Offender Record · OFF-2026-181
William Lester Suff (photo from the Radford University biography)
William Lester Suff
Also known as Bill Lee Suff, Bill Suff, The Riverside Prostitute Killer, The Lake Elsinore Killer
Sex
Male
Race
White
Born
1950
Custody
Incarcerated
States
CA, IN, TX
Distinguishing featuresDescribed as stocky, puffy, pug-nosed, and pasty-faced
Custody
Incarcerated at Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran · #J83402
Custody record at the facility
Transferred to Corcoran from San Quentin in 2024 following California's execution moratorium; originally sentenced to death on October 26, 1995
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
William Lester Suff was born August 20, 1950, in Torrance, California. In 1974, he was convicted in Texas of beating his 2-month-old daughter to death and sentenced to 70 years but was paroled in 1984. After moving to California, he murdered at least 12 women, primarily sex workers, in Riverside County and Lake Elsinore between 1986 and 1991, using strangulation, stabbing, and mutilation. He was arrested on January 9, 1992, during a traffic stop and convicted in 1995 of 12 counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and one count of attempted murder. He was sentenced to death and is currently incarcerated at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran, California.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Sep 25, 1973, Fort Worth, Texas
Murder of a child
Tarrant County Sheriff's Office / Fort Worth Police Department · Texas District Court · Docket Suff v. State (Tex. 1976) 531 S.W.2d 814 · Texas Penal Code · Arrested Sep 25, 1973 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 70 years imprisonment; paroled March 6, 1984, after serving approximately 10 years
On September 25, 1973, Suff and his wife Teryl were left with their 2-month-old daughter. Suff struck the child, who stopped breathing. An autopsy showed prior abuse from birth. Suff's conviction was upheld by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1976; Teryl's conviction was reversed due to insufficient evidence.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Suff, William Lester; William Suff; Parolee linked to more prostitute slayings
Offense date Jan 10, 1989, Riverside County, California
Attempted murder
Riverside County Sheriff's Office · Riverside County Superior Court · Docket People v. Suff (1995); People v. Suff, 58 Cal.4th 1013 (2014) · California Penal Code Section 187 · Arrested Jan 09, 1992 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death penalty (de jure); commuted to life without parole in 2019
On January 10, 1989, Rhonda Jetmore, 27, a sex worker, was picked up by Suff. During sexual transaction, he began choking her. She struck him with a flashlight, broke free, and escaped when he tackled her. The woman identified Suff in a photo lineup, leading to his charges in the killing spree. This attempted murder case was included in the 1995 trial conviction.
SourcesWilliam Suff; Radford University serial killer biography: Suff, William Lester
First-degree murder with special circumstances
Riverside County Sheriff's Office · Riverside County Superior Court · Docket People v. Suff (1995); People v. Suff, 58 Cal.4th 1013 (2014) · California Penal Code Section 187 · Arrested Jan 09, 1992 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death penalty (de jure); commuted to life without parole in 2019 due to execution moratorium
Suff murdered 12 women—primarily sex workers aged 23-42—between June 1989 and December 1991 in Riverside County, many dumped in Lake Elsinore or orange groves. Method: asphyxiation by strangulation, often with stabbing and mutilation of genitalia and breasts. Victims posed in spread-eagle positions. Suff removed and kept personal items and breast parts taken from some victims. Trial lasted four months with 54 days of testimony; jury deliberated four days before convicting on July 19, 1995. Sentencing to death on August 17, 1995, followed by formal court order on October 26, 1995. California Supreme Court affirmed convictions and death sentence in 2014.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Suff, William Lester; William Suff; William Lester Suff; California serial killer William Suff linked to 1986 cold case murder in South Pasadena; Lake Elsinore serial killer linked to California teenager's 1986 death; Epilogue — The Riverside Prostitute Killer, William Suff; William Suff
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
12
Victims convicted
1
Victims confessed
7
Victims suspected
Active years
1973–1991
Stated motive
Sexual, Anger or revenge
Range from home
regional
Confessed
