Gary Ridgway - The Green River Killer

[@Legendary_Sid]

'This painful turn of events filled both Gary's heart and urethra with a burning hot rage' is possible the greatest line ever written.

[@JustHear4DaPopkorn]

GREATER WORDS HVE NEVER BEEN WRITTEN.

[@HattiesVlogs]

I'm currently filling in some forms for work and when Simon said "How was Vietnam, Gary?" I emitted the most inhuman noise because I was laughing so much. Its the little things that make Casual Criminalist so memorable, despite the darker themes.

[@jdk9673]

For me it was, “Oh Gary you should have seen a psychiatrist, not Jesus!”

[@schrutebuck88]

I kept doing the same thing as I was doing TCB around the flat. Thought it might annoy the neighbours. How the writer and SW kept referring to him as just "Gary" was classic too. "It was absolutely textbook Like Father Like Son when it came to Gary".

[@Chumpy819]

"That is a sentence that no one should ever have to read." Proceeds to immediately reread the sentence. Never change Simon.

[@orchidism5063]

As a mortician myself, necrophilia makes my skin absolutely crawl. I nearly want to click off of the video just to stop thinking of it (i usually pause for a while and then power through to give simon his sweet sweet viewership) Working with the dead is an honour and to be able to serve their families during times of vulnerability is something i DO NOT take lightly, however… the dead are very much DEAD. Cold, clammy, and strongly smelling of gases even within the first few hours. For any of you who have seen a dead body, you’ll likely agree that there just doesn’t really seem to be a person in there the way there is with a living being. It’s like something has left them. Im just rambling now, jeez 😅 The whole thing makes my skin crawl, EEK!!

[@lottiecharman6946]

My mum passed away when I was 15 about six years ago, just want to thank you for what you do, when we went to see her in her nice dress and all cleaned up, it really reminded me of who she used to be. 😌💛

[@SeauxNOLALady]

I applaud you for your dedication and commitment to grieving families and the work you do to help them say goodbye to their loved ones. Necrophilia also makes me physically ill to think about. I’m a lab tech and have worked in many morgues. I see the person’s remains as a shell of a life. Just a vessel, but a vessel that should have its dignity preserved. Sure, they can’t see, hear, or feel anything but, I will still be respectful to the body. I keep the pelvis covered with a towel and cover the face while the internal exam is done. Abusing the body of a person who has left this world is abhorrent

[@FrankGUNstein]

That’s exactly what somebody who performs necrophilia would say!!!

[@justthatgirl-ct4jo]

I don't know how anyone could like that.... It freaks me out.

[@SkunkApe407]

See, the thing is, you actually see remains for the person they were, not an object. That's why such thoughts are so troubling to you. You perform your duties out of compassion and care, not morbidity or perversion. You're the type of person who is SUPPOSED to care for the dead.

[@tnegras99]

For Simon's Info: Reason the "short bus" is used to pick up developmentally challenged kids isn't simply because they're different, but because it's equipped with a wheelchair elevator and tie downs and whatnot. It's basically a school version of those vans retirement homes use

[@edgaralanfrog]

When I was a kid I just thought it was called a short bus because it was obviously short and only like 5 kids rode it so it had to be short. Thought they must’ve had to be picked up from super far away that they needed their own bus. I didn’t get the jokes until I was way too old, and I rarely heard “short bus” jokes.

[@babblerscorner]

My child rides one of these busses. They either use the small bus or a van because having too many children/people on these buses is just not safe. They need extra attention and crowds are usually an issue for children and young adults with various disabilities. Not every one of these buses is equipped for wheelchairs either - Our district has specific busses and vans for wheelchair users. My son's is not equipped for a wheelchair.

[@histrogeek]

The other reason is that most mainstream schools didn't have a large developmentally challenged group, so a small bus did the job for less. That said I remember them being called Tard or Tart Carts in that wit and sensitivity that grade school children are so well known for.

[@Annie_Annie__]

These busses also often have a special ed teacher, paraprofessional, or other assistant to help tie down wheelchairs, stow away other mobility aids, get kids in seat belts if necessary, and just overall keep the kids calm and safe. In my experience (I worked as a paraprofessional for a while) these busses take the kids directly to their homes, whereas the regular school bus might drop kids a block or more away from their houses. They’re for the kids that can’t handle a typical school bus for multiple reasons.

[@swymaj02]

I just called it a school bus. I was one of those 'developmentally challenged' kids until 16. Never heard the term 'short bus', but isn't a terrible thing for kidd who used it. I did nod in enjoyment when I could finally get public transport by myself though.

[@rivervan]

I’ve heard this covered many times, but when Simon posted this- knew I had to watch bc there’s a difference with Simon’s tangents. Thank you Simon, Jen, and Kevin for all of your hard work!

[@ismarwinkelman5648]

Jen can’t get enough praise

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Thanks! Hope you enjoyed!

[@Annie_Annie__]

@@ismarwinkelman5648I don’t think Jen edited this one. The credits at the end says José Jiménez did. I don’t think I’ve seen José’s work before now but he did a great job!

[@FrankGUNstein]

@@ismarwinkelman5648she does great! I think the only thing i could comment on whatsoever is that sometimes there can be a significant imbalance between audio levels of the general track and other audio clips etc, I don’t mind too much but my misses can get over stimulated and it really hits her hard lol

[@ismarwinkelman5648]

@@Annie_Annie__ José is aces in my book, as well! Thank you very much for correcting me 😘

[@nataliecruzat9999]

My mom lived in the area when they started finding all the bodies and my grandma (who lived in a diff state) called her freaking out about a serial killer in her area and she just said, “Mom, he’s killing prostitutes. I don’t know what you think I’m doing out here but it’s not that.” 😂 she was apparently a very blasé twenty year old

[@kgldude]

I took an optative criminology class while studying Law and the case of Gary Ridgway was one that the professor used as a prime example of how IQ is a very unreliable metric for profiling criminals.

