William Suff

William Suff, aka Bill Suff, born August 20, 1950, known as “The Riverside Killer” but sometimes referred to as “The Lake Elsinore Killer” or “The Riverside Prostitute Killer”, is an American serial killer who murdered at least 13 women in Riverside County, California, between the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Suff preyed on vulnerable women—many of them sex workers—subjecting them to extreme violence before their deaths. What makes his case even more disturbing is that he committed these atrocities while working for the county government.

Suff’s criminal brutality first surfaced in 1974, when he and his wife, Teryl, were charged with the horrific beating to death of their own infant daughter. Though Teryl’s conviction was eventually overturned due to lack of evidence, William was sentenced to 70 years in prison. Yet, in a decision that would prove catastrophic, he was released on parole after serving just a decade—a miscarriage of justice that freed him to embark on his later killing spree.

Crimes Committed

Between 1986 and 1991, William Suff terrorized Riverside County, California, murdering at least 13 women—many of them sex workers or marginalized individuals living on society’s fringes. His predatory routine followed a chilling pattern: he would lure victims into his vehicle before subjecting them to horrific violence, including savage beatings, sexual assault, and ultimately, their deaths. The bodies of his victims—often discovered strangled, stabbed, or bearing signs of sadistic torture—revealed the depths of his brutality.

While officially convicted of 12 murders, investigators believe Suff’s killing spree may have been even more extensive. Several unsolved cases in the region bear the hallmarks of his modus operandi, suggesting his true victim count could be higher.

Long before his Riverside murders, Suff demonstrated his capacity for extreme violence. In 1974, he was convicted in Texas for the unimaginable crime of beating his two-month-old daughter to death. Despite receiving a 70-year sentence, he served only 10 years before being paroled in 1984—a controversial early release that allowed him to resume his violent impulses with deadly consequences.

In a startling development, William Suff confessed in 2022 to the 1986 murder of 19-year-old Cathy Small. However, prosecutors didn’t file new charges in the case, as Suff was already serving a death sentence for his 12 other murder convictions. The confession brought belated closure to Small’s family.

William Suff’s confirmed victims:

1. Cathy Small (19) – February 21, 1986
2. Kimberly Lyttle (28) – June 1989
3. Christina Leal (23) – 1989
4. Carol Lynn Miller (35) – 1990
5. Cheryl Coker (33) – 1990
6. Susan Melissa Sternfield (27) – 1990
7. Darla Ferguson (23) – 1990
8. Sherry Latham (37) – 1991
9. Kelly Hammond (27) – 1991
10. Catherine McDonald (30) – 1991
11. Eleanor Casares (39) – January 1991
12. Kathleen Milne (42) – 1991
13. Delliah Zamora (35) – 1991

William Suff’s suspected victims:

• Linda Ann Ortega (37) – 1987
• Martha Bess Young (27)
• Linda Mae Ruiz (37)
• Judy Lynn Angel (36)
• Charlotte Palmer (24) – September 1991
• Michelle Yvette Gutierrez (23)
• Cherie Payseur (25)

Capture & Investigation

For years, the “Riverside Prostitute Killer” eluded authorities—but his reign of terror came to an abrupt end in January 1992 due to a combination of police vigilance, forensic evidence, and a critical mistake on Suff’s part.

The breakthrough came when a Riverside motorcycle officer noticed a suspicious Mitsubishi van making an illegal U-turn near a known prostitution area. The van’s distinctive tires matched tracks from multiple crime scenes—a detail that immediately raised red flags. When pulled over, the driver was identified as William Suff, a county warehouse clerk with a disturbing penchant for impersonating law enforcement. Neighbors later revealed he had adorned his van with official-looking decals and even claimed to be a police officer.

A search of Suff’s van uncovered: bloodstains and potential murder weapons, fibers matching those found on victims, suspicious items (later revealed to include tools linked to the killings).

Further investigation tied him to at least two recent murders: Catherine McDonald, 30 (found September 13, 1991) and Eleanore Ojeda Casares, 39 (discovered December 23, 1991, in an orange grove).

After a 16-hour search of his apartment yielded more damning evidence, police arrested Suff—though he initially denied any involvement. Forensic testing, including hair analysis, ultimately sealed his fate. Judge Becky Dugan ruled there was more than enough evidence to proceed to trial, marking the beginning of the end for one of California’s most notorious serial killers.

Trial & Convictions

In 1974, he was convicted in Texas for beating his two-month-old daughter to death. Despite receiving a 70-year sentence, he served only 10 years before being paroled in 1984

In March 1995, Riverside County prosecutors opened their case against William Suff by presenting him to jurors as a “sexual sadist” who derived pleasure from torturing and murdering vulnerable women. Over nine grueling months of testimony, the state built an airtight forensic case, demonstrating through DNA analysis that Suff’s genetic material matched evidence from sexual assault kits, while fibers from his clothing, bedding, and sleeping bag corresponded with those found on multiple victims.

A Department of Justice criminologist confirmed hair samples from Suff matched evidence from two crime scenes. Prosecutors highlighted his 1974 conviction for beating his infant daughter to death. Claims of mental illness and a troubled past failed to sway jurors against overwhelming evidence.

After 50+ days of damning testimony the jury convicted Suff on all 12 counts of first-degree murder, it took just 10 minutes during penalty deliberations to recommend death, the judge formally sentenced him to California’s death row at San Quentin.

The 2014 rejection of his final appeal cemented his fate, though California’s execution moratorium kept him alive on death row for nearly three decades. The case stands as a haunting example of how forensic breakthroughs can overcome a killer’s attempts to evade responsibility for his atrocities.

REFERENCES / CITATIONS:

1. Press Enterprise: RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Death penalty upheld for serial killer William Suff – April 28, 2014
2. NYT: Nearly 40 Years Later, a California Serial Killer Confesses to Another Murder – August 13, 2024
3. CDCR: CDCR California incarcerated records and information search (CIRIS)

Books about William Suff

The Riverside Killer

The story of the Riverside Killer is told by the homicide detective who cracked the case and covers the efforts of the investigative team, the double life of stock clerk William Lester Suff, and his six-year murder spree…

VIEW ON AMAZON

World’s Most Evil Killers – S4.E4 – Bill Suff

A profile of the murderer known to some as the Riverside County Killer, who sits on death row after being convicted for the slaying of 12 women.
TV Series / Documentary | 2017

IMDb

SKY MIX

YOUTUBE

Born to kill? – S7.E2 – Bill Suff, ‘The Riverside Killer’

Recollections bolster the story of the Riverside Prostitute Killer, who killed and mutilated ladies of the night from 1974-1992 in Riverside County, California
TV Series / Documentary | 2011

IMDb

YOUTUBE

TRUE LIVES

California’s ‘Lake Elsinore Killer’ confesses to 13th slaying, officials say
SFGATE | Author: Katie Dowd | August 14, 2024

Man Charged in Prostitute Slayings in California
New York Times | January 15, 1992

Suspect charged in 2 of 19 serial killings
UPI | Author: Dollie F. Ryan | January 14, 1992