What makes a killer contains graphic details of sexual assault and violence and is not intended for all audiences

Listener discretion is strongly advised

Seattle, Washington, November 5th, 2003 in front of a packed room at the King County Superior Court

54-year-old Gary Ridgeway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder

Gary Ridgeway is probably the most prolific serial killer

in America, if not the world. He was a killing machine, a man of extraordinary evil

After another body was found years later, the death toll hit 49

He's praying on sex workers or young women who have run away from home, people who have done ripple

He disposes of their bodies in the green river

The victims he prayed upon were young girls who had run away from home and young sex workers in the area

She was a little girl when she was murdered by him

She deserved the best of everything, she deserved to have a very happy life

Despite police suspicions, it took nearly 20 painstaking years to gather enough evidence to convict Ridgeway

I poked him with my finger and his chest I says, you SOB, I know you did it and we're gonna get you

The man who became known as the Green River Killer murdered 49 young women and was suspected of killing many more

This is what makes a killer, a series that chronicles the lives and crimes of the world's most notorious killers

I'm your host Jennifer Nitoso

In every episode we'll trace a killer's origins, examine their behavior and follow their path to bloodshed

In this episode, we'll discuss Gary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer

Seattle, Washington, 1982

It was in the Pacific Northwest that one of the most prolific serial killers of all time, Gary Ridgeway, prayed upon vulnerable young women, runaways,

and sex workers

...