Throughout all of American history there have been those who are well known for committing what are classified as deviant or criminal acts. Most of those who are well known by the public for their actions have committed deeds seen as extremely controversial such as being cult leaders, gang or mafia members, terrorists, rapists, or killers. The lists of members for each topic is numerous, however, there are a certain few that are more prominent than others. One criminal that stands out when speaking of killers in particular is Gary Ridgway, or as he is better known, the Green River Killer. Gary Ridgway is the nation’s most abundant serial killer, with the highest murder rate in America’s history (Gibson). To better understand the case of Gary Ridgway it is important to comprehend a bit more about serial killers in general. Serial murders are extremely heinous crimes that are known to draw in the attention of the public. Serial murder is “the killing of three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a significant cooling-off period” (Knight). There have been numerous studies done by researchers to try and determine what exactly makes up the mind of a serial killer to lead them to do such things. They have theorized that it may be linked to aspects that are biological, neurological, or sociological; however none of them can be pinpointed as the actual cause (Knight). What theorists have concluded is that it most likely is not just one of those aspects, but a combination of them all as well physiological, psychological, and environmental elements (Knight). One well-known serial killer is Gary Ridgway. Ridgway was born in February of 1949 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His early life can be viewed as an indicator to his la... ... middle of paper ... ...y." Serial Murder and Media Circuses. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2006. . Print. Knight, Zelda G. "Sexually Motivated Serial Killers And The Psychology Of Aggression And "Evil" Within A Contemporary Psychoanalytical Perspective." Journal Of Sexual Aggression 13.1 (2007): 21-35. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 1 May 2014. Loiaconi, Stephen. "When Serial Killers Strike: The Green River Killer." . HLN, 8 July 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. . "Necrophilia." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 1 May 2014. . Vronsky, Peter. "A "Typical" Serial Killer: Gary Leon Ridgway, "The Green River Killer"."Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2004. . Print.
Walking down the street, one passes tons people saying hello and giving friendly smiles, anyone of those people could be a serial killer. In the United States there are a plethora of serial killers; in Illinois alone there are a number of demented killers, but probably one of the worst, most infamous murderer of our time is John Wayne Gacy. John W. Gacy, Chicago Illinois’ own killer clown, is an infamous killer because of his life events and careers he chose to pick, the terrible murders he committed, and the lasting impact he has.
As years go on so will the research on serial killers and hopefully we as a society will fully understand them and one day be able to cure whatever inside that makes them have the urge to kill. Works Cited The Electronic Journal of Sociology, published by the University of Guelph, Ontario. http://www.scribd.com/doc/167086215/How-Serial-Killers-Work. According to the article “10 Most Common Traits of Potential Serial Killers By Hestie Barnard Gerber. According to Comrade Chikatilo: The Psychopathology of Russia's Notorious Serial Killer.
Gary Leon Ridgway, born February 18th in 1949, is the world’s most prolific serial killer. What makes him the world’s most prolific serial killer? Among being a murderer he was also a necrophiliac. The sheer number is a prime example of the psychotic things this man was capable of doing. He was convicted of forty-eight murders, but later confessed to as many as twice that number. It is also astonishing that this horror lasted more than a decade between the 1980s and 1990s.
Simon, Robert I. "Serial Killers, Evil, And Us." National Forum 80.4 (2000): 23. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
This proves that many people were greatly affected by Gary Ridgeway, and had hunted memories of the time that community was in fear. People felt the police were not doing enough because the victims were prostitutes, yet they still feared for their lives and loved ones. A neighbor said “we didn't let our kids just roam and play like they normally would.” This caused such great chaos in the community and Gary Ridgway should be punished. The police were on high alert during these times. If someone was in their car alone, the police would question them. Those that knew Ridgway could not get over the fact that they did not see him a serial killer. Judith Mawson began to drink and use pain pills. People were very concerned about her and someone
1981 fear struck the Seattle, Washington area as bodies began to appear along the Green River. The body count continued to grow until 2003, when Gary Ridgway was apprehended by the officers of the King County Green River Taskforce. Gary Ridgway, or “The Green River Killer” as the media would begin to call him, quickly became one of the most infamous serial murders in US history. With 48 confirmed murders and claims of up to as many as 71 murders, Gary Ridgway has become one the most prolific serial killer in the United States to date.
