Convicting the green river killer
(http://www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff/Enforcement/Investigations/GreenRiver.aspx)
Wendy Lee Coffield's corpse was located in the state of Washington's Green River on July 15, 1982. Unfortunately, Coffield's body was not the only corpse discovered in the River that July. The bodies of Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills, and Cynthia Jean Hinds were also found. The search for the culprit went on for decades. A fragment of justice was finally served in November of 2001 when Gary Ridgway was arrested for the murders of Cynthia Jean Hinds, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills, and Carol Ann Christiansen. In April of 2003, Ridgway was accused of murdering Wendy Lee Coffield, Debra Lynn Bonner, and Debra Estes.
To avoid the death penalty, Ridgway agreed to plead guilty to every murder he had committed in King County. Ridgway was also expected to "provide complete, truthful and candid information concerning the crimes he had committed in King County." The last condition of Ridgway's negotiation entailed $480,000 in fines and granting any profit Ridgway might have received from a book or movie deal to the families he had affected. The settlement resulted in Ridgway pleading "guilty to 48 counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree" on November 5, 2003.
Wendy Lee Coffield's corpse was located in the state of Washington's Green River on July 15, 1982. Unfortunately, Coffield's body was not the only corpse discovered in the River that July. The bodies of Debra Lynn Bonner, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills, and Cynthia Jean Hinds were also found. The search for the culprit went on for decades. A fragment of justice was finally served in November of 2001 when Gary Ridgway was arrested for the murders of Cynthia Jean Hinds, Marcia Faye Chapman, Opal Charmaine Mills, and Carol Ann Christiansen. In April of 2003, Ridgway was accused of murdering Wendy Lee Coffield, Debra Lynn Bonner, and Debra Estes.
To avoid the death penalty, Ridgway agreed to plead guilty to every murder he had committed in King County. Ridgway was also expected to "provide complete, truthful and candid information concerning the crimes he had committed in King County." The last condition of Ridgway's negotiation entailed $480,000 in fines and granting any profit Ridgway might have received from a book or movie deal to the families he had affected. The settlement resulted in Ridgway pleading "guilty to 48 counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree" on November 5, 2003.