5 horrifying facts about William Suff’s brutal crime

William Suff sits on California’s death row for a series of murders tied to Riverside County. The case spans decades, includes an earlier homicide in Texas, and now reaches back to a 1986 cold case that investigators say he confessed to after a DNA hit.

A re-air of this story is set to air on Oxygen. Unknown Serial Killers of America Season 1 Episode 2 titled William Suff is listed for Saturday, September 20 at 8:00 am ET.

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Case background on William Suff

Born in 1950, William Lester Suff was convicted in 1995 of murdering 12 women in Riverside County, with the crimes concentrated between 1989 and 1991. He was sentenced to death after the jury recommended the penalty. According to the Los Angeles Times archives (October 1995), the court described a pattern of killings centered on women working in the street-level sex trade.

Before the Riverside cases, Suff was convicted in Texas for the 1974 murder of his two-month-old daughter and later paroled to California in 1984. California’s execution moratorium means the death sentence stands while executions are suspended, and he remains in state custody.

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5 key details about William Suff

1) A 1986 cold case was tied to Suff by DNA and a confession

Investigators reported a 2022 confession after DNA linked the 1986 Cathy Small case to Suff (Image via Unsplash)

Cathy Ann Small, 19, was found stabbed and strangled in South Pasadena in February 1986. Decades later, DNA testing linked evidence from her case to William Suff, and officials say he confessed during a 2022 interview. According to The New York Times, the sheriff’s department announced the link after new DNA testing and a recorded confession.

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2) Evidence re-testing found two male DNA profiles in the Small case

Detectives re-examined preserved items from the 1986 file and reported the presence of DNA from two males; one profile matched William Suff, while the second remained unidentified.

CBS News Los Angeles reported the lab findings and said investigators then transported William Suff for a two-day interview in Los Angeles County, where he discussed the Small homicide in detail.

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3) Parole history sharpened scrutiny on later murders

Authorities have long noted that William Suff re-entered California life in 1984 after the Texas conviction. The Guardian reported that officials outlined his 1984 parole to California, followed by the later string of Riverside County killings that led to the death sentence.

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4) The Riverside pattern led to 12 murder convictions and a death sentence

Investigators linked multiple scenes in 1989–1991 by tire tracks, shoe prints, and other trace evidence, which fed a task-force effort. NBC News reported that a 1992 traffic stop led to his arrest; after trial, a jury found him guilty of 12 murders, and he was sentenced to death. The piece also noted the nicknames “Riverside Prostitute Killer” and “Lake Elsinore Killer” used in coverage.

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5) Prosecutors declined new charges in the 1986 case

Prosecutors declined new charges in the 1986 case because a death sentence was already in place (Image via Unsplash)

With the death judgment already in place, Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to bring a new case for Small’s murder after the DNA link and reported confession. Per CNN, officials said additional charges would not change his custody status and focused on sharing results with the family.

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Oxygen lists Unknown Serial Killers of America Season 1 Episode 2, William Suff, for Saturday, September 20 at 8:00 am ET. The episode is also available for streaming on fuboTV, Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, NBC, Peacock Premium Plus, and Oxygen’s authenticated platforms. Digital purchase options include Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango.

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