[@SonjaHamburg]

Yes, iq tests are also very unreliable for neudiverse people( who have a spiked intelligence profile). The test completely overestimates or underestimates neurodiverse people. He seems neurodiverse how classmates describe him.

[@SonjaHamburg]

I myself have such a spiky profile and depending on the subject i am either completely genius or absoluetly behind others. I am never in the middle. But i score super high on an iq test because this happens to be the kind of tasks where i am brilliant

[@DeadpanVT]

​@@SonjaHamburg Iq tests also aren't very good to use when trying to test Neuro divergent children. I was a perfect example because I have autism. I scored low as a child because I simply didn't care or try on the testing when they attempted to make me listen. I was doing fractions, multiplication, division, and knew basic biology at age 5. I got tested again at 18 because of Social Security purposes I scored too high to qualify.

[@williamkoscielniak7871]

@@SonjaHamburg Thank you! 20 years ago when I took my one and only official IQ test, I had an overall IQ of 95 with a working memory and short term memory in the mid 130's and a memory retrieval in the low 70's. All of my life people have told me I'm highly intelligent OR that I'm an idiot. And that's true. I am either highly intelligent or an idiot depending on what aspect of my mind I am operating with.

[@hanisk2]

In surprised that question was even up for debate.. people literally thought you could be profile based on strictly IQ? Insanity.

[@colleensmith652]

I am a tattoo artist, and I listen to Simon while tackling my larger projects, and his side commentary and wild tangents in this one episode made me get the giggles so hard that I had to stop at one point! His story about his religious grandpa 😂😂 Oh my goodness, thank you for making such grave subjects palatable and enjoyable. What a great channel 😂

We all come for Fact Boy spouting facts, we stay for his silly little asides!

[@richborn6700]

I could you finishing a piece and someone wanting to wait and hear the end

[@psychicflo]

i love watching his stuff he is so cruizy as a story teller and just sucks u into whatever the story is about!

[@tonygoodwinjr9293]

Maybe off topic but, I cant find any info on where his podcasts play on besides KZbin; do you know where that is??

[@BrianJRichards]

My mother was a teenager who hitchhiked in the area during that time. Just a regular kid in the 80’s. She accepted a ride from Ridgeway during his spree and was lucky enough to be a survivor. Thank you for covering this. She gets chills any time his name is mentioned.

[@bunyipdragon9499]

Holy hell ! Love to your mom 💜💜

[@Bluesit32]

I don't see how she was in danger. Ridgway only killed sex workers.

[@spice-x]

Shocking she was able to remember him well enough to realize who it was lol

[@ManiaMac1613]

Dodged the mother of all bullets, god damn

[@shallawnmarshall320]

Generically Speaking😆😆😉

[@lilyofthevalley2048]

Speaking as a devout Christian, you were absolutely right to challenge your grandfather, Simon. There is nothing wrong with asking questions about the Bible, or what bringing up biblical stories out of nowhere has to do with anything. Not everyone believes in God or wants to talk about religion all the time, and that’s perfectly fine.

[@rachelb4398]

I think the reason they told Simon not to ask questions was so his grandfather wouldn't go on and on about a subject they didn't want to hear about--at least, that's the impression I got

[@msvixen1981]

Simon isn't religious. I agree with the asking of questions. You don't learn if you don't ask.

[@pgbrown12084]

Wow! Former Christian here and that was extremely well said. I hope more will follow your lead.

[@lilyofthevalley2048]

@@rachelb4398 I imagine his grandfather might have gotten angry at Simon for interrupting and/or questioning him about something he clearly felt very deeply about (and had probably never been called out on before), so his family just wanted to keep the peace and endure silently because that would have been better than fighting at Christmas time. Obviously, I don’t know Simon or his family, but that does sound like the most plausible reason they’d try to stop him when he was not in the wrong.

[@brigidtheirish]

@@lilyofthevalley2048 Yeah. My family encourages asking questions about everything, *especially* religion, and we're devout Catholics. I also get that questions can be ill-timed or come in unwanted bulk. I'm on the spectrum and have ADHD, I've frustrated *many* people with my incessant questions.

[@ryangale3757]

Honestly, Gary using true crime to learn what mistakes not to make actually makes a lot of sense with him being an other otherwise unintelligent person, since it means he might then actually have the self-awareness to realize he's not smart enough to get away with the crimes on his own. A smarter criminal would think they're too smart to make the same mistakes as everyone else and so just ignore potential advice. Being dumb, Gary wouldn't have that limiter and thus paradoxically would be a more intelligent killer than the smarter ones, at least in that regard.

[@dannahbanana11235]

There's an important distinction between being smart and being wise.

[@bakugokatsuki2302]

Actually, that makes a lot of sense

[@lolwuttup420]

Exactly right. I’ve noticed this trend in my college courses as well. The smartest students often got cocky and fell just short of certain grades while the more average intelligence students (coupled with self awareness) did better since they studied more and worked harder to compensate.

[@garycsfunlife]

Yup and talking notes 🫤

[@Indarow]

To combat your conclusion, most people who are incredibly dumb actually hold a personal view of being significantly smarter than everyone else.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

The Leopold and Loeb thing was very much a joke, but I sometimes forget that deadpan sarcasm doesn't easily come across in writing, especially when being read aloud by someone else.