Yes
Education
high school
Marital history
Married
Children
2
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Texas Parole Board · TX
Paroled Suff in 1984 after 10 years served
Riverside County District Attorney's Office · CA
Agency case CR 44010
Charged and prosecuted 13 counts of willful premeditated murder and 1 attempted murder; Deputy DA Paul Zellerbach
Texas Department of Criminal Justice · TX
Housed inmate 1974-1984 before parole release
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department · CA
1986 South Pasadena cold case (Cathy Small) linked via DNA in 2024; Lt. Patricia Thomas
Source: Fox LA
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office · CA
South Pasadena 1986 cold case review and closure
Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office · TX
1974 prosecution and conviction for infant murder
Riverside County Sheriff's Office · CA
January 9, 1992 arrest via routine traffic stop; investigation of serial murders 1986-1991
Source: UPI Archives
Tarrant County Sheriff's Office · TX
1973 infant homicide investigation and arrest in Fort Worth
Riverside Police Department · CA
Homicide investigations of serial murders; Det. Christina Keers
California Department of Corrections · CA
Currently houses inmate on death row
Source: Wikipedia
San Quentin State Prison · CA
Death row facility holding inmate since 1995 conviction
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
CA
Perris, California
approx. 1950 – 1968 · Grew up in Perris, rural Riverside County community
Perris, California
approx. 1968 – 1968 · Graduated from Perris High School, ranked 87th in class of 144
Colton, California
approx. 1984 – 1992 · Lived with 20-year-old wife in Colton; on parole from Texas
Riverside, California
1986 – 1992 · Stock clerk/warehouse clerk for Riverside County State Lottery and government; delivered office furniture and supplies to task force investigating his own crimes
Riverside, California
1986 – 1991 · Cruised red-light districts, Mission Boulevard corridor east from Pomona to Riverside, orange groves, and Lake Elsinore dumping victims
Riverside, California
approx. 1992 – 1995 · Held at Riverside County facilities pending trial; arraigned at Riverside Municipal Courthouse February 28, 1992; trial began March 25, 1995, at Riverside Hall of Justice
Riverside, California
Jan 09, 1992 – Jan 09, 1992 · Arrested during routine traffic stop; illegal U-turn; bloody knife and evidence found in van
San Quentin, California
1995 – 2024 · Death row at San Quentin State Prison; transferred to Corcoran in 2024 following execution moratorium
Corcoran, California
approx. 2024 – present · Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran, Riverside; transferred from San Quentin due to execution moratorium
IN
Unknown, Madhya Pradesh, India
approx. 1968 – 1973 · Served in United States Air Force as medic · air force
TX
Fort Worth, Texas
approx. 1973 – 1974 · Fort Worth apartment where daughter died
Texas
approx. 1974 – 1984 · Incarcerated in Texas prison for 10 years, serving 70-year sentence for daughter's death; released on parole March 6, 1984
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1991 Grey Van – Grey van used in murders; contained bloody knife and evidence found during January 9, 1992 arrest
approx. 1989 – 1992
August 1991 incident: a suspected prostitute managed to jump out of grey van; August 1991 Kelly Marie Hammond murdered in van
Timeline
Aug 20, 1950
William Lester Suff born in Torrance, California.
1968
Graduated from Perris High School, ranked 87th in class of 144.
1968
Enlisted in United States Air Force as medic.
Sep 25, 1973
Suff beat his 2-month-old daughter to death in Fort Worth, Texas.
1974
Convicted in Texas of beating daughter to death; sentenced to 70 years imprisonment.
Mar 06, 1984
Released on parole from Texas prison after serving approximately 10 years.
1986
Began work as stock clerk for Riverside County; believed to have began murderous killing spree.
Feb 22, 1986
Stabbed and strangled Cathy Small, 19, in South Pasadena; body left on street (cold case linked by DNA in 2024).
Oct 1986
Body of Michelle Gutierrez, 23, found with severe trauma to anus and vagina.
Dec 1986
Body of Charlotte Jean Palmer, 24, found.
Jan 1987
Body of Linda Ann Ortega found.
May 1987
Body of Martha Bess Young found.
Jan 1989
Body of Linda Mae Ruiz found.
Jan 10, 1989
Attempted murder of Rhonda Jetmore, 27, sex worker; she escaped by striking Suff with flashlight.
Jun 1989
Body of Kimberly Lyttle, 28, found with pubic hairs and fibers linking to Suff.
Nov 1989
Body of Judy Lynn Angel found.
Dec 1989
Body of Christina Leal found in Quail Valley with light bulb inserted into vagina.
