The “Green River Killer” will face the coronavirus pandemic behind bars, along with most of Washington’s prison population.
In a narrow 5-4 vote, the state’s Supreme Court ruled that a large chunk of inmates shouldn’t be released because of the pandemic. The vote came after a lawsuit was filed that called for the release of about two-thirds of Washington’s prison population. The lawsuit claimed that inmates aren’t able to control their safety from the virus while in lockdown.
Gary Ridgway, 71, was among those who would have reportedly been released as part of the lawsuit. Ridgway, better known as the "Green River Killer," preyed on young women and confessed to killing at least 49 people. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2003.
Lawyer Nicholas Straley argued on behalf of the lawsuit and said that being in individual homes allows more control over contact with others who may be infected with COVID-19.
“We can all hold out in our homes. We can decide who we allow into our homes,” Straley said. “People in prison do not have that option.”
The state argued that inmates were given proper protection, including face masks, and that coronavirus testing was being performed on hundreds of prisoners.
Chief Justice Debra Stephens wrote in her decision that those who filed the lawsuit failed to show that inmates were being treated with “deliberate indifference” during the pandemic, which has sickened more than a dozen prisoners in the state.
The prison systems of other states have faced far worse damage from COVID-19. Arkansas announced Tuesday that nearly 40% of the state’s total coronavirus cases were sourced from one prison. Chicago’s county jail has also had hundreds of infections. In other states, some inmates with a high coronavirus risk have been released to serve their sentences from home.
The United States surpassed 50,000 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday.
