Gary Ridgway was a soft spoken man. He was pretty small compared to the average guy, but he was socially well-adjusted. He had no criminal record and was a good-natured kid, or so people thought. To the outside world he was an excellent kid who couldn’t do anything wrong, but behind the scenes lay disturbing secrets. As a child, he would get abused daily by his mother, Mary Ridgway.
This abuse led to him becoming a troubled child. He would go out and find animals to torture as well as set things on fire around the neighborhood. When he was only sixteen years old, Ridgway committed his first ever (attempted) murder; he lured a six year old boy into the woods and stabbed him. Thankfully, the boy survived, but Ridgway was never caught. However, this was just the start of his killing spree. How does someone like this become one of America’s most notorious serial killers?
Serial killers are people who kill three or more people over a period of time instead of all at once. They’re driven by mental, emotional, or personal motives, not emergencies. Some killers have a certain way they go about choosing their victims. Professionals have dug deep into the minds of serial killers for years trying to get a clear understanding on how normal people can just wake up one day and think of turning someone into a newspaper headline. These studies show how serial murder is not caused by a single factor but multiple pieces of a murder puzzle that can range from childhood trauma to personal needs.
Oliver Conray, in an article on why people become serial killers, writes, “Many serial killers are survivors of early childhood trauma. For example, there could be physical or sexual abuse, family dysfunction, emotionally distant or absent parents. Trauma is the theme in the biographies of most killers.” People experiencing childhood trauma can develop mental issues leading them to becoming violent or aggressive.
There is a possibility the violence and abuse they have endured could be something that they have grown accustomed to. This leads to them thinking it’s normal to cause harm to other people. Childhood trauma can cause cognitive processing problems, which tends to lead to the abuse victim developing an aggressive thought pattern. “On average, 50% of serial killers suggest that they have experienced psychological abuse, 36% have experienced physical abuse, and 26% have experienced sexual abuse.” This shows that the most common cause of serial killers committing such inhumane acts is from them experiencing trauma in their past.
Before serial killers are sent to the courtroom to stand trial, the jury has to determine if the killer is in their right mind. This means the jury has to figure out if the killers are fit to stand trial or if they’re mentally unwell. They do this because mental issues are a very common factor in serial murder, and the jury needs to document the potential mental issues a killer may have for later use. Serial killers often display a range of mental illnesses and disabilities.
Many mental disorders can cause killers to become detached from reality and take part in these vicious attacks. “ASPD, known as antisocial personality disorder, is characterized by a lack of empathy and a willingness to engage in criminal behaviour, making it a key factor in the development of serial killers.” Even though ASPD is a serious disorder, not all people who have ASPD will commit a crime. But, many criminals are people with ASPD.
An adrenaline rush is, as you’d probably guess, a rush of intense excitement from feel-good chemicals. This is the feeling that serial killers chase during their killing sprees. Though most serial killers go after certain groups, there are some that crash out on complete randos. Serial killers who kill for fun usually have personal needs that they’re tending to. They don’t have to know the person to want to hurt them. A “thrill killer” almost immediately loses interest in their victim—not unlike the average person with ADHD—and moves on to the next one.
Thomas F. Denson, in a book about Self Control and Aggression, writes, “When people imagine an extremely aggressive person, they often think of someone who is cold-blooded, plans the details of an aggressive act in advance, and never lets an emotion sway a decision to behave aggressively. Yet, as the quote from Jeffrey Dahmer illustrates, even the aggressive behaviour of serial killers can arise from the impulsive aggressive urges.” Many serial killers don’t have to experience any trauma to kill people. They do it because they like the feeling of hurting others.
Going back to Gary Ridgway’s story, it proves that people who may seem normal could be hiding something dark behind the scenes. With no healthy outlet, the weight of his pain, trauma, and personal urges twisted his mind over time. Anyone could become a serial killer; it only takes a reason. Regardless of the effects of abuse, mental illness, or the thrill of killing, there will always be something deeper driving a person’s actions.
Serial killers don’t just wake up one day and decide to murder someone. The things they’ve gone through and the things they crave shape them over time. In the end, people like Gary Ridgway show us that anyone could be having a private battle within themselves. These people let it grow quietly before it finally takes over.
