Today, we will dive into the psychology of awkwardness. Why does it exist? What function does it serve? Finally, my favorite tips for how to navigate out of or diffuse and awkward moment so that you may live to fight another day.

Have you ever had a stalker?

- 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men have had at least 1 stalker in their lifetime

- 3 in 4 victims know their stalkers in some capacity

- Today we will talk about a case that just happened this week, a Texas stalker that drove 2,600 miles from Houston to Redmond Washington to kill his victim and her husband

- This case has a modern spin to it- the victim had a podcast, and the stalker was one of her fans.

- We lie In a world where 5 million podcasts exist, so are we not statistically likely to see this thing happen more and more?

- Also the 1 sided relationship between a podcaster and their fans is quite imbalanced.

- I myself am a fan of podcasts, and understand the intimate, yet 1 sided relationship that can be built. After all, we listen to countless hours of a podcasters voice and their musings. How could that NOT create a sense of familiarity?

- I have talked to fans of my own work who blow me away with the details they pick up about me from listening to this show

- Meanwhile, I have never met them before, and usually had no clue of their existence prior to meeting them.

- The story you are about to hear is a case of what happens when the podcaster/podcaster fan relationship goes horribly wrong.

- This episode is for Joey, a patron of the show who brought this story to my attention, thank you Joey.

In Part 3- Dr. Drane explores The Green River Killer along Psychopathic vs. Sociopathic criteria. Also, we finally answer the question: Is Gary Ridgeway a sexual sadist? 

Today, in the spirit of all things unknown, I am going to be exploring the Sexual Sadism of Gary Ridgeway aka The Green River Killer.

I recently had the coolest experience of being able to participate in a documentary on Gary Ridgeway that will be released soon on Tubi.

Full Episodes ---> Patreon.com/doctorpsychopodcast

In preparation for this documentary, I discovered multiple experts who classified Ridgeway as a sexual sadist, and I myself classified him as one on the documentary as well.

Why do experts commonly believe that The Green River Killer was a sexual sadist, you ask? Why, it’s because he strangled them to death after having sex with them.

Sexual sadism is when you get sexual thrill from the prolonged torture and the enjoyment of watching your victim suffer. Compared to other sexual sadists, Ridgeway finished his victims rather quickly, and did not take pleasure in prolonging their deaths or suffering, nor did he take the time to revel in the act of killing them. Ridgeway simply strangled them after sex. Is that really sexual sadism?

To answer this question, my wonderful stalkers, let’s dive into the Ridgeway case. I will recap the history of the Green River Killer, and then consider the criteria for sexual sadism to see if it lines up with Gary Rigeway. And of course, I want to hear your thoughts too!