[@janepearce5382]

Never underestimate the value of a good Simon rant. However, it came about ;)

[@partyontheobjective]

I caught what you meant straight away. But then again, I'm v familiar with your style by now. Also, throwing Simon for a loop like that, masterful, good job.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

@@partyontheobjective Thanks!

[@ThatWriterKevin]

@@janepearce5382 I did enjoy the rant for sure

[@incendiary1]

I’m pretty sure Simon is the only one who didn’t get it.

[@seadog2969]

I lived in Washington state as a kid and this guy was like a real-life boogeyman. It felt like it went on forever and when they finally caught the guy I couldn't believe it.

[@geekadventureteam7806]

Same, I grew up in Auburn and Kent and as kids we often went swimming or walking around Green River. Whenever we heard rustling in the bushes or a twig snap there was always a moment of uneasiness, the Green River Killer was always in the back of our minds.

[@Katpiratefan275]

I've lived in Washington, Des Moines, Burien, Normandy Park area for 20 years and I'm sad to say I never knew about the Green River Killer. Did they name him after the river or the River after him?

[@ladysonnet]

@@Katpiratefan275 Him after the river, where the bodies were found. TBH, I'm impressed that you haven't heard of him before.

[@geekadventureteam7806]

@@Katpiratefan275 They named him after the river because the first few bodies were found in the Green River, down in Kent.

[@dreadfirewyrm8337]

Yeah I remember this on the news as a kid mostly the later stuff after he slowed down. I was surprised hearing him finally get arrested (I was I n high school). Lived in Enumclaw mostly

[@goober5713]

I had a buddy who was a correctional officer at Walla Walla and knew him very well. What my friend said scared him the most was that Gary acted and looked just like a regular person with all of his interactions.

[@Yourmomma92]

The scary part is most of them are ‘normal people’ with a terrible secret.

[@goober5713]

@@Yourmomma92 that's very true.

[@Yourmomma92]

@@goober5713 I once had a friend, like very close friend, that turned out to be a pedo. There were absolutely no signs or red flags that I saw. It’s disgusting how falsely people can present themselves

[@102-d7i]

Serial killers are very good at blending in, that’s how they can do it several times

[@goober5713]

@@102-d7i no shit

[@jrmckim]

I had liver cancer (stage 2 fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma) so I had to have a liver resection surgery. I was left with less than a 3rd of my liver. The surgery was in September and by December it had almost fully grown back.

[@rachelb4398]

Cool! Glad you recovered well :)

[@ThatWriterKevin]

As long as you have I wanna say 20% it can grow back fully? Somewhere between 10-25 but forget off the top of my head. It's so crazy that that's our only internal organ that can regenerate like that.

[@LittleKikuyu]

That is absolutely amazing !! Hope you’re doing really well 🥰

[@vampirefrompluto9788]

Gary Ridgway is a prime example of how people put WAY to much importance on IQ! Just because you're a little slow doesn't mean you're stupid/can't plan ahead.

[@noraelliott7304]

The number of people that have made comments in this episode agree with you, including myself. I have a brother who was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. He barely has a grade 3 reading level and can only do simple math. However, he is intelligent and can take apart a motor and put it back together running better than factory purchase. I know when he was diagnosed, he had a great teacher that helped him but the next year he was put on "the short bus" and shipped to a different school. He didn't do well after that and quit school as soon as he could.

[@SolaScientia]

@@noraelliott7304 An old friend of my father barely finished high school; he might not have actually finished, but I can't recall for sure. He didn't have much of what people would call "book smarts", but the man knew his tractors and engines. He could listen to an old tractor run and tell just from listening exactly what the trouble with it was and I don't think he was ever wrong. He never went to any school for it or anything. Being academically smart is very different from being smart with your hands or whatever else.

[@psychicflo]

so true they plan theese things for months at a time sometimes

[@goertz8939]

Being smart with your hands also requires that a person needs to have excellent planning skills and are able to visualize parts in 3 dimensions and see them interacting together in your mind. My husband was an excellent mechanic and just about didn't graduate high school. Due to these innate abilities he was able to move from a automotive mechanic to a supervisor of a sewage treatment facility that serviced a city of 700,000 people. He never thought of himself as smart but I knew he was very smart and I'm glad that despite his family thinking he was a little slow he had enough confidence in his abilities to keep learning.@@SolaScientia It's too bad that we only celebrate academic and sport achievement in the school environment.

[@frey_finley]

He also has been diagnosed with dyslexia - which, especially at the time, would fuck up your IQ scoring.

[@vincenzomartino5648]

Hello, i would like to suggest the case of Jiří Straka a 16 year old killer from the city Simon now lives in. He is responsible for 5 rapes, 3 murders and 2 additional attempted murders. There is no English language podcast on the case. Additionally he didn't show the hallmarks of what we usually see on CC, Straka never displayed any aggressive behavior when he was young and was generally considered a good child, albeit slightly more emotional than others. He was released in 2004 and now lives a normal life.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

I can look into it, but are there English language sources or is it all in Czech?

[@bezllama3325]

id like to see Samuel Little I wondered who the most profilic serial killer and so I found out it was him

[@Nefville]

Wow Kevin is going to look into it. This one has been suggested several times now. I have a feeling Simon will say no but it would be interesting. PS great episode Kevin.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

@@Nefville Thanks!

