

Crime Time is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Sign up for our Crime Time Newsletter and subscribe to our true crime podcast Martinis & Murder for all the best true crime content.

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How Gary Ridgway, 'The Green River Killer,' Was Captured With Nearly 20-Year-Old DNA Evidence

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Murders A-Z is a collection of true crime stories that take an in-depth look at both little-known and famous murders throughout history. Known as "The Green River Killer," Gary Ridgway was convicted of murdering 49 women in Washington State in the early 1980s.

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Gary Ridgway, in full Gary Leon Ridgway, byname Green River Killer, (born February 18, 1949, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.), American criminal who was the country's deadliest convicted serial killer. He claimed to have killed as many as 80 women-many of whom were prostitutes-in Washington during the 1980s and '90s, although he pled guilty (2003) to only 48 murders.

Ridgway grew up in what became SeaTac, Washington. His father was a bus driver and his mother a salesclerk. The younger Ridgway later claimed that his mother engaged in inappropriate behaviour. Notably, he alleged that after wetting the bed-a habit that persisted into his early teens-she would wash his genitals. At some point he began fantasizing about killing her, and in the mid-1960s he stabbed a young boy. After graduating from high school in 1969-at the age of 20-Ridgway served a two-year stint in the U.S. Navy and later settled in the Seattle area, where he worked as a truck painter. Over the next 30 years, he married three times and had a son.

In 1980 Ridgway was arrested for allegedly choking a prostitute, but no charges were filed after he claimed that the woman had bit him. Two years later he was arrested for solicitation. Ridgway was believed to have begun his killing spree shortly thereafter. His first victim was thought to have been a 16-year-old girl who went missing after leaving her foster home in July 1982. Her body was found a week later, in the Green River. Over the next two years, Ridgway raped and killed more than 40 women, many of whom were prostitutes or runaways. A number of Ridgway's early victims were later found in or near the river, giving rise to the nickname Green River Killer; other bodies were discovered in remote wooded areas. After 1984 he committed several more murders, the last occurring in 1998.

By August 1982 police believed that a serial killer was at work, and they eventually formed a special task force. Ridgway soon became a suspect. In 1983 he was questioned in the disappearance of a prostitute who a witness claimed had gotten into his truck. Ridgway denied the allegations and passed a polygraph in 1984. Detectives later discovered a 1982 report about police finding Ridgway with a prostitute in a parked car; two years later a body was found nearby. In 1987 law-enforcement officials obtained a search warrant for Ridgway's home and work. However, none of the items-including carpet fibres and ropes-could be linked to the victims. They also obtained a DNA sample from Ridgway, but the technology then available was unable to match it with semen recovered from the bodies. However, following the advent of more sophisticated tests, a match was made in 2001, and Ridgway was arrested later that year.

Although he initially proclaimed his innocence, Ridgway soon confessed to the crimes, stating that he wanted to kill as many prostitutes as possible. He targeted sex workers because he thought they might not be reported missing and because he "hated" most of them. In 2003 he accepted a plea deal in which he was sentenced to 48 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. In addition, he agreed to reveal the location of undiscovered bodies. Many speculated that he was responsible for more deaths, and in 2013 Ridgway said that he had murdered upwards of 80 women.

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Gary Ridgway | Biography, Mother, Childhood, & Murders

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Gary Ridgway, in full Gary Leon Ridgway, byname Green River Killer, (born February 18, 1949, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.), American criminal who was the country's deadliest convicted serial killer. He claimed to have killed as many as 80 women-many of whom were prostitutes-in Washington during the 1980s and '90s, although he pled guilty (2003) to only 48 murders.

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Serial killer Gary Leon Ridgway, known as the Green River Killer, murdered at least 49 women in Washington state before he was caught in 2001.

Synopsis

Serial killer Gary Leon Ridgway was born on February 18, 1949, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He held a job painting trucks for 30 years and was married three times. He began murdering women in 1982 and was caught in 2001 when a DNA test revealed a match. Ridgway told investigators he killed as many as 75-80 women along Route 99 in south King County, Washington. He was convicted and received multiple life sentences.

Background

Gary Leon Ridgway was born on February 18, 1949, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Raised near Seattle's Pacific Highway, a deprived neighborhood near SeaTac airport, Ridgway was a poor student and was sent to Vietnam after high school. When he returned, he got a job painting trucks, which he kept for 30 years. Though he married three times and was fanatical about religion, Ridgway was a frequent customer of prostitutes.

Green River Killings

Ridgway's slayings began in 1982, when young runaways and prostitutes began disappearing from state Route 99 in south King County, Washington. He brought many of them to his home and strangled them, then left them in woodsy, remote sites. The first few bodies turned up along the now-notorious Green River.

Dubbed the Green River Killer, Ridgway eluded the law until 2001, when King County sheriff Dave Reichert, the first officer assigned to the case in 1982, called a meeting to re-examine evidence using newly developed DNA-testing technology. The analysis produced a match between evidence from the victims and Ridgway, and he was charged with four counts of aggravated murder in December 2001. Ridgway eventually pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder.