Jan 1990
Body of Daria Jane Ferguson found in Lake Elsinore with tire tracks at scene.
Feb 1990
Body of Carol Lynn Miller found with pubic hairs recovered.
Nov 1990
Body of Cheryl Coker found; killer had removed right breast and left it beside victim.
Dec 1990
Body of Susan Sternfeld, 27, found strangled and posed near dumpster in Riverside.
Jan 1991
Body of Kathleen Leslie Milne found at Lake Elsinore, dead less than 24 hours.
Apr 1991
Body of Cherrie Payseur found in bowling alley parking lot with toilet plunger in vagina.
Jul 1991
Body of Sherry Ann Latham found strangled with feline hairs recovered.
Aug 1991
Picked up and strangled Kelly Marie Hammond; body still warm when police found her.
Sep 1991
Body of Catherine McDonald found with right breast cut off.
Oct 1991
Body of Delliah Zamora found.
Dec 1991
Body of Eleanore Casares found near police station with right breast missing.
Jan 09, 1992
Arrested during routine traffic stop for illegal U-turn; bloody knife and evidence found in van.
Feb 28, 1992
Arraigned at Riverside Municipal Courthouse.
Mar 25, 1995
Trial began before Judge Charles Morgan in Riverside Hall of Justice.
Jul 19, 1995
Jury found Suff guilty on 12 of 13 counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder after 54 days of testimony and four days of jury deliberation.
Aug 17, 1995
Jury returned death verdicts on all 12 murder counts after deliberating for 10 minutes during penalty phase.
Oct 26, 1995
Trial court formally sentenced Suff to death penalty.
Apr 28, 2014
California Supreme Court affirmed convictions and death sentence in People v. Suff, 58 Cal.4th 1013.
Mar 13, 2019
Sentence commuted from death to life without parole due to California execution moratorium.
May 2022
Suff confessed to 1986 murder of Cathy Small during interrogation when presented with DNA evidence.
Mar 2024
Transferred from San Quentin State Prison to Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran.
Aug 13, 2024
Authorities announced DNA linkage to Cathy Small murder and Suff's confession from May 2022.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Fox LA ·
California serial killer William Suff linked to 1986 cold case murder in South Pasadena“Suff was charged with the murders in 1992 and three years later found guilty and sentenced to death for 12 homicides in Riverside County between 1989 and 1991.”
Other government record · Wikipedia ·
California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran“William Suff- Serial Killer known as the Riverside Prostitute Killer. Sentenced to death for murdering 12 women in Riverside County. Transferred to SATF/SP from San Quentin State Prison due to the abolishment of death row.”
News report · CBS Los Angeles ·
Lake Elsinore serial killer linked to California teenager's 1986 death“In 1995, he was found guilty and condemned to death for the rape, torture and murder of 12 Riverside County sex workers that occurred between 1989 and 1991.”
News report · Crime Library ·
Epilogue — The Riverside Prostitute Killer, William Suff“After 54 days of testimony and four days of deliberations, the jury found Suff guilty on 12 of the 13 counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.”
News report · Murderpedia ·
William Lester Suff“On July 19, 1995, a Riverside County jury found Suff guilty of killing 12 women and attempting to kill another, though police suspected him responsible for as many as 22 deaths.”
News report · Killer Updates ·
William Suff Profile - Where is he now?“William Suff's sentence has been commuted to life without parole due to a moratorium on executions in California.”
News report · NBC News ·
California serial killer in prison for murders of 12 women confesses to killing“When presented with the DNA evidence, William Lester Suff, 73, admitted to stabbing 19-year-old Cathy Small multiple times in the chest and leaving her on a California road after an argument”
News report · Wikipedia ·
William Suff“William Lester Suff (born Bill Lee Suff; August 20, 1950) is an American serial killer who tortured and killed at least thirteen women in Riverside County, California, from 1986 to 1991”
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Suff, William Lester“Suff was convicted of 12 of the 13 counts of murder he was being tried for. Sentenced to Death (Guilty on 12 of 13 counts)”
News report · UPI Archives ·
Parolee linked to more prostitute slayings“Rialto detective Joe Cirilo, who questioned Suff, blamed 'a computer error' for the police failure to learn that Suff was convicted in 1974 in Fort Worth, Texas, of beating to death his 2-month-old daughter”
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