[@ashleyg2610]

@@ThatWriterKevinw it’s one of the most infamous cases in the world but are either you or any of the other writers planning on doing an episode on the James Bulger case? Every documentary or news coverage in the UK only ever seem to give the lightest info on the backgrounds of Venables and Thompson before what they did and the case itself. I imagine Simon probably isn’t too interested as like me he would’ve grown up hearing about this none stop and with how harrowing it is but a full in depth podcast without the tabloid sensationalism we get with this case would be fascinating. Along with the question I always ask, is it right Jon Venables and Robert Thompson (in the uk at least) are more hated, far far far more hated by the public than far worse killers that have been covered. The Wests, Ian Brady & Myra Hindley, Ted Bundy etc and is that fair considering they were 10 years old at what they did. I think a lot of people forget just how young those boys were and having a 10 year old nephew it’s something that I think about when I see the venom held for these two in particular when their are far more deserving scum worthy of that level of hatred. On the other side I’m the same age as Simon and can remember being 10 and what I got up to, I was a misbehaving little shite from a very poor council estate and the idea of doing what they did, to a baby, is something I struggle to wrap my head around. Keep up the great work mate

[@altairofastora]

It feels weird learning that Simon's tangents are inherited.

[@rachelb4398]

Thanks for that laugh! It took me a couple of seconds, though :)

[@brilicusgaming6922]

My dad said it best "being smart doesn't mean being intelligent" Gary was smart about covering up his crimes and who to target, but he wasn't intelligent given the fact that he didn't switch up how he committed his crimes and was almost caught numerous times.

[@aarongregory643]

Bruh, he was dyslexic before they really knew what it was and how to test for it. I literally work with a dude about 10 years younger than Gary, and he had everybody in his childhood call him an idiot. Dude is straight up a genius. He can take a car apart and put it back together from memory. He just didn't test well because he had crippling anxiety. Never assume someone's intelligence based off of standardized testing, especially before the mid-90's.

[@anna9072]

Yeah, and don’t assume someone is smart because they score highly on tests, either. I can pass a multiple choice on a subject I know virtually nothing about, based on general knowledge and an understanding of how tests work. “IQ tests” are nothing of the sort, they’re pretty much discredited but people still use them, just like they still use lie-detectors that have basically been demonstrated to be useless.

[@Skoopyghost]

In Iceland(in my case at least). In the early 2000s. Even if you were diagnosed with dyslexia. You were just called without being called stupid. Still diagnoses mean nothing in 2023. Don't get me into ASD diagnosis.

[@EcstaticTeaTime]

Yeah, my youngest uncle on my dad's side is the same way; I used the computer he put together himself all throughout high school. School didn't know what to do with him, society didn't know what to do with him, and I always wondered why he didn't go out for the military. It was after Vietnam so they weren't desperate and, as a clip I saw on a short here on KZbin once pointed out for me, he would have failed the eye exam because it was all letters. Now, you can have a test with just E's pointed in different directions or shapes for kindergarteners.

[@droomzy]

@@Minihopayeah it's kinda obvious that Simon was an academically inclined student (he attended law school for some time) so he seems to have some preconceived notions about how intelligence works in different fields & how different people exhibit different methods of intellect. I'm not saying he's a total snob, but he doesn't always seem to grasp that there's multiple ways for someone to act smart.

[@agirlnamedtomm940]

Even though Simon normally covers cases that I already know about there will always be some old information that was never disclosed or some new info and updates. The writers are so incredibly talented Simon v really lucked out, and so did we. :)

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Thanks!

[@TwoPlusTwoEqualsFive32]

This killer is a good example that having a high IQ doesn't always mean you are "smart" or vice versa. There are plenty of people who are very intelligent IQ wise, but routinely do dumb things or make basic mistakes.

[@BinSimmons]

Just like Leopold & Loeb. The fact Ridgeway & Kaczynski were both able to unavoid detection for such a long time despite being polar opposites on the intelligence spectrum is fascinating

[@Raztiana]

You can be intelligent and dumb at the same time. Ridgeway was a meticulous man, and that is far more important when you try to not get caught than being able to solve math problems.

[@BinSimmons]

@@Raztiana his intelligence didn’t simply stop at mathematics, but also what is a key part of maths? Problem solving which would very easily carry over into planning and being…..meticulous.

[@intellectic9155]

Common sense isn't part of IQ.

[@CabbitPatchKiddo]

Also IQ tests can be very inaccurate.

[@qjames0077]

My aunt had the chance to interview this guy while she was completing her sociology degree. Turns out, he changed his mind at the last minute and refused anymore interviews. But, funny enough, she was able to interview another killer and after they were done, he offered her money to take some polaroids (non-nude) to keep for... posterity. 😂

[@edgaralanfrog]

Are you legally able to name the second creep who wanted pictures? 😂

[@seeing8spots]

But did she say yes? 😂

[@qjames0077]

@@seeing8spots yes, she did. The way she saw it, it was small effort on her part that would mean a lot to someone else. And the guy was in there for life, so it's not like he could have e come after her if an infatuation developed

[@qjames0077]

@@edgaralanfrog I don't know who it was. I don't even think she remembers 😂

[@Faith-Trust-Pixie-Dust]

I'm constantly shocked that almost EVERYONE I mention the Green River Killer to has never heard of him before. These are people who listen to true crime or are otherwise knowledgeable in prolific American serial killers. The man is so forgettable that we all somehow forgot about him

[@ManiaMac1613]

I've been watching this video for about half an hour and I already forgot what he looks like lol

[@jackburgess04]

I grew up near Sea-Tac; in my senior year of high school, I took a forensics class. During our unit on DNA technology, we had one of the lead detectives of this case come in and talk about Ridgeway. How they caught him, their logic behind his plea deal, and his unique (or lack thereof) psychology. It was the case that got me interested in criminal psychology, and forensics in general. I’ve been waiting for you guys to cover this case for ages; thanks to Simon and co for always giving accurate reports, giving homage to the victims, and keeping this “CSI not Saw.” What’s so interesting about the detective is she said nobody could find him because he just didn’t do anything. He had no friends, not much family, didn’t get around much. He was off the grid, not because he was hiding- but because he was just so damn generic that he flew right under the radar. It was a fascinating story from the detective’s POV. (Also, this was a few years ago so I could be misremembering this, but if it makes you feel better I think they stuck him in solitary confinement, which in my opinion is worse than death. Take that with a grain of salt, but yeah) Great work as always Simon!