A serial killer can be described as an individual who kills three or more people, generally in service of irregular emotional fulfilment, with the killings taking place over more than a month and including a significant cooling off period between them (Ramsland, 2013). The serial killer that I have chosen is Gary Leon Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer. Ridgway was convicted in the State of Washington for killing 48 women and there is a strong possibility that there are more victims. Almost all of Ridgway’s victims died from strangulation; however,
..., Kim, Juhu. 2004. “Critical Characteristics of Male Serial Murders.” American Journal of Criminal Justice 29(1): 117-131
Miller, Laurence. "The predator's brain: Neuropsychodynamics of serial killers."Serial offenders: Current thought, recent findings, unusual syndromes (2000): 135-166.
Serial killers are everywhere! Well, perhaps not in our neighborhood, but on our television screens, at the movie theaters, and in rows and rows of books at our local Borders or Barnes and Nobles Booksellers” (Brown). When people think of serial killers, names such as Dahmer, Gacy, Bundy, and Gein are cited. During the time Jack the Ripper was executing his victims in London, Holmes began his gruesome career in Chicago (America’s Serial Killers). “Despite being America’s first serial killer, Holmes is hardly a familiar name and until now we haven’t had any popular visual record of his crimes: (Spikol). Why is it that people only think of the more popular killers with higher known profiles? They are all very similar to one another because they share characteristics. H.H. Holmes was a successful serial killer because he was well educated, cunning and charming. Those are just a few traits Holmes ...
Simons, C. (2001). Antisocial personality disorder in serial killers: The thrill of the kill. The Justice Professional, 14(4), 345-356.
In Green River, Running Red, author Ann Rule describes a killer without remorse, who is the product of both personal and social influences, in effect forcing him to murder women and to continue to do so for over a decade as a fulfillment of his fantasies. When endeavoring to rationalize the causes of such a mind, theories of deviance, when separated into two distinct categories, positivist and constructionism. Positivist theories, such as the general theory of crime, allows for individual's to piece together events in the life of Gary Ridgway, the Green River killer which would undeniably lead him to a twisted sense of reality, combined with sexual fantasies and a tendency to justify perverted acts of murder. Constructionist theories, specifically conflict theory, are able to shed light on the lives and decisions made by the victims, who were all led to such lifestyles through outward sources. In determining the causes and motivations behind both the offender and the victims, theories of deviance leave little to be speculated on when placing blame on either psychological or social factors.
Introduction: On the spectrum of criminal activity, serial killers are rather rare. Rarer still is a serial killer like Ted Bundy. Bundy confessed to killing 28 women in the 1970s in ghastly fashion and some believe he may have killed far more. It is hard to imagine what could cause any person to cross the mental boundary into such macabre behavior as Bundy perpetrated. Nevertheless, it is important to try to understand that behavior because only though such an understanding would society be able to identify and deter mass murderers in order to save lives.
The name of the serial killer that I have chosen is John Wayne Gacy. He was born on March 17, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois and died on May 10, 1994. Growing up as a young boy, John lived in a very abusive environment where he saw his mother, siblings, and himself abused by his father. His dad would beat them with a razor strap if they were perceived to be misbehaving. Being that his father was an alcoholic, didn’t help matters at all. He always saw John as a failure. What also didn’t help was that when he was going through school, he couldn’t play with other kids due to a congenital heart condition in which his father looked at as another failure. Another struggle he faced during adolescence was his attraction to boys, which caused great turmoil
What are the root causes of a person becoming a serial killer? There have been many different serial killers over the past years, but only one is the infamous “Green River Killer.” Gary Ridgway was dubbed the “Green River Killer” because many of his first victims were found near the Green River in Washington. There are many factors which contribute as to why a person turns and takes their anger out on other people. Some people have a normal childhood with a loving family, while some are not so lucky. A loving family is built around the parents, but if the parents choose violence over love, then that is what the child will grow up only knowing. Gary Ridgway is an American serial killer who killed over sixty women within a twenty year period.