MARK W. PROTHERO
Washington Criminal Defense Lawyer
- Has practiced criminal defense his entire career, representing people accused of all types of crimes, from driving without a license to aggravated murder.
- One of relatively (very) few defense lawyers in the United States qualified to handle cases involving forensic DNA evidence.
- On the Washington Supreme Court's Panel for Death-Penalty qualified trial attorneys since the panels inception in 1998.
- Board of Governors, Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Frequent lecturer at law schools and continuing legal education programs
- 2004 King County Bar Association Co-Lawyer of the Year for defense work in State of Washington v. Gary Ridgway
- Co-lead counsel in State v. Ridgway, the Green River Killer, the largest serial murder case in United States history
Mark is a well-known criminal defense lawyer and is well-respected by prosecutors and judges for his work on the Green River case, as well as many other aggravated murders and complex cases he handled during his twenty years as a public defender in King County.
Mark gets good results. Over the past three years at Hanis Irvine Prothero, the criminal department has achieved many not guilty verdicts, dismissals, and positive plea resolutuons for their clients. In addition to jury verdicts of not guilty in reckless driving and assault cases, two clients were acquitted of attempted murder charges. In one case from Olympia, Thurston County, Mark and Greg's 22 year-old client was charged with Attempted First Degree Murder, First Degree Robbery, and First Degree Burglary and was facing 37 years in prison. After 6 days of trial and a day of deliberations, the jury returned Not Guilty verdicts on all charges. Last August, Mark represented a young man facing attempted first degree murder charges and 18 years in prison. The jury acquitted on the attempted murder charge, finding Mark's client guilty of second degree assault for which he served 6 months.
STATE OF WASHINGTON v. GARY RIDGWAY
The Defense of the Green River Killer
On November 30, 2001, I was assigned to represent Gary Ridgway, who had been arrested for the Green River murders. Having grown up in south King County my whole life, I knew this was going to be a death penalty case. The Green River murders involved at least 49 victims, young women who had been murdered or had disappeared from 1982 to 1984. My twenty years of experience, especially with death penalty cases and cases involving DNA, put me in the position of co-lead counsel, along with Todd Gruenhagen and Tony Savage.
Gary Ridgway was originally charged with four counts of aggravated murder. Over the next eighteen months, with a team of lawyers, investigators, paralegals, and experts, we prepared for what was certain to be the biggest trial in our State's history, if not the nation. I came to know Gary Ridgway, visiting him at least two hours every week.
In April of 2003, the State added three more counts. After many heart-to-heart discussions, Gary agreed to provide information about unsolved murders. In exchange, we sought a life sentence. Eventually, the King County Prosecutor agreed to the offer. Mr. Ridgway pled guilty to 48 murders and admitted to killing an additional 20 to 23 victims. He was sentenced on December 18, 2003 to 48 consecutive life sentences.
There are many websites with information pertaining to the case of the Green River Killer and several books have been written. Along with co-author Carlton Smith, I wrote a book about the case from my perspective, titled Defending Gary: Unraveling the Mind of the Green River Killer (Wiley/Jossey-Bass 2006). Seattle Magazine reviewed the book and stated: "This nonsensational account of the murders is hard to put down. And the credentials of the authors...gives this text more authority than any of the many other books written about the killings."
Interesting Green River links include:
- Green River Homicides Investigation
On July 15, 1982, the body of Wendy Lee Coffield was found in the Green River in a rural area of the City of Kent in King County, Washington... - The Seattle Times - Green River Killings
Green River killer Gary Ridgway pleaded guilty Nov. 5, 2003, to the murders of 48 women from 1982 to 1998, bringing to an end the largest unsolved murder case in the country. - The Devil We Now Know
The Green River murders were more horrific than we imagined. Far from exorcising our fear, Gary Ridgway's confession made the nightmare more real.
