One of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history, Gary Ridgway, preyed on sex workers and teenage runaways in Washington state. He is believed to have killed more than 50 people
Thanks for the well written article about the horrific acts that he committed. One of the things that strikes me are the kinds of evidence that are taken as significant. My understanding is that polygraphs are not that reliable, and it is distressing to see that he was released for passing one. On the other hand it is also interesting to see the primacy that DNA evidence is given to link suspects to crimes. I do not know what the false positives and false negatives are... I imagine they do not do full genome sequencing and thus likely rely on a few markers. It is curious how different kinds of evidence have an effect on decisions to prosecute, arrest, and on how jurors think about a case.
Thanks for the well written article about the horrific acts that he committed. One of the things that strikes me are the kinds of evidence that are taken as significant. My understanding is that polygraphs are not that reliable, and it is distressing to see that he was released for passing one. On the other hand it is also interesting to see the primacy that DNA evidence is given to link suspects to crimes. I do not know what the false positives and false negatives are... I imagine they do not do full genome sequencing and thus likely rely on a few markers. It is curious how different kinds of evidence have an effect on decisions to prosecute, arrest, and on how jurors think about a case.
Yes, definitely something to consider. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.