The true story behind William Suff's crime ahead of the Unknown Serial Killers of America

William Suff, born on August 20, 1950, in Torrance, California, became one of the most notorious serial killers in Riverside County history. Known as the Riverside Prostitute Killer or the Lake Elsinore Killer, Suff targeted vulnerable women, primarily s*x workers, between 1986 and 1991. He r*ped, tortured, stabbed, and strangled at least 12 victims, often mutilating their bodies and dumping them in remote areas like fields, orchards, and near dumpsters.

His crimes escalated in brutality, with some bodies posed lewdly or missing body parts. Before this killing spree, Suff had a dark past: in 1974, he was convicted in Texas for beating his two-month-old daughter to death, serving only 10 years of a 70-year sentence before parole in 1984. While on parole, he worked as a county warehouse clerk, even delivering supplies to the task force investigating his murders. Authorities linked him to additional unsolved cases, including a 1986 killing confessed to in 2022.

Suff's story highlights how a seemingly mild-mannered man evaded detection for years. The series Unknown Serial Killers of America, season 1, episode 2, will be released on August 28, 2025, on Oxygen.

---

Early crime and the background of William Suff

Unknown Serial Killers of America, season 1, episode 2 (Image via Unsplash/ @ JOSHUA COLEMAN)

William Lester Suff—born August 20, 1950, in Torrance, California—initially entered the criminal justice system in 1974, when he and his first wife, Teryl, were both convicted of bludgeoning their two-month-old daughter to death in Texas. Teryl's conviction was later overturned, but Suff's was affirmed. He was sentenced to 70 years, but was paroled after just ten years in 1984.

After his release from prison, William Suff relocated to Riverside County and began working in public service, including shipping furniture to police offices—unbeknownst to investigators at the time, some of whom were constructing the case against him. Those who knew him characterized him as externally courteous and humble—qualities that concealed his violent history. This dichotomy between his outward image and the grimness of his crimes is indicative of the deceptive nature of some serial killers.

---

The murder spree in Riverside County

William Suff killed at least 12 women. (Image via Unsplash/ @ Campbell Jensen)

Suff's killing spree began shortly after his parole, targeting women in Riverside County who were often s*x workers or struggling with addiction. His first confirmed victim was Michelle Yvette Gutierrez, 26, found strangled and mutilated in a drainage ditch in Rubidoux in October 1986. Over the next five years, he killed at least 12 more, using methods like strangulation, stabbing, and blunt force trauma, as per Oxygen.

Victims included Kimberly Lyttle, 28, found in June 1989 with cigarette burns and covered by a towel in William Suff's van; Christina Leal, 23, stabbed multiple times with a lightbulb inserted postmortem; and Cheryl Coker, 33, whose body was partially in a dumpster with her breast severed. Suff lured women into his gray van under the pretense of paid s*x, then turned violent. He mutilated their bodies and dumped them in remote spots like orchards or hillsides, as per Oxygen.

In one case, he left a peeled grapefruit near a victim. Shoe prints, tire tracks, and fibers linked scenes. William Suff's violence escalated; by 1991, killings occurred monthly. He was also linked to the 1986 stabbing and strangulation of Cathy Small, 19, in South Pasadena, which he confessed to decades later. Authorities suspect up to 22 victims, including unsolved cases in nearby counties, but many went unreported due to victims' marginalized status, according to Oxygen.

---

Investigation and arrest

William Suff used to strangle and mutilate his victims' bodies (Image via Unsplash/ @ Markus Winkler)

By late 1990, Riverside County formed a task force as bodies accumulated, noting patterns like strangulation and mutilation. Investigators collected tire tracks, shoe prints, fibers, and cat hairs from scenes. A survivor, Rhonda Jetmore, described her 1989 attacker, providing a sketch. In 1991, a tip from a s*x worker about a suspicious van with mismatched tires—Yokohama and Dunlop—matched crime scene impressions. On January 9, 1992, during a routine traffic stop for an illegal U-turn on Riverside's s*x strip, police pulled over Suff's gray van for expired registration and a suspended license, according to Oxygen.

Detectives recognized the tires and arrested him. A search revealed bloodstains, a knife, ropes, and fibers matching the victim's evidence. Hair samples and DNA from semen on bodies linked him further. Suff denied involvement initially but was tied to at least two recent murders: Catherine McDonald and Eleanore Casares. His home yielded more items, including prostitution citations from a victim. Ironically, William Suff had delivered furniture to the task force office, as per the LA Times.

Police reviewed unsolved cases, linking him to earlier killings. The arrest halted the spree, but evidence gaps prevented charges in some cases. Suff was indicted on 14 murders and one attempted murder in July 1992.

---

Trial, conviction, and aftermath

William was sentenced to death. (Image via Unsplash/ @ Tim Photoguy).

William Suff’s trial began in 1995. He was charged with 12 murders and one attempted murder, and though linked to possibly many more. The prosecution presented compelling physical evidence, including fibers, hairs, shoe prints, and tire matches. Despite his unemotional demeanor—reportedly showing no remorse—William Suff was convicted on all 12 counts and sentenced to death on October 26, 1995

However, in 2019, California abolished the death penalty, and his sentence was automatically commuted to life in prison. In August 2024, he also confessed to a 1986 murder previously unresolved—involving 19-year-old Cathy Ann Small—adding another case to his known crimes, according to the LA Times.

---

Watch Unknown Serial Killers of America on Oxygen.