Washington Serial Killers
ColdCaseIndex documents 7 serial killers whose murders took place in Washington, with first known killings from 1974 to 1991. 7 of them were caught; 5 linked case files document their victims. The earliest series is Ted Bundy (1974) and the most recent is Shelly Knotek (1991). Profiles are added in order of public interest, so this page is not a complete census of the state.
All 7 profiles
Ted Bundy
Theodore Robert Bundy
Executed in Florida in 1989. Ted Bundy was convicted of three murders in Florida and confessed to 30 killings of young women across Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Idaho and Florida between 1974 and 1978.
Robert Lee Yates Jr.
The Spokane Serial Killer
Imprisoned for life. Former Army helicopter pilot who pleaded guilty in Spokane County in 2000 to 13 murders (1975 to 1998) and was convicted by a Pierce County jury in 2002 of two more; his death sentence became life without…
Kenneth Bianchi
The Hillside Strangler
Imprisoned for life. Kenneth Bianchi, one of the two Hillside Stranglers, pleaded guilty in 1979 to five Los Angeles murders and two Bellingham, Washington murders; his cousin Angelo Buono was convicted of nine killings in 1983.
Gary Ridgway
The Green River Killer
Imprisoned. Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, pleaded guilty in 2003 to 48 murders of women and girls in King County, Washington, between 1982 and 1998, and to a 49th in 2011.
Westley Allan Dodd
The Vancouver Child Killer
Executed. Westley Allan Dodd pleaded guilty to murdering three boys in the Vancouver, Washington area in 1989. A jury sentenced him to death in 1990; he waived his appeals and was hanged at Walla Walla on January 5, 1993.
Keith Hunter Jesperson
The Happy Face Killer
Serving life. Long-haul trucker Keith Hunter Jesperson, the Happy Face Killer, is held at the Oregon State Penitentiary for murders of women committed between 1990 and 1995; eight killings in six states are considered confirmed.
Shelly Knotek
Michelle Knotek
Released in 2022 after serving about 19 years. Pleaded guilty (Alford pleas) in 2004 to second-degree murder of Kathy Loreno and first-degree manslaughter of Ron Woodworth, boarders who died in her Pacific County, Washington…
At a glance
| Name | Alias | State | Active | Convicted | Confessed | Suspected | Legal status | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Bundy | Theodore Robert Bundy | Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Florida | 1974 to 1978 | 3 | 30 | 20 attributed by police before his confessions; the FBI put the total at more than 30, and some estimates run to 36 or more | Convicted | Executed |
| Robert Lee Yates Jr. | The Spokane Serial Killer | Washington | 1975 to 1998 | 15 | 15 | 16; at his arrest the Spokane County sheriff cited 12 to 18 possible victims | Convicted | Imprisoned |
| Kenneth Bianchi | The Hillside Strangler | California, Washington | 1977 to 1979 | 7 | 7 | 12 (10 in Los Angeles with Buono, 2 in Bellingham) | Convicted | Imprisoned |
| Gary Ridgway | The Green River Killer | Washington | 1982 to 1998 | 49 | 71 | At least 71 (49 confirmed plus about 22 additional suspected) | Convicted | Imprisoned |
| Westley Allan Dodd | The Vancouver Child Killer | Washington | 1989 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Convicted | Executed |
| Keith Hunter Jesperson | The Happy Face Killer | Oregon, Washington, California, Florida, Wyoming, Nebraska | 1990 to 1995 | 5 | 8 | 8 | Convicted | Imprisoned |
| Shelly Knotek | Michelle Knotek | Washington | 1991 to 2003 | 2 | — | 3 deaths in the household (the third was her husband's conviction) | Convicted | Released |
Serial murder case files from Washington
Victim-centred case pages from the cold case index, with their own timelines and sources.
Green River Killer Victims
Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, murdered at least 49 women in Washington State. He targeted mostly sex workers and runaways. Ridgway was convicted in 2003 after DNA evidence linked him to four victims.
Robert Lee Yates Victims
Robert Lee Yates Jr., a former Army helicopter pilot, pleaded guilty in 2000 to 13 murders committed in Washington between 1975 and 1998 and was sentenced to 408 years.
Ted Bundy Washington Victims
Eight young women vanished in Washington and Oregon between February and July 1974, beginning with Lynda Ann Healy in Seattle. Remains of seven were later found near Issaquah and on Taylor Mountain; Donna Manson was never…