[@Katpiratefan275]

As a Washingtonian I thank you Simon and Kevin for covering the Green River killer. I've heard of him but I don't know all the details of his crime spree. Also at this point with all of the rules in your don't talk about crime's notebook and all that we know about what makes a serial killer I'm surprised we haven't started some kind of bingo or drinking game

[@mwhitelaw8569]

The drinking games have been around for quite some time.

[@102-d7i]

Born to kill covered him and that was done well, it can be found on KZbin

[@Darkflowerchyld718]

Just stopping by to talk about dramatic differences in siblings abilities... I went to a special school for autistic kids for high school (ages 14-18). We had this one student, John, who had pretty high needs on the Autism spectrum. Exactly what you're thinking is what John was like. He was absolutely lovely once you got to know him but most people didn't bother to take the time... Anywho..... We had a family night and I got to meet John's neurotypical identical twin brother, James. It was an interesting experience to say the least. James was just as wonderful as John and together they were beautiful. I think about them from time to time and hope they're doing okay. *Edit to add, those are not their real names

[@essiebee8415]

I'm a sex worker, and this case always makes me emotional. The Catching Killers episode on Netflix about this case was brilliant-I know it seems like the police messed up, but they were really dealing with an ocean of tips and rubbish information, and Ridgeway was exceptionally good at covering his tracks. This is one case where the police actually cared about the victims, even though they were sex workers in the 80s, and many of them were queer, black, and/or drug users; usually that's a demographic the cops don't care about. It's a rare case where the reason for the guy not being caught ISN'T because the victims were marginalised so the police were sloppy-the reason they found and identified that last body was because those police NEVER STOPPED SEARCHING. It feels weird as a sex worker to give the cops so much credit, because usually they treat people like me with contempt, but I really am so grateful to them for doing their job so thoroughly this time. It's rare. Thank you Kevin for writing this one with care and grace. Not all of the writers on this show are particularly kind to us, and it's not all about the terminology; it's also about the agency given to us, the blame placed upon us, and the lack of humanisation. Thank you Simon for your kindness as well-we are humans with regular families and regular lives. We are members of your community. We live next door to you, our kids go to school with yours. It's not just that we don't deserve to be killed by some awful murderer, it's also important to recognise that our jobs should not lead to this level of risk, and wouldn't if it weren't for everyone else making it more dangerous. Wew. Long comment. This case never fails to fck me up 😅😅

[@psychicflo]

it doesnt matter ur profession people r people life is hard we all need to get by somehow,and i think most woman have been in this profession but just dont admit to it lol. glad they kept on after him and he cant hurt anybody else each of us is precious we all have mothers,fathers sisiters brothers family friends we all matter!!! mwa

[@royellwilkinson6177]

​@psychicflo you can't say most women that's kinda speculating

[@juliemiller6966]

@essiebee8415 thank you so much for sharing your experience! As a writer I’m taking note about your perspective on the script writers depiction of your occupation. I remember watching a cop sobbing in frustration and grief when he was confronted with the idea that he didn’t care about the young ladies Gary killed. He seemed to so clearly care, incredibly deeply. I appreciate that you had such kind words for this police task force. They felt profoundly different from the norm.

[@Fa773nAng37]

You mean prostitute?

[@anjulikamins6420]

Thank you again Simon and team for cranking out another great one!

[@ThatWriterKevin]

You're welcome!

[@Slater2113]

I worked really hard on this one.

[@MF_UNDERTOW]

There’s a certain chilling instance in Ridgeway’s trial that always stuck with me. Anyone who has seen footage might remember this. During family impact statements, Gary sat stoically and didn’t react at all until one of the girl’s father stood up and said he forgave Gary. Gary immediately began to snivel and cry like a child. I don’t know what that says about him but I thought it was admirable and righteous of the father to express that. Seems like a true Christian way of dealing with it.

[@psychicflo]

yes im not sure if gary feels remorse for what he has done but its a nice touch to see him cry!!!!!!!!

[@sambun6394]

He took him down with kindness, as The Lord always says. Honestly, I saw the same and couldn’t agree more

[@ladygrndr9424]

Excellent episode. I wish we had learned a little bit more about the victims like we were able to for Jack the Ripper and so many others, but unfortunately it probably would be depressing, repetitive and even more depressing. You don't become a regular sex worker at 14 or stay in it until your mid-30's because you have a stable family environment and feel like you have a ton of support from friends. I wish it were a safer, legal, regulated job, but as it is now the best peace we can give the many unfortunate victims of the Green River Killer is to not dig too deeply into their lives.

[@theheadytimetraveler3864]

I've been waiting for fact boy to cover Gary Ridgway....Just love the Cas Crim format!

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Hope you enjoyed!

[@theheadytimetraveler3864]

@@ThatWriterKevin Enjoyed the episode immensely, a nice capstone to the week!

[@ThatWriterKevin]

@@theheadytimetraveler3864 Thanks!

[@torif1girl454]

@@ThatWriterKevinlove your writing. It’s terrific.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

@@torif1girl454 Thank you!

[@lepidopterist3058]

I grew up in the area during this and have been WAITING for Simon to get to Gary. Cheers!!

