A man has pleaded guilty in Seattle to strangling 48 drug addicts and prostitutes to death in a killing spree known as the Green River murders.
Gary Leon Ridgway (54) said in a confession read by a prosecutor in court that he murdered the women in a killing spree that started in 1982 because he hated prostitutes and knew that they would not be missed.
He said in a confession: "I killed so many women I have a hard time keeping them straight."
As details of his grisly crimes unfolded, relatives of the victims wept in court and the owlish-looking Ridgway showed no emotion.Ridgway, who some law enforcement officials believe may have killed more than 100 women, pleaded guilty in return for prosecutors' agreement to spare his life.
His confession included details of how he gained his victims' confidence by showing them pictures of his son, had sex with them and then strangled them from behind, often in his house or truck.
Before disposing of the bodies, he had sex with them again, often over several days, according to court documents.
Families of Ridgway's victims differed sharply over the plea deal, with some relieved to get information on their loved ones and others disappointed that he will not be executed.
The 48 convictions are the most for any serial killer in US history and the case is the nation's longest-running serial killer case. While always a prime suspect, Ridgway eluded arrest until DNA evidence tied him to several of the murders.
The truck painter, who originally pleaded not guilty to seven murders, has been helping police in recent weeks find the where he dumped the bodies of young women, beginning in the Green River south of Seattle in 1982.
His attorneys approached prosecutors in April seeking a deal to avoid the death penalty after Ridgway broke down sobbing and said he wanted to confess. A deal was struck in June but kept secret.<