Prosecutors cut deal for Green River killer

[HolyWarrior]

King County Journal

KENT -- Kathy Mills is getting up before dawn today to finish a journey that began more than two decades ago when she last saw her daughter, Opal, alive. By 7 a.m. she wants to be sitting with her son, Garrett, in Judge Richard Jones' courtroom in Seattle. Sometime after 9 a.m. she'll face the man prosecutors say killed Opal -- and perhaps dozens of other young women, well into the late 1990s. If today plays out as expected, Gary Leon Ridgway, 54, of Auburn's West Hill will admit to being the nation's most prolific serial killer. If Opal's father, Robert, was in court today, someone would have to hold him down, Mills said. She said he once ached for just 30 minutes alone in the garage with his daughter's killer to find out the truth. But Robert Mills died years ago, knowing the killer was still free. Today's hearing is being held at the end of a shredded shroud of secrecy. Ridgway is expected to change his plea to guilty in the Green River killings, starting in the early 1980s. He's officially charged with seven counts of aggravated first-degree murder. In return for his plea, Ridgway will spend the rest of his life in prison instead of facing the death penalty. Mills isn't so sure she supports that decision, but there's little she can do. Kathy and Garrett Mills met late Monday afternoon with King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng and Sheriff Dave Reichert, who was the lead investigator in the case in the 1980s. They met at an undisclosed location somewhere in the SeaTac area, and were asked not to discuss what was said before today's hearing because Maleng and Reichert still had families to talk with Tuesday. But Kathy Mills did reveal the answer to a question she asked: Won't a plea bargain with the nation's worst serial killer kill the death penalty in Washington state? The answer was ``no,'' according to the officials.

OK, you death penalty abolitionists, tell me why this creep deserves to live.
I think if he had killed women 'of importance' rather than runaways as alleged, this deal would never have happened. [img]graemlins/1pissed.gif[/img]

[Dreamer128]

At least this gives him alot of time to think about this crimes. Besides, I'm sure a rappist/murderer will have an excellent time in jail.
Maybe he does deserve to die, but that is not for me to decide.

[Timber Loftis]

Don't be so sure. The prosecutors are trading the death penalty for a confirmed win. It ain't easy to prove up murders from that long ago, especially considering the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard. And, they would have to prove all 7. If he got off on a few of them, and then applied mitigating factors to avoid the death penalty, and had subsequent good behavior, he could theoretically get paroled sometime in the future. This avoids that possibility.

Besides, do you really think a child molester will last *that* long behind bars? He's about to spend a lot of time in solitary, or be someone's (or group's) bitch, or get shivved. Get it?

[Zero Alpha]

Originally posted by HolyWarrior: OK, you death penalty abolitionists, tell me why this creep deserves to live. I think if he had killed women 'of importance' rather than runaways as alleged, this deal would never have happened. [img]graemlins/1pissed.gif[/img]

are you sure he did it? what if in a few years its found he didnt do it, but changed to guilty under duress? of course this is unlikely, but i think this is the arguments of abolishonists.

if he did it, id rather see him rot in jail for a *long* time where we *know* he's not having fun, than let him die where we are unsure what happens.

[Ronn_Bman]

Wasn't this the guy who said he'd killed so many he wasn't sure he remembered them all, or something to that effect?

Yep ... http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/...waymain06.html

That's one of the sickest statement I've ever heard. I have a co-worker whose husband used to work for the same company that Ridgeway worked for. Brrrrr.

[Timber Loftis]

Thanks for the news link, GForce. Golly, to imagine what this SYCOPATH did. And, yet another white guy. Why do all the crazy serials (except DC sniper) have to be white? Are we that F*%$#d up? Deplorable.

[Donut]

The two best known serial killers of recent times in Britain are Fred West and Harold Shipman. West hung himself in prison before his trial. I felt angry that he had escaped punishment.

Shipman, was found guilty of 15 murders, it is certain that he killed at least 215 and it is believed that his tally could be as high as 400.

He received 15 life sentences to run concurrently, the Judge stipulated that a life sentence would mean life in his case.

Originally posted by Donut: The two best known serial killers of recent times in Britain are Fred West and Harold Shipman. West hung himself in prison before his trial. I felt angry that he had escaped punishment. Shipman, was found guilty of 15 murders, it is certain that he killed at least 215 and it is believed that his tally could be as high as 400. He received 15 life sentences to run concurrently, the Judge stipulated that a life sentence would mean life in his case.

Holy Toledo! 215 or maybe 400?! And there was a topic earlier titled "Vlad the Impaler". Insane.

[Sir Taliesin]

I wouldn't be so sure that he won't recieve the death penalty. I suspect that he will be implicated and tried in more murders. I doubt they'll hesitate to give him the death penalty the next time around.