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Hope you enjoyed

[@lepidopterist3058]

I'm taking it in doses, but the script is great!! Thank you so much! (Assuming this is THAT Kevin lol)

[@lepidopterist3058]

@@ThatWriterKevin I finally sat down and finished the episode. I was approaching my teen years in Puyallup, Washington when he got caught and I remember my family all being so mad he didn't get the death penalty. It's always kind of fascinating that even though this was such a tremendously distant thing in my life, when I talk to my dad and his step-daughter is going to Green River Community College, Ridgeway still pops up in the back of my head just so faintly because of the terror that he caused in the area. But, as with all of your work Kevin, spot on! I love everything you guys all write, the way Jen edits, and Simon's tangents, and I'm not even a fan of true crime series. Keep it up (but give yourself a break, I'm sure diving into depravity takes its toll)!

[@ThatWriterKevin]

@@lepidopterist3058 Thanks!

[@jillknowles5965]

Not sure if it actually was Gary Ridgeway, but my uncle was interviewed by the police about a man he sat next to in a truck stop in Idaho. The cops told him the man was a suspect in the Green River killings and wanted to know anything he said. My uncle couldn't really remember much about him - which I suppose is consistent with Ridgway. This is a fascinating story, despite the killer's supposed boringness. Thanks for your genuine responses while reading this story. I really appreciate the level of detail and the care you and your writers take to avoid crass sensationalism.

[@amandawerts9163]

This is so crazy! I had literally (within the hour of this being posted), finished an episode of another show about this case!

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Well I hope you liked this one more lol

[@tawnie8550]

Oh gosh!!! I have watched this story so many times but with such a great writer.. wonderful, funny memes and of course the way Simon tells his stories it will be an amazing vid. These things are hard to listen to but the CC team softens it a bit. God bless to the victims and there families.. now I'm jumping in ♥ hope everyone is well ✌

[@hiddenwoodsben]

i'm not sure a video about such a grim topic should be this hilarious, but at the same time i am profoundly thankful for it, as i couldn't watch it otherwise. you folks are a really good team, glad you do what you do.

[@skylarmccune9242]

This hits close to home since I spent a good deal of my childhood in SeaTac, and passing by the Green River almost daily. I remember when the news broke of Ridgway’s arrest and sentencing. Sheriff Reichert won his Congressional seat easily on the strength of taking credit for catching the Green River Killer, and he was my Congressman for 14 years.

[@g.v.d.m9894]

I love the show! Keep the good research, writing and camera work going!!

[@Chumbama]

A criminal who breaks Simon's rule of not writing down his crimes and still manages to escape law enforcement for more than 50 years without ever being identified is a genius. Sincerely the Zodiac killer.

[@brettbrooks5511]

Zodiac is not really a "genius", it's just that the police were monumentally stupid.

[@shallawnmarshall320]

😁 Exactly My Thoughts!

[@anjulikamins6420]

As a person from the Seattle area, I was terrified as a kid when I read about this guy.

[@A.Girl.Has.No.Name.]

Ditto. I lived in Bothell, and it STILL freaked me out!

[@virginiadare1587]

I grew up in Des Moines, WA in the 80s and 90s. My house was 10 blocks from the house GR lived in when he was arrested.

[@haleyguthrie3113]

Didn't we all? Now that I'm a bit older, and now work in mental health, why...is the gloomy so perfect for a back drop to a story with the main characters being Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgeway, Robert Pickton and on moreover...on top of the normal crime and killers. It should be depressing. But it's home, our rainy wonderland. But I'm from Forks...so....we use to go to King county for better weather.

[@A.Girl.Has.No.Name.]

@@haleyguthrie3113 don't forget Robert Yates and Wesley Allen Dodd. We seem to grow serial killers here!

[@haleyguthrie3113]

@@A.Girl.Has.No.Name. right!! Good call

[@theloverlyladylo9158]

I hear Danny on the younger sibling struggles. My home room teacher hated me for two years because when my sister took his Shakespeare class, she and her friends were pretty obnoxious in it. Then I accidentally signed up for a new elective he taught, and I quickly became one of his favorite students once he could see just how different my sister and I were.

[@TheBillway2sexy]

Amen, my sister was apparently vapid and disrespectful in her economics class, and when i (a decade later) got the same teacher he grilled me for two weeks before realising we couldn’t be more different if we tried

[@PixxieHaxx]

Another quality offering from Kevin, thanks guys ❤

[@andrewcuthbertson7552]

FINALLY. Thank you Kevin, thank you Simon and thank you Jen (i think if she is still editing)

[@ThatWriterKevin]

You're welcome!

[@monsieurcharcutier4490]

The best part of my nights at work on Fridays, new casual criminalist!

[@Outcry4truth]

Simon: That is a sentence no one should have to read, Also Simon: Reads it again 😂

[@Outcry4truth]

Yep

[@BKimRogers]

A minute in and Simon is already missing Kevin's sarcasm meant to bother him 😂

[@ThatWriterKevin]

I'm glad SOMEONE realized it was sarcasm! I should realize that deadpan sarcasm is hard to get across in writing

[@kiwibloke55]

​@@ThatWriterKevin I came here for this 👏 Like I wonder if Simon will ever click that the writers are taking the mick out of him with that bit 😅

[@carin1000]

Jen is in on the game, too. She chose the creepiest picture for handsome Ted Bundy, etc.

[@Tuffluck-be1eq]

Let's go fact boy

[@SK371]

Why are you fact-shaming?

[@Nerathul1]

Leopold and Loeb were geniuses academically, being some of the youngest people to go to college in their time, but their case is a good proof of how academic success doesn't necesarily translate to anything else.

