Yesterday, I was attempting to work from home and was very distracted. On a lark, I had turned on the television and stumbled upon a movie about the Green River Killer. My knowledge of this case had been very limited as I had only heard of it in passing as a reference on Criminal Minds®. So, I ventured a few minutes and became captivated at the struggles of the detectives to catch the individual who would later confess to murdering 71 women. The majority murders were between 1982 and 1984 and took place in the Seattle and Tacoma area. The murderer was given the title of “Green River Killer” because many of the bodies were dumped in the wooded areas along the Green River. The Green River Killer, Gary Ridgeway, was eventually apprehended on November 30, 2001 after a nineteen year search.  (see this link for an overview-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Ridgway#Murders )

To consider the magnitude of the grief and loss for the victims, their family and friends was daunting. The community was gripped with fear for many years. I felt certain no movie could fully capture the horror and intensity of the citizens living the area during those years. After the capture of Gary Ridgeway, the authorities struck a deal to not seek the death penalty and allow him to disclose additional dump sites. The purpose was to give the families of victims’ closure from the horror of not knowing the fate of their daughters. Ridgeway was able to lead authorities to additional bodies but, admitted there were so many he had lost count.

The most interesting part of the movie for me was toward the end when the interviews with Ridgeway were being dramatized. I realize this was a script for a movie, but several of the lines were given from the actual interview according to other sources. Ridgeway later would confess to luring women into his truck and making them feel at ease. Sometimes, he would show them a picture of his son to gain their trust, all the while making his moves with one purpose in mind- to kill them. Ridgeway considered killing women his “career” and chose prostitutes because he thought he could get away with it- they were “trash”.  In the end, he did not want to die, so he took the offer to reveal the locations of other bodies.

This is the start of a documentary about the case…

Here is a video of actual footage from an interview. There are plenty of sources available.

Where am I headed with this? The totality of the destruction, grief and loss of the family members struck me as overwhelming. As the pictures of the victims rolled across the screen, I could not help but, consider a similar fate of many who I have personally known. It seemed very similar in my eyes to the destruction perpetrated by Jane Whaley of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). In my opinion, she is serial relationship killer. Let me explain.

No, I am not accusing Jane of physically murdering individuals. I am saying that the relationships between her members and their families who are not in WOFF are killed in deference to her requirement of loyalty and allegiance. Yes, Jane is not the only cult leader who requires her members to seclude themselves from family and friends who do not agree with her. But, she is the one I personally know about and who has personally affected my life.

For privacy concerns, I will not list the names of the victims of Jane Whaley. I can count from my memory- 129  individuals who have had their relationships affected by Jane in a dramatic and tragic way and have moved on from her presence. (Some I only remember the faces… I never spoke to them on a regular basis or knew them personally.) Many of these were in families that lived inside of WOFF.   In this list, I also include members who came to her as individuals and had their family relationships cut-off because their family members outside WOFF did not follow the WOFF rules or were considered “ungodly.” In my list,  I did not count many of the individuals from other churches affected by Jane. Those numbers would be hard to calculate.  Jane might know most of them. I feel certain she does not know them all. Why do I say that?

A few months ago, I received an email of from a lady who had been touched by the sting of Jane over twenty years ago. She wrote her story in an email of over 2900 words. She tells of the leaders of her church being inspired to be like Jane after meeting her and beginning to follow her counsel. The outcome was the same-  hurts, lost relationships and delusion. In light of this email, I have come to realize that my understanding of the scope of the destruction caused by Jane and her “religion” is limited. How many destroyed lives could Jane recall? It would be an interesting challenge for her. If the actual number could be known, maybe others would wake–up to the danger of Jane and her methods.

So, does the Green River run through Spindale? Where then does Jane dump her memories of those who did not “walk in God’s ways”, follow her dictates and believe her calling was true? Does she cast those people aside as Ridgeway cast his victims considering them worthless trash? Are the banks of this river littered with the lost years, lost family relationships, hurts, emotions and the anguish of those who have passed through WOFF’s doors? Can she even remember all those who have been vexed by her “religion?” Does she even care that so many have been traumatized by her demands for allegiance resulting in damage to their souls? Is there any former or present member who has NOT had relationships in their lives adversely affected by Jane and her demands? How large would that number be?

Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.

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Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, for posts written by John Huddle, any information about WOFF is from his memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 413.