Green River killer Gary Ridgway was charged today in yet another death. The skull found by teenagers exploring a ravine south of Seattle in December, was confirmed to be that of 20 year-old Rebecca Rebecca Marrero, one of Ridgway’s earliest victims. If convicted of Marrero’s murder, it will bring the number of Ridgway’s victims up to 49.

Ridgway had already confessed to killing Marrero in 1982. But prosecutors declined to include her case in the original 2003 case against Ridgway because they did not have conclusive evidence to back-up the confession. Marrero’s remains were found on December 21st in an Auburn ravine, 100 feet from where investigators found another of Ridgway’s victims, Marie Malvar, in 2003.

The 2003 plea deal that spared Ridgeway the death penalty requires Ridgway to plead guilty to future King County charges based on new evidence, and he is expected to do so on February 18th at the Regional Justice Center in Kent.

Ridgway’s lawyer, Mark Prothero, confirms that Ridgway plans to plead guilty.

One of Ridgway’s known victims, 17 year-old April Dawn Buttram, was from Spokane.