2003: The Green River Killer Pleads Guilty to 48 Murders to Escape the Death Penalty
Gary Ridgway killed women across the Seattle area through the 1980s and into the 1990s, most of them sex workers whose bodies he dumped near the Green River, and evaded capture for two decades until DNA evidence finally linked him to the murders. Facing the death penalty, he struck a deal: a guilty plea and full cooperation in locating the remains of still missing victims, in exchange for life in prison instead of execution.
On 5 November 2003, Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder, making him one of the most prolific confirmed serial killers in American history. He led investigators to burial sites he had kept secret for years, trading confession for survival.
