Defending Gary

January 16, 2006
After a two-decade investigation, Gary Ridgway, America's "most prolific serial killer," was arrested in November 2001. Prothero became one of his attorneys. A Seattle-area DNA expert who emerges as an affable and humble family man, Prothero argued successfully against the death penalty for Ridgway. Aided by veteran journalist Smith (The Search for the Green River Killer
), Prothero probes the psyche of a monster who appeared to be a devoted husband, son and brother. Did Ridgway's mother corrupt him as a teenager when she washed his genitals after he wet the bed, or did years of inhaling paint fumes on the job impair his judgment? Prothero, who confronted the banality of evil when his miserly client explained that he killed some of his prostitute victims just to get his $20 back, concludes that Ridgway killed between 48 and 71 prostitutes to gain power and control over women and authority figures. The bird's-eye view into the legal wrangling is sometimes obscured by repetitious and unwieldy text, and it's clear that Prothero and Smith aren't in the same league as Norman Mailer, Mikal Gilmore and Ann Rule, who famously humanized Gary Gilmore and Ted Bundy. And unlike in Rule's Green River, Running Red
, the victims here are ciphers.

March 15, 2006
Defense attorney Prothero joins Smith ("The Search for the Green River Killer") to give us a detailed account of the trial and conviction of Gary Ridgway in the Green River killings around Seattle, which occurred over approximately 30 years, ending in the 1990s. In late 2001 police arrested Ridgway, a longtime suspect in the case. Prothero became his lead defense attorney shortly afterward. Originally he was skeptical about Ridgway -s guilt, but physical evidence, including DNA analysis, proved that Ridgway had killed at least 48 women, mainly prostitutes, and may have murdered as many as 71 between 1982 and 1989. Prothero -s tactic changed from proving Ridgway -s innocence to sparing him from the death penalty. The authors present the story in a well-paced, straightforward manner and provide sturdy insight into this complex case. Particularly interesting are details about the infighting among members of the Ridgway defense team. Also good is the discussion on how Seattle and Washington state politics shaped the trial. In November 2003, Ridgway was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Recommended for public and academic libraries." -Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Lib., Parkersburg"

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