The time period between murders separates serial murder from mass murder.Įrgo, the symposium members created the following definition of serial murder: The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events.Incidents should be occurring in separate events, at different times and.Per the FBI’s Web-site, those factors are: Different discussion groups comprised of experts in the field ultimately reached a consensus as to the factors that needed to be included in the definition. The term ‘serial killings’ means a series of three or more killings, not less than one of which was committed within the United States, having common characteristics such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes were committed by the same actor or actors.Īdditionally, the FBI held a symposium in 2005 titled “ Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators.” There was extant comprehensive debates over an accurate definition of serial killer. Congress passed a federal law titled: Protection of Children from Sexual Predator Act of 1998 which included a formal definition of serial killer: The definition has undergone several revisions over the years and, in 1998, the U.S.

The term serial killer was coined in the 1970s by former FBI Special Agent Robert Ressler who, incidentally, has since written his own expert books on the topic. When asked why he choked them during his eventual videotaped confession, Ridgway responded that choking “was more personal and more rewarding than to shoot ” (p. Almost of all his victims were prostitutes, drug addicts, or runaways whom he strangled to death with his bare hands or by using a ligature. Gary Ridgway chalked up a twenty-two year murderous reign of terror over the Seattle and Tacoma, Washington areas (and possibly in Oregon as well) during the 1980s and ‘90s. The vast majority of his killings occurred during a three-year period in the early 1980s. This book is the tale of the infamous Green River Killer, perhaps the most prolific serial killer in American history. Perhaps the task of telling so many morbid tales – Gary Ridgway confessed to 71 murders and was convicted of 48, but is suspected in many more – belies good old-fashioned story telling, but c’mon, this is Ann Rule! Arguably the queen of true crime, I beg you, Ann: please tell me a great story! At 665 pages, Green River, Running Red is a hefty and comprehensive compendium.

In fact, it was a bit of a chore to finish it, and I confess to skimming parts.

Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule