Samuel Little: America’s most notorious and most prolific serial killer dead at 80
Earlier today, UPI reported that Samuel Little, known by many – especially those in law enforcement – as the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history, died in a California hospital. The self-confessed and convicted murderer was 80 years old at the time of his death.
Little, who confessed to at least 93 murders nationwide, had been serving three consecutive life sentences when he died early Wednesday at a hospital outside the prison system … ~ UPI
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation released word that Little died on December 30 at 4:53 a.m. His official cause of death is pending and waiting for official word from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Little was serving those three-consecutive life-without-parole sentences from Los Angeles County for the deaths of three women that he killed in the late 1980s. He was linked to the murders through DNA that was matched to evidence found in the crime scenes. He was convicted of first-degree murder by a Los Angeles County jury on September 25, 2014 and was admitted to state prison on November 24, 2014.
Little had served two prior terms in a California state prison. On August 14, 1985, he was admitted from San Diego County to serve four years for assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment. He was released to parole on February 1, 1987 and was discharged from parole supervision on May 31, 1991.
Additionally, on Dec. 10, 2012, he was admitted from Los Angeles County for possession of a controlled substance. He was released to county probation supervision in April 2014.
Little confessed to over 93 murders across the country, and the FBI confirmed him to be the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history.
Of the 93 murders Little confessed to, law enforcement officials have been able to verify 50 of those to be truthful – with many more pending final confirmations. FBI and crime analysts believe all of his confessions to be credible.
Little says he strangled his 93 victims between 1970 and 2005. Many of his victims’ deaths, however, were originally ruled overdoses or attributed to accidental or undetermined causes. Some bodies were never found.
“For many years, Samuel Little believed he would not be caught because he thought no one was accounting for his victims,” said ViCAP Crime Analyst Christie Palazzolo. “Even though he is already in prison, the FBI believes it is important to seek justice for each victim—to close every case possible.”
The FBI is asking for the public’s help in matching the remaining unconfirmed confessions.
ViCAP, with the support of the Texas Rangers, has provided additional information and details about five cases in hopes that someone may remember a detail that could further the investigation.
If you have any information linked to Little’s confessions, authorities are asking you to please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
“The FBI believes it is important to seek justice for each victim—to close every case possible.” ~ Christie Palazzolo, ViCAP crime analyst
According to the FBI, the serial killer’s recollection of dates was not always accurate. He also sometimes struggled to remember the exact clothing worn by a victim. Any potential links should not be dismissed based on these two factors alone.
The videos of Little contain references to violent acts. Viewer discretion is encouraged. Each video is accompanied by Little’s drawing of the victim.
Video: Samuel Little Confession: Miami, Florida, 1971 or 1972
Little recounted that in 1971 or 1972 he met an attractive 18- to 19-year-old transgender black woman in Miami, Florida. Little recalled her name was Marianne or Mary Ann. Little said Marianne was between 5’6” – 5’7” tall and approximately 140 pounds.
Little first met Marianne at a bar known as The Pool or Pool Palace near 17th Avenue in Miami. A few days later, they met again at a bar in Overtown, where Little offered to give her a ride home. Little stated Marianne lived with several other roommates between Brownsville and Liberty City.
When they arrived there, one of Marianne’s roommates asked them to buy a can of shaving cream, so they returned to Little’s car—a gold 4-door Pontiac LeMans. Little drove Marianne north on Highway 27 and killed her on a driveway, possibly near a sugarcane field. He then drove further down Highway 27, into the Everglades, and turned down a dirt road that led to a river or a swamp.
Little dragged Marianne’s body approximately 200 yards into the thick, muddy water. He does not believe the body was ever found.
Video: Samuel Little Confession: North Little Rock, Arkansas, 1992–1994
Little confessed that he met a black female in a transient area of Little Rock, Arkansas, between 1992 and 1994. He remembered it was cold and possibly snowing when they met. He described the woman as 24 years old, 5’5” – 5’7” tall, and approximately 200 pounds.
