Defending Gary: Unraveling the Mind of the Green River Killer by Mark Prothero, Carlton Smith

At first, Mark Prothero, Defense Attorney for Gary Ridgway, thought: This cant be the Green River Killer! Hes too ordinary! Hes too small. Hes too calm. Hes too polite! He cant possibly have murdered forty-nine women. They cant be serious! They must have screwed up! I didnt realize then, but I was right. Gary Ridgway hadnt killed forty-nine women. Hed killed even more than that. Soon, Mark Prothero faced the question: How could you possibly defend the most prolific serial killer in United States history, the infamous Green River Killer? If anyone deserved to be executed for his crimes, didnt he? Mark Prothero, co-lead defense attorney who helped save Gary Ridgway from the death sentence, has heard that question many times. Now he's written a book that reveals the true, inside story of exactly how an idealistic public defender, high school swim coach, husband, and dad could bring himself to spend many months of close confinement with a man who brutally murdered at least 75 young women, often in the act of sex. Defending Gary shows how Prothero could reconcile these monstrous acts knowing the reality of this unassuming fellow Gary Ridgway, a mild-mannered, church-going, devoted husband, father, and former Navy man, with an IQ of around 82 and a longtime job as a truck painter from Auburn, Washington, near Seattle. Review ...both sober and titillating. (The Seattle Times, June 2, 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 Ridgways 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. Protheros tactic changed from proving Ridgways 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., Parkersbur (Library Journal, March 15, 2006) After a two-decade investigation, Gary Ridgway, Americas 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 Ridgways 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 birds-eye view into the legal wrangling is sometimes obscured by repetitious and unwieldy text, and its clear that Prothero and Smith arent in the same league as Norman Mailer, Mikal Gilmore and Ann Rule, who famously humanized Gary Gilmore and Ted Bundy. And unlike in Rules Green River, Running Red, the victims here are ciphers. (June) (Publishers Weekly, January 16, 2006) ...Prothero had something unique--almost daily contact with Ridgway, which gives his book its power and relevancy over the others. (King County Journal, 2006) Prothero offers his perspective on what remains a troubling case. He knows as much as anyone about the nasty, tricky little man... (Associated Press, 2006) ...both sober and titillating. (The Seattle Times, June 2, 2006) ...authors present the story in a well-paced, straightforward manner and provide sturdy insight into this complex case (Library Journal, March 15, 2006) Review Defending Gary belongs on every bookshelf of every person interested in serial murder and death penalty cases from the defense perspective. --Ann Burgess, R.N., D.N.Sc., professor of psychiatric mental health nursing, Boston College, Connell School of Nursing and coauthor, Sexual Homicides: Patterns and Motives An extraordinary account of the most infamous serial killer in American history, 'The Green River Killer.' This is definitely not your average true crime book. The book is a first-person account, well written, and with authors who provide interesting details of defending Gary Ridgway. The interrogation of Ridgway should be fascinating to law enforcement and anyone interested in serial killers. It certainly was to me. I highly recommend it. --Steve Egger, author, Killers Among Us: An Examination of Serial Murder and Its Investigation From the Inside Flap How could you possibly defend the most prolific serial killer in United States history, the infamous Green River Killer? If anyone deserved to be executed for his crimes, didnt he? Mark Prothero, co-lead defense attorney who helped save Gary Ridgway from the death sentence, has heard that question many times. Now hes written a book that reveals the true, inside story of exactly how an idealistic public defender, high school swim coach, husband, and dad could bring himself to spend many months of close confinement with a man who brutally murdered at least seventy-five young women, often in the act of sex. Defending Gary shows how Prothero could reconcile these monstrous acts knowing the reality of this unassuming fellow Gary Ridgway, a mild-mannered, church-going, devoted husband, father, and former Navy man, with an IQ of around eighty-two and a longtime job as a truck painter from Auburn, Washington, near Seattle. Protheros job was to zealously and ethically represent his client and protect his legal rights. To accomplish this, the author took a harrowing, two-year-long journey into the psychological recesses of a serial killers soul to find out where Ridgway came from, how he thought, how he got away with the crimes for so long, and why he really did it. Written with the intensity of a thrilling novel, Defending Gary utilizes Protheros notes, original research documents, transcripts, and photographs that detail the suspenseful story of the authors search for the truth about a man who many people feel represents the banality of evil. From the Back Cover Warning: Once You Pick Up This Book, You Wont Be Able to Put It Down This cant be the Green River Killer! Hes too ordinary! Hes too small. Hes too calm. Hes too polite! He cant possibly have murdered forty-nine women. They cant be serious! They must have screwed up! I didnt realize then, but I was right. Gary Ridgway hadnt killed forty-nine women. Hed killed even more than that. Praise for Defending Gary An extraordinary account of the most infamous serial killer in American history, The Green River Killer. This is definitely not your average true crime book. The book is a first-person account, well written, and with authors who provide interesting details of defending Gary Ridgway. The interrogation of Ridgway should be fascinating to law enforcement and anyone interested in serial killers. It certainly was to me. I highly recommend it. --Steve Egger, author, Killers Among Us: An Examination of Serial Murder and Its Investigation Mark Prothero did more than defend Gary Ridgway. This book is an extraordinary contribution to a unique and successful collaboration between prosecutors, investigators, and defense attorney. Their agreed-upon task was to try to extract decades-old memories of a serial killer who had methodically hidden dozens of bodies for a common purpose: to bring peace and resolution to the victims families. This book illustrates the energy, personal sacrifice, and impact that a death penalty case demands from a defense team. Prothero carefully takes us through the decisions involved in convening a defense team, the techniques used in developing a relationship with a serial killer in order to distinguish truth from his life of deception, the stress and uncertainty in working a death penalty case, negotiating and writing the extensive documentation for a plea bargain, and dealing with the media. There are critical lessons for us in this book: the importance of crime scene evidence, profiling a serial killer, the search for bodies, and insights from interviews with investigators, experts, and family members. Defending Gary belongs on every bookshelf of every person interested in serial murder and death penalty cases from the defense perspective. --Ann Burgess, R.N., D.N.Sc., professor of psychiatric mental health nursing, Boston College, Connell School of Nursing, and coauthor, Sexual Homicides: Patterns and Motives About the Author Mark Prothero (Kent, WA) was a lead defense attorney for Gary Ridgway (the Green River Killer). He spent several years and thousands of hours with Ridgway, working also with the prosecution and police in the field, negotiating a complex process which gradually revealed the truth about the mind and deeds of this most prolific serial killer in US history, and also brought a just closure to the case which gave the victims families the information they needed and put the killer in prison for the rest of his life. Carlton Smith (South Pasadena, CA) is an award-winning journalist who has worked for The Los Angeles Times, Willamette Week, and the Seattle Times. Smith was a 1988 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting for his work on the Green River Murder Case. His book, The Search for the Green River Killer, written BEFORE Gary Ridgway was apprehended, was a New York Times bestseller and finalist for the Helen Bernstein Award of the New York Public Library.