The inquiry into whether Gary Ridgway is still alive remains the subject of ongoing debate and speculation. Gary Ridgway is indeed alive and presently incarcerated.
Ridgway is presently serving his term at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington. He is confined in a high-security penitentiary and is unlikely to be released. As of 2023, at the age of 73, he is still alive.
Ridgway was taken into custody in 2001 following the linking of DNA evidence to the Green River killings, a series of homicides that had afflicted the Seattle area for almost two decades.
He confessed to 49 of the murders he was charged with and was handed multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.
The judge imposed a sentence of 48 life sentences on Gary, along with an additional 480 years in prison for tampering with evidence. This signifies that he will spend the remainder of his life in prison and only be allowed visits from his legal team and immediate family.
As per an article by Jill McCabe Johnson, Gary spends 23 hours a day isolated. Penny Wood, an author who has delved into Gary’s third wife, attempted to request an interview with him for her book update, but he declined.
His story is captured in the Netflix show “Catching Killers,” which documents the challenges and ultimate triumph of the law enforcement team responsible for his apprehension. Despite having a low IQ, Ridgway managed to remain undetected for many years by meticulously planning out his murders.
Who is Gary Ridgway?
Gary Ridgway, also known as the “Green River Killer,” is a notorious American serial killer who operated in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was convicted of 49 murders and subsequently confessed to many more, establishing himself as one of the most prolific serial killers in American history.
Gary Ridgway is purported to have targeted s*x workers and other women in vulnerable situations, such as underage runaways, as his victims.
He gained the moniker “Green River Killer” after the discovery of the initial five victims in the Green River prior to his identity being disclosed.
He primarily utilized manual strangulation to end the lives of his victims, occasionally employing ligatures. After the killings, he would dispose of their bodies in wooded and overgrown areas in King County, and on some occasions, return to the bodies for s*xual purposes.
According to Shaw, Gary was open to compensating the victims’ families with the proceeds from any productions or publications about him.
However, this statement sharply contrasts with the prosecution’s portrayal of Gary, as articulated by Michele, who stated: “During the five months of interviews, he showed no empathy for his victims and did not express any genuine remorse. He committed these murders because he wanted to, because he could and to fulfill his twisted and incomprehensible desires.”
