Ep 3. Gary Ridgway

In season 3 episode 3 of World's Most Evil Killers, the focus is on Gary Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer. Ridgway was one of the most prolific serial killers in American history, and his crimes terrorized Seattle and the surrounding areas for nearly two decades.

The episode begins with a look at Ridgway's early life, including his troubled relationship with his mother and his obsession with sex workers. As a teenager, he was arrested several times for prostitution-related offenses, and he later admitted to having sex with numerous women in exchange for money throughout his adult life.

In the early 1980s, Ridgway began killing sex workers, dumping their bodies along the Green River near Seattle. His first confirmed victim was Wendy Lee Coffield, whose body was found in 1982. Over the next several years, Ridgway killed at least 49 women and girls, many of them teenagers.

The investigation into the Green River Killer was one of the largest in U.S. history, but it took nearly 20 years to catch Ridgway. During that time, he continued to kill, often picking up victims while on his way to work as a truck painter. He was able to evade police by changing his dumping locations and modifying his killing methods, but he was eventually caught thanks to advancements in DNA testing.

The episode includes interviews with investigators who worked on the case, as well as family members of some of Ridgway's victims. They discuss the challenges of tracking down a serial killer who seemed to be targeting random women, as well as the emotional toll of losing a loved one to such a horrific crime.

Throughout the episode, viewers also hear from Ridgway himself, who is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole. He describes his crimes in chilling detail, often with a disturbing lack of empathy for his victims.

As with all episodes of World's Most Evil Killers, the focus is not on glorifying the killer, but on understanding the psychology and motivations behind their crimes. The show offers a sobering reminder of the devastation that can be caused by one person's twisted desires, and the importance of law enforcement in bringing justice to the victims and their families.