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In a 5-4 vote Thursday, the state Supreme Court of Washington rejected a lawsuit calling for the release of thousands of inmates to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, according to reports.
Those narrowly missing a shot at freedom included Gary Ridgway, the so-called “Green River Killer,” who in 2003 was sentenced to life in prison after confessing to killing as many as 49 women in the 1980s, Seattle’s KIRO radio reported.
A lawyer representing the inmates being considered for release – about two-thirds of the state’s prison population, according to KIRO – argued that those behind bars aren’t able to keep themselves safe from the virus. He said those inmates who were elderly, in poor health or very close to their release date should be set free, Q13 FOX of Seattle reported.
“We can all hold out in our homes. We can decide who we allow into our homes,” lawyer Nicholas Straley said. “People in prison do not have that option.”
Assistant Attorney General John Samson, arguing against the mass release, told the court that inmates had received face masks and separated sleep spaces, and the corrections department had conducted virus testing on 300 inmates and released some offenders.
Ultimately, the court order signed by Chief Justice Debra Stephens said the petitioners bringing the lawsuit had failed to prove the state’s treatment of the inmates amounted to “deliberate indifference” to the COVID-19 risk within the state’s detention centers, The Seattle Times reported.
At least 24 corrections department employees and 13 inmates have tested positive for the virus, with other inmates placed in isolation or quarantined, the report said.
On April 10, the state Supreme Court had asked the state to draft a plan for protecting inmates from the outbreak, Q13 FOX reported.
As the justices heard arguments, state Republicans, law enforcement officials and crime victims spoke out against the proposal to release the inmates, the station reported.
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Ridgway, now 70 years old, is the subject of a recent TV documentary titled, “The Green River Killer: Mind of a Monster.” It features chilling tapes of Ridgway’s police interviews, uses the murderer’s own disturbing words to detail what ultimately led him to become a violent predator.
Ridgway confessed to strangling prostitutes, runaways and other overlooked members of society in his pickup truck while having sex with them, the New York Times reported. He would then dump their bodies around the Seattle area. According to the outlet, prosecutors said Ridgway had told them he killed 60 women but they were able to gather only enough evidence to conclusively link him to 49 murders.
Fox News’ Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this story.
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