[@TheRetroGamerGuy]

I only heard of this killer recently because I started watching Cold Case Files (2017) a few days ago and in episode two there was a murder based in Washington where a old couple was killed (Ed and Minnie Maurin) back in 1985. One of the suspects they mentioned in that was the Green River Killer. So this will be interesting to listen to.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Hope you enjoyed!

[@kimosimandez5907]

By far my favorite episode so far. Kevin and Simon is a hilarious combo!

[@kharismamessam]

Great' episode Simon and Kevin! Thank you so much! It's incredible to me how someone who had been labelled as mentally short all of his life was - for lack of better words - a capable and adept killer. It's rather strange using those words to describe someone so mentally polluted and heinous. Anyhow, on that note, can I recommend two Irish cases - I live here - Jane Kelly Toppan who was Ireland's first serial killer, and then Mark Nash, who's a much more recent.

[@miss_c_83]

I was just thinking yesterday I hope he does an episode about Gary Ridgeway! Did you read my mind, fact boy 😳🧐

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Hope you enjoyed!

[@ignitionfrn2223]

2:25 - Chapter 1 - Growing up in the red flag factory 14:35 - Chapter 2 - Anchors aweigh 24:30 - Chapter 3 - The green river killer 40:45 - Chapter 4 - The green river killer task force 50:50 - Chapter 5 - The arrest & the plea 57:40 - Wrap up

[@rivervan]

Really love your commitment!

[@qjames0077]

You're doing God's work, son

[@margaretc5679]

I've been waiting for this one. Growing up in the greater Seattle area in the 80's, we all feared this man.

[@JodyOwen-we6oo]

My brother who followed my older sister snd I through school was asked by a teacher whether he was like me or her. He asked the teacher which they liked better in response.

[@odinfromcentr2]

I had a couple of teachers who were there long enough to have had my older siblings... but they didn't make the connection seeing as it was 25 years between them and me.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

That's a great answer!

[@Eman__1]

Perfect timing, needed something to listen to while I sand some 3D printed projects

[@YensAdventure]

Always love your content 😊 I think you should do Bruce McArthur. Arguably the world's most recent serial killer. And the story's climax is movie-worthy!

[@maniolicious]

Mate I’ve been waiting for this one for forever!!!❤

[@Chord_]

The second most prolific serial killer in American history... and somehow this is the first time I'm hearing of him. On the one hand, I'm personally a little relieved that I'm not so far down the true crime rabbit hole that I recognize every single serial killer in existence. But on the other, this is *definitely* someone I should've heard of before, alongside the likes of Bundy, Gein, and Dahmer. Or, who knows. Maybe I have heard of him before, but he was so generic I simply forgot.

[@Chandlergt1995]

Thank you for another amazing video!!

[@virginiadare1587]

It's always interesting to me to hear this addressed from a non-local perspective. While his murders were well known, he himself flew under the radar big time. Constance Naon (her last name is misspelled in the video) was one of my mom's kindergarten students.

[@aromaladyellie]

The locality of this case to my growing up makes this one so much more unsettling than usual. I’ve seen the Green River. Driven over it. So many times. I grew up AND WORKED in Seatac

[@erictheredguy]

What's crazy is I always hated these criminal shows but I've watched all the casual criminalists! I think it's all due to simon

[@mai_makanaka_hailey7819]

Facttt boyyy. Love to see you finally do this story.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Hope you enjoyed!

[@vashleysue]

My grandfather went to school with Gary. He said he kept to himself and just spaced out a lot. The kids all knew he was weird and my grandpa said he avoided having contact with him.

[@bookiechapters3785]

I have a coworker who is friends with people who worked with him. Apparently, they all thought he was "weird" and "off" and would call him Green River Gary at the office.

[@josephmulhall3230]

Excellent as always, just wish you had of done a deep dive, like your episode on Dahmer.

[@rome8180]

You should do a video on Luis Garavito, also known as "La Bestia." He has the most proven victims of any serial killer in world history. And yet for some reason, he's under-covered on the internet. There are only a couple videos about him.

[@rebeccasue25]

Well done. Another compelling episode.

[@terryenby2304]

Chronic bed wetting is a common sign of a child being sexually abused. It can also be physiologically normal until about age 6 or so. It *can* be harmless up to age 12, but it usually worth checking out before that age, even if just for social and confidence reasons.

[@theConquerersMama]

It can also be for medical reasons

[@lisasaxton]

Who was the most prolific serial killer? Do they have an episode already? Thank you Simon, Kevin, and Jen for your hard work!

[@boudicaastorm4540]

In the US, it's considered to be Samuel Little. There's a 2-part A&E thing on youtube about him, but I think Simon & co. could do a more in-depth, researched, and better organized video. A lot of very eerie similarities to this case, and probably why he got away with so many. There's audio interview clips of him in there too, and it's frightening, because he had the demeanor of a very personable guy, but he also sounded totally remorseless and casual about his crimes, almost as if he were discussing something innocent like a sports game or something.

[@Kris-the-Hobbit]

Love this video, Kevin is my favourite writer, love the cheeky sarcasm:)

[@Ergmermerg]

I remember when they finally caught him. I was young, but it was a big deal to finally have the local serial killer caught 🙃 Lots of serial killers from my neck of the woods 😬 I currently live near a released one. Real awkward when his ankle monitor started going off at the Circle K next to a preschool.

[@brendakrieger7000]

Thanks Simon & Staff😊

[@jennifernix2138]

Big fan here! Keep up the amazing work!

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Hope you enjoyed!

[@grumpym0nk61]

I be waitin' all week for this

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Hope you enjoyed!