Little stayed with her on and off for about three days. He reportedly shoplifted with the woman, then she sold the merchandise. Little remembers being arrested for shoplifting in a North Little Rock Kroger grocery store. (Records indicate that Little was in fact arrested by North Little Rock Police Department for shoplifting from a Kroger on April 20, 1994.)
According to Little, he was released after approximately three hours so that he could move his vehicle, a 1978 yellow Cadillac El Dorado (or possibly a yellow Dodge), off the grocery store’s property. Little stated that when he returned to his vehicle, the woman was sleeping inside.
He first drove the woman to meet her ex-boyfriend, a man called “Bear” (Little believes Bear is now deceased), then drove her back to her residence. He returned the following day and drove with her toward Benton or Bentonville, Arkansas.
When they were outside Little Rock, Little drove down a dirt road and manually strangled the woman to death. Little stated he placed the woman’s body on a pile of branches and old cornstalks in or near a corn field. He believes the woman’s name may have been Ruth and that her mother lived in North Little Rock.
Video: Samuel Little Confession: Covington, Kentucky, 1984
Little stated that in approximately 1984, possibly in the summertime, he was driving his Lincoln Continental Mark III from Loraine, Ohio, to Cincinnati. While en route, he met a 25-year-old white female outside a strip club. He remembers her as being 5’6” – 5’7” tall and 130-170 pounds.
Little describes her as having short blonde hair and blue eyes with a “hippie” appearance. She approached him and asked for a ride to Miami, Florida, saying her mother lived there. Little said he and the woman drove south on Interstate 75. When they reached Cincinnati, the two of them spent time downtown on Vine Street.
They continued driving together, across the river into northern Kentucky. Little described driving to a hilly area not far from I-75. He drove up a small dirt road to the top of a “little round hill,” where he strangled the woman in the backseat of his car. He left her body on the top of the hill.
Video: Samuel Little Confession: Las Vegas, Nevada, 1993
In 1993, Little was driving a 1978 yellow Cadillac Eldorado to Los Angeles when he met a black woman on Owens Avenue or Jackson Street in Las Vegas. He described her as a thin, dark-skinned woman who was approximately 40 years old. She was about 5’5” tall and 110-120 pounds. Little believed the woman had naturally short hair but wore a long-haired wig (as depicted in his drawing). He remembered the woman pointing out her son, a black male who was approximately 19-23 years old. Little confessed to taking her to a motel room, where he strangled her to death. He said he then placed the woman’s body in the trunk of his car and drove to the outskirts of Las Vegas. He pulled off on a remote road and rolled the woman’s body down a steep slope. He then threw her clothes out further down the road. It is highly likely that her body was never found.
Video: Samuel Little Confession: New Orleans, Louisiana, 1982
Little stated that in approximately 1982, possibly in the autumn, he met a black female in New Orleans. He described the woman as approximately 30-40 years old, 5’8”-5’9” tall, weighing 160 pounds, with “honey-colored” brown skin and medium-length straight hair. He remembers that she was wearing a pretty dress with buttons on the front.
Little said they met in a club where she was attending a birthday party with a group of friends and one of her two sisters. Little left with the woman in his vehicle, a Lincoln Continental Mark III. The woman told Little that she lived with her mother, who was sickly and possibly an invalid.
The woman also gave Little the keys to her house. Little drove the woman to the Little Woods exit off I-10, where he turned down a dirt road along a canal that was being dredged. They exited his car, then Little pulled the woman towards the canal, where he killed her and left the body. Afterward, Little drove back to the motel where he was staying in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
For more on the notorious serial killer Samuel Little, see the videos included below.
(Sources: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and FBI)
~ Posted by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
Videos
- Samuel Little Confession: Covington, Kentucky, 1984
- Samuel Little Confession: Miami, Florida, 1972
- Samuel Little Confession: New Orleans, Louisiana, 1982
- Samuel Little Confession: Las Vegas, Nevada, 1993
- Samuel Little Confession: North Little Rock, Arkansas, 1992/1993
