Serial Killers' Profile

Much of our information on Serial Killers comes through books, otherwise, there are lots of myths on serial killers that we tend to believe. One such book is by Tomas Guillen. He does a good job of sieving facts, information, and data on serial killers from otherwise an assemblage of myths, and half-baked truths.

It is rather strange that Ridgway with an IQ as low as 82 continued on a killing spree without being apprehended by the best Task Force comprising of top experts entailing $30,000,000 in total expenses. The experts in the Task Force team consisted of administrators, media experts, and FBI sleuths.

Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder and promised help in recovering their remains in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to seek the death penalty. In his 16 page statement, Ridgway said he targeted prostitutes "because I thought I could kill as many as I wanted without getting caught" He also acknowledged, "I also picked prostitutes as victims because they were easy to pick up, without being noticed. I knew they would not be reported missing right away, and might never be reported missing."

The elusive killer's first trial began with the discovery of three women's bodies found near suburban Seattle's Green River in August 1982. More corpses, some as far as Oregon added to the mystery. The body count went on piling even as Sheriff David Reichert was determined to nab the killer. In the cat and mouse game, the Green River killer remained for close to 20 years, a step ahead of Reichert. Finally, in 2001, DNA evidence linked fifty-two-year-old truck painter Gary Ridgway to three of the murder victims, and the killer was nailed.

It may be quite interesting to note that Gary Ridgway, the serial killer led a happy family life. His unsuspecting wife, Judith was living some of the happiest years of her life while married to a serial killer.

The role of media in investigations has been a common link in 12 serial murder cases between the 1890s and 1990s. Some of these were the Axman of New Orleans killing grocers of Italian descent in the 1910s; Dorothea Puente an old landlady who murdered her tenants and cashed their government checks; the Manson Family terrorized California in the 1960s, as did the Hillside Stranglers a decade later.

There are several cultural myths about serial killers, as for instance, serial killers have a profile and/or they go for the same victim type. In fact, there is no profile of a serial killer. Researchers have not yet been able to come up with a definition, or type, that covers the broad spectrum of serial killers and their complex psychological dynamics. There are a variety of serial killers, from sexual predators to psychotic killers, from murder teams to odd eccentric stalkers. They could have a range of diverse motives as lust, control, glory, profit, thrill, delusions, rage, the desire for company, the need to please a partner, and even murder as an intellectual exercise. Serial killers live double lives, hiding their violence even from those who live with them.

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