Book Spotlight: The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer by Robert D. Keppel
The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer is a 2004 book by Robert D. Keppel, Ph.D., with William J. Birnes. Everyone knows that Ted Bundy was one of the most notorious serial killers of all time, but many people don't know that Bundy offered his assistance in the search for the Green River Killer. Bundy was already on Death Row in Florida at the time, and since he considered himself an expert on serial killers, he allowed Robert Keppel and Dave Reichert, the lead investigators of the Green River Killer task force, to interview him several times so they could gain insight into the mind of a serial killer. Keppel had previously been part of a Seattle task force trying to catch Bundy.
The first victim of the Green River Killer was discovered in the summer of 1982, spotted by two boys riding their bikes on the Peck Bridge in Kent, Washington. The victim was a 16-year-old prostitute named Wendy Lee Coffield, and she was found nude with a pair of jeans tied tightly around her neck. The Green River Killer dumped his first few victims in the Green River, then switched to disposing of the bodies in the woods. In October 1984, Robert Keppel received a letter from Ted Bundy in which he said that he was intrigued by the Green River Killer murders and thought he could offer some insight into the case. Keppel and Reichert met with Bundy a few times, and he shared his theories about the killer's behavior and offered suggestions on how to catch him. Keppel met with Bundy, who referred to himself as "the only Ph.D. in serial murder," again in 1988 because Ted wanted to school him in the art of interviewing a serial killer. A few days before Bundy was scheduled to be executed in January 1989, they met again, and Ted told Keppel where to find the body and head of Georgann Hawkins (it's bad enough to murder someone, but you have to be a real sicko to cut someone's head off). His account of how he knocked Hawkins out with a crowbar and abducted her made Keppel realize that Bundy wasn't the "phantom prince" that he'd been branded by reporters and that he was in fact "a spineless, chicken-shit killer" (best Ted Bundy description ever). Keppel's last conversation with Bundy was on January 22, 1989, and Ted gave him a general idea of where to find Donna Manson's body. Of course Bundy didn't give up the locations of these victims out of the goodness of his cold, black heart; it was an attempt to get the Supreme Court to delay his execution, but it didn't work and he was executed on January 24, 1989.
Gary Leon Ridgway was arrested in Renton, Washington, for four of the Green River Killer Murders on November 30, 2001. He was first questioned in connection with the case in 1983, and police searched his home and cars in 1987, but it wasn't until 2001 that he was brought down by DNA evidence. He pled guilty to 48 murders in 2003 and was given life in prison instead of the death penalty because he agreed to tell investigators where the remains of many of his victims were located. Both Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway were necrophiles, and this was something Bundy guessed about the Green River Killer when talking to Keppel. During one of these meetings, Bundy suggested that law enforcement agencies develop a computer system that tracks violent crimes (which sure would've been helpful during his reign of terror).
The Riverman is a fascinating (but disturbing) read. It was interesting to get some insight into the mind of a killer and read about a serial killer try to help the police catch a fellow murderer. This book is a must-read for any true crime fan.
My rating: 8/10
The first victim of the Green River Killer was discovered in the summer of 1982, spotted by two boys riding their bikes on the Peck Bridge in Kent, Washington. The victim was a 16-year-old prostitute named Wendy Lee Coffield, and she was found nude with a pair of jeans tied tightly around her neck. The Green River Killer dumped his first few victims in the Green River, then switched to disposing of the bodies in the woods. In October 1984, Robert Keppel received a letter from Ted Bundy in which he said that he was intrigued by the Green River Killer murders and thought he could offer some insight into the case. Keppel and Reichert met with Bundy a few times, and he shared his theories about the killer's behavior and offered suggestions on how to catch him. Keppel met with Bundy, who referred to himself as "the only Ph.D. in serial murder," again in 1988 because Ted wanted to school him in the art of interviewing a serial killer. A few days before Bundy was scheduled to be executed in January 1989, they met again, and Ted told Keppel where to find the body and head of Georgann Hawkins (it's bad enough to murder someone, but you have to be a real sicko to cut someone's head off). His account of how he knocked Hawkins out with a crowbar and abducted her made Keppel realize that Bundy wasn't the "phantom prince" that he'd been branded by reporters and that he was in fact "a spineless, chicken-shit killer" (best Ted Bundy description ever). Keppel's last conversation with Bundy was on January 22, 1989, and Ted gave him a general idea of where to find Donna Manson's body. Of course Bundy didn't give up the locations of these victims out of the goodness of his cold, black heart; it was an attempt to get the Supreme Court to delay his execution, but it didn't work and he was executed on January 24, 1989.
Gary Leon Ridgway was arrested in Renton, Washington, for four of the Green River Killer Murders on November 30, 2001. He was first questioned in connection with the case in 1983, and police searched his home and cars in 1987, but it wasn't until 2001 that he was brought down by DNA evidence. He pled guilty to 48 murders in 2003 and was given life in prison instead of the death penalty because he agreed to tell investigators where the remains of many of his victims were located. Both Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway were necrophiles, and this was something Bundy guessed about the Green River Killer when talking to Keppel. During one of these meetings, Bundy suggested that law enforcement agencies develop a computer system that tracks violent crimes (which sure would've been helpful during his reign of terror).
The Riverman is a fascinating (but disturbing) read. It was interesting to get some insight into the mind of a killer and read about a serial killer try to help the police catch a fellow murderer. This book is a must-read for any true crime fan.
My rating: 8/10
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