Multiple Life Sentences

Facing the prospect of execution, Ridgway made a deal with investigators to revealed where he'd hidden the bodies of several of the young women who'd never been found while also agreeing to plead guilty to any future cases where his confession could be substantiated by evidence. He was sentenced to life in prison in December 2003, having committed more murders than any serial killer in U.S. history.

An additional body was found in 2011, with Ridgway receiving another life sentence. In 2013, he claimed in an interview with a news media outlet that he had murdered 75-80 women, with speculation over Ridgway was telling the truth or seeking further attention.

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Serial killer Gary Leon Ridgway, known as the Green River Killer, murdered at least 49 women in Washington state before he was caught in 2001. Serial killer Gary Leon Ridgway was born on February 18, 1949, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He held a job painting trucks for 30 years and was married three times.

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Morehead, Pennie. Green River Serial Killer: Biography of an Unsuspecting Wife. BrandenBooks, 2007.

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After three years since Gary went to Prison, Judith finally builds up the courage to open up the oldest letter.

"Finally, in early 2004, entering the third year since her husband was taken away, Judith worked up the courage to read a letter from Gary. She opened the oldest letter according to post-marks on the envelopes."(Morehead 126).

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Judith started receiving letters from Gary in the Walla Walla State Penitentiary, and her mind runs with hateful thoughts for him. She chooses not to open them for a few days, then ended up to be a few years.

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Judith saw her husband's face in court on TV, pleading guilty to 48 murders.

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Judith feels the pain from getting a divorce.

"She had actually just asked someone to help her start a divorce for Gary--her Prince Gary. The one who had given her hope. The one who had given her safety, The one who loved her like a man should love a woman. The pain was overwhelming."(Morehead 115).

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Every time she's out in public, Judith feels a wave a shame and thinks everyone is staring and judging her. Later that day, Gary calls from jail and says that they need to get a divorce to protect her and change her name.

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Another bomb was dropped on Judith when the detectives told her that after Gary and she met a lovely couple from camping, one of them, the woman, was found dead.

"'The woman was found dead, lying along side a country road, not long after you all met.'"(Morehead 114).

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Detectives told Judith that they have reports saying Gary was spotted camping with another woman and introduced her as Mrs. Ridgway.
"One time they dropped a bomb on Judith, telling her that they had reports that Gary had been seen with a tall, brown-haired woman at the Leisure Time Resort located at the end of Highway 18 where it intersects with Interstate-90."(Morehead 113).

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Judith goes on a long bus ride to King County Jail where Gary is being held, and sees that a thick wall of glass is separating them. The thought that Gary was in Jail made her cry.

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Judith realizes that Gary was cheating on her.
“...the realization entered her brain that Gary actually had been with prostitutes. The detectives her right! He had lied to her. Her perfect, smiling husband had cheated on her. Bastard! The man that she loved with ever cell in her body was a liar!”(Morehead 108).

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11. Gary Confesses About the Prostitutes

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11. Gary Confesses About the Prostitutes

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Gary calls Judith again and tells her that he didn’t murder the women, but he saw the prostitutes.

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Gary tells Judith that he had nothing to do with the women that were murdered and Judith believes him.

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After Judith comes back to her house, Gary calls her from Jail.
“Hello Judith, I’m calling you from King County Jail.” (Morehead 105).

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After seeing her house getting a full on investigation, Judith thinks about Gary’s mistaken arrests and believes that the same thing is happening with his arrest about the murders.
“She remembered Gary’s arrest in 1987 and how it had been a big mistake. And then there was the arrest just a couple of weeks ago when she had to drive to Kent and pick him up, Another mistake. Man, these people were really out to get her husband!”(Morehead 102).

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After deciding to leave her hotel room for the first time, Judith meets Matthew (Gary’s Son) at the same hotel.

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Judith saw her husband and herself on the TV in her hotel room, listening to the story.

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Judith meets her sister in-law Tina at the Red Lion Inn (Hotel she’s going to stay at).

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The detectives decide to move her to a hotel to avoid all the reporters from showing up to her home.
“‘Judith, let’s get a bag packed for you now. We are going to take you to a hotel and check you in under a different name. Reporters won’t know you’re there.’”(Morehead 97).

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After getting asked many weird questions, the detectives tells Judith that Gary was arrested in the same day because evidence surfaced about him being linked to the victims of the Green River Killer, and they were very sure that he was the killer.

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The two people from the car introduce themselves to Judith (Gary's wife)                                                                              “The professional-looking people pressed identification toward her face and quickly introduced themselves as Detectives Sue Peters and Matt Haney.”(Morehead 15).

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A random car drives into their driveway. Their driveway is a private road, so they rarely see any unexpected guests.                                                                      “A car had come off the main thoroughfare, traveled down the shared, private road, turned, and was coming in the Ridgway driveway.”(Morehead 13).