[@ashleighmarine7333]

When I was in junior high school in the very early 2000s I spent a lot of time at my friend’s house on the green river in Washington. Her parents had built the house in the eighties and one time they had a conversation when they didn’t realize my friend and I could hear them about that time a body that turned out to be one of his victims was found very close to their house. My friend and I, recognizing the name “Green River Killer” but knowing basically nothing more than the name, thought that this was an active serial killer and the body had just been found. Her parents left for the night and we spent the rest of the night in this massive house with large glass windows fortifying ourselves in a blanket and pillow fort in the attic. The rest of the house felt way to exposed and we had thoroughly scared ourselves silly. Needless to say, her parents were confused when they found us after they got home.

[@gent4928]

Been waiting for this one

[@DeaDGoD_XIV]

I grew up near the Green River, my friends and I had a joke we'd make whenever we were close to the river: "Hey, let's play a game: first person to find a dead body wins a prize!" "What's the prize?" "The dead body."

[@danielnapoles6892]

Simon saying OG shall now live in my head rent free for all eternity, carry on

[@bjones243]

I grew up and still live in the area he dumped his victims and it's always weird thinking that the guy that did these horrible things used to come to my family barbeques

[@myjmbro1304]

I have been waiting for this one since I found your channel.

[@autumrogers9919]

You’re videos are so easy going while as insane as possible

[@dutchside33]

Can I say it, Simon's rants are hilarious. He's having too much fun.

[@jasonsearle7832]

Never apologise for your tangents Simon. The light hearted breaks help a lot of your listeners to digest the rest of the horror

[@redstarwarrior85]

Just a note, when Simon said Washington has capital punishment (which it did until this year), the editor accidentally included a picture of Washington DC instead of Washington State.

[@luisinfant6025]

What the hell did I just watch??!! Seriously it was so generic I already forgot about it. lol great video guys!

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Thanks!

[@AndrewLyon23]

Omg Simon being a bell-end! Hahah. Kevin, the audience got your sarcasm even if it went over Simons head! 😂😂😂

[@nicolestevens6204]

He worked across the street from the Renton Boeing Plant and my mom worked there, she said she had a chance to talk to some of his co-workers and they told her that some of them thought that he WAS the Green River Killer because he would act "creepy" and they said he made some comments about the Green River Killer. When she asked why they never said anything, they said they were afraid of him.

[@bookiechapters3785]

Yes! I commented on someone else's post but one of my coworkers has friends who worked with him and said they often called him Green River Gary.

[@kristinetaulbut4975]

For everyone else who is now wondering who the most prolific killers was it’s Samuel Little

[@stacysellersfranks8982]

Thank you!

[@Vilexxica]

I really hope they cover Samuel Little soon, especially if it's one of those hugely in-depth ones that David is known for.

[@wutangalex]

How do we know a smart serial killer? They never write their crimes down 😎

[@tammywilks8782]

I love it when Simon really laughs! Makes me laugh and breaks the tension 😂

[@Aztesticals]

You guys should cover the manhunt for eric frein in Pennsylvania

[@samanthab1923]

I remember that one. He was out there a while. In the snow ❄️too

[@JootjeJ]

About siblings with different abilities: we had a guy at work with learning difficulties. He and his children and late wife all had an IQ in the low 80s and were barely literate. The only different one in the family was his oldest daughter. She was gifted, bordering on genius. I can't help but think that growing uo must have been so hard for her.

[@cakt1991]

The term is disabled; we’re not the X-Men. Numerous people in the disability community have talked about how unhelpful the term “differently abled” is, and why. I’d recommend Molly Burke’s video on the topic (it should come up if you have search her name and “Differently abled”), plus she has a lot of content dispelling myths started by able bodied people about both disabled people in general and blind people in particular (Molly is blind).

[@boxcarz]

@@cakt1991 That's not what they meant by "different abilities"; they were talking about Simon commenting about how (seemingly) unlikely it is for siblings to have vastly differing levels of intelligence, within a single family.

[@JootjeJ]

@@boxcarz thank you. English is my second language and I wasn't sure how to respond.

[@JootjeJ]

@@cakt1991 I didn't mean "disabled" though. I meant exactly what I said. Different people in one family can have vastly different abilities / disabilities / talents / weaknesses / etc. Two genius parents can have a child with a learning disability for whatever reason, and parents with learning disabilities can have a genius child. Intelligence may be largely inherited, but that doesn't mean it's directly the same as that of their parents. Just like my kids are much taller than us, probably an inherited trait from my insanely tall grandfather. So yeah, I wasn't referring to disabilities but to different abilities.

[@Jen1N.]

I like when I know the basic story, the writers always fill in so much about the story and amazingly the victims. I've listened/watched other channels and aside from Mr Ballen they focus on the glory details and sensationalize the rumors. I know I can trust you've researched and are only stating what is known to be fact and let us know when it is speculation.

[@felizreviews5068]

He actually went to my old highschool different years obviously I graduated in 17 but it’s still odd feeling knowing a infamous murder probably sat in the same room you were being taught geometry

[@Soma_109]

That is wild

[@lifes2short]

I read up on Ol Gary in middle school because he was a local "legend". As to say the green river was always near my home as a kid. I would ride my bike around it and even swam in it a few times. Then I became to know of the green river killer and I was curious. I was always curious of the minds behind serial killers and murderers. Even had an uncle who worked at the same plant as Ridgeway. Crazy, crazier even to think there are more victims that haven't been found or even known of. Anyway, time to listen to Simon's recount hahaha

[@TheJoshestWhite]

Been Waiting for this one!

[@TheBrianRaglandChannel]

Awesome I was waiting and hoping that you would get around to this guy.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Hope you enjoyed!