http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-950948.mp3
The man known as the "Green River Killer" has been charged with another murder. Gary Ridgway is already serving a life sentence for killing 48 women. He's considered one of the nation's most prolific serial killers.
On Monday, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg announced aggravated first-degree murder charges against Gary Ridgway in the death of Rebecca "Becky" Marrero, who disappeared after leaving a motel in SeaTac in 1982.
Ridgway is already doing life for murdering 48 women. The most punishment he’ll face for Marrero’s death is another life sentence. That’s because in 2003 prosecutors struck a deal with Ridgway: a guilty plea in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
Satterberg told reporters at a packed news conference in the King County Courthouse that it still makes sense to file new charges against Ridgway because it provides a "degree of justice" to the families.
"Even though they’re old cases and we call them cold cases, they are not cold within the families, they grieve everyday," Satterberg said.
Satterberg says the Marrero family is expected to speak in court when Gary Ridgway appears in King County Superior Court in Kent on Friday, February 18.
