Serial Killer Gary Ridgway had a Sexual Obsession Toward his Mother

Gary Ridgway became one of the most prolific serial killers in history following the gruesome murders of up to 90 people -mostly sex workers- over a span of 20 years. Ridgway buried his victim's bodies along the Green River, earning him the nickname “The Green River Killer.” Well before his Washington murder spree, Ridgway had sexual fantasies of his own mother -and violent fantasies of killing her and other people.

Gary Ridgway was the middle child born to Mary and Thomas Ridgway in Salt Lake City, Utah. He had a somewhat troubled childhood. His parents fought occasionally, and his mother was described as a “domineering presence.”

She wore low-cut tops and short skirts, which was uncommon back in the 1970s and 1980s when she brought up Gary. She piled on tons of makeup and looked “glamorous” any time she walked out of the house with her hair primped just so.

A Bedwetting Problem

Gary wet the bed until the age of 13. This problem itself caused him a lot of humiliation like it would any teenage boy.

Mary always cleaned up his bedding and his genitals in the bathtub. After one bedwetting incident, Mary cleaned his genitals in the bathtub, then opened her robe, revealing her naked body underneath.

Gary said he began an odd sexual attraction toward his mother. He often fantasized about having sex with his mother. This embarrassed Gary and his sexual desires and fantasies toward Mary made him angry. He developed a deep resentment and hatred for Mary that led to frequent dreams of killing her.

Teenage Gary Stabs a 6-Year-Old Boy

By age 15 or 16, Gary stabbed a little boy of 6 years old because he so badly wanted to stab his mother to death and wanted to get a feel for stabbing people. “I always wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone,” Ridgway said, and walked away laughing, according to the victim’s later testimony.

Perhaps then Gary knew his future plans included taking the lives of other people. The little boy survived the attack and Gary never faced any criminal charges for the crime.

"I thought about stabbing her in the chest or in the heart maybe uh. . . . um. . . . maybe uh . . . cut her face and chest," he said.

Memories, very vivid memories, of his mother washing his genitals in the bathtub crept into Gary’s mind well into adulthood -and likely still do today.

Did Inappropriate Touching Cause Gary Ridgway to Become a Serial Killer?

Psychologists agree that the inappropriate touching likely helped mold Gary into a serial killer but say that something in his mind was already there, likely set off by this event. Most people who endure sexual abuse don’t go on to become serial killers, experts agreed.

Who is Gary Ridgway, AKA The Greenway Killer?

Gary Ridgway led a 20-year murder spree starting in the 1980s in the Seattle area that claimed the lives of at least 71 people. He was also a married father of a son named Matthew who regularly attended religious services and read the Bible.

He also had an insatiable sexual appetite and a secret fascination with sex workers. Gary could not get enough sex and even asked his wife to have sex with him in public places, sometimes at the locations where his victim’s bodies were later found.

Gary was convicted of 49 counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is currently incarcerated at Washington State Prison in Walla Walla, Washington.

At the time of his 2003 conviction, psychologists performed an IQ test on Gary. he scored in the low 80s. He is also dyslexic, which held him back a year in high school.

Resources & More Case Information:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2003/11/16/the-banality-of-gary-a-green-river-chiller/2d9575c7-6843-4ec3-9517-72cd3ecdd9b0/