Samuel Little, 78, says he began a killing spree in 1970 that lasted for decades.
He targeted vulnerable or marginalized women, including those with drug addiction or working in prostitution.
Little is a Lorain native currently jailed in California and authorities say he confessed to killing five women in Ohio, three in the Cleveland area. In total, he鈥檚 admitted to committing 93 murders over 35 years. If true, he would be the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history.
Last week in Cuyahoga County, a grand jury indicted Little for two murders authorities could tie to him.
鈥淭here needs to be an accounting for each of these victims,鈥� says Richard Bell, special investigations chief for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor鈥檚 Office.
It is imparative to show the 鈥渓ong arm of the law鈥� will not allow someone to get away with a single assault on another person, especially a homicide, Bell says. But it鈥檚 also important for the families of victims and investigators looking for a suspect in yet-unsolved crimes.
鈥淏y solving it, by closing the books, you鈥檙e letting everyone know that this was the person that should be held accountable for that crime, and that鈥檚 important to the family that we get that right,鈥� Bell says.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O鈥橫alley said Little confessed to killing 21-year-old Mary Jo Peyton in 1984 and 32-year-old Rose Evans in 1991. A third local victim Little confessed to killing has not been found or identified, but an investigation is ongoing, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor鈥檚 Office says.
鈥淭here are no words to describe the pure evil that exists within Samuel Little,鈥� O鈥橫alley said in a statement announcing the indictments.
Little targeted women on the margins of society and relayed to authorities key details of the crimes he committed. Those kinds of details, confirmed through witness statements, crime scene photos, and Little鈥檚 own sketches of victims, helped prove the confessions were genuine, Bell says.
鈥淗e, in fact, knew exactly what he was doing, and he wanted to keep that a secret. He wanted to get away with it. So he would fly out of town as quickly as he could after hiding the body 鈥� he didn鈥檛 need to hide it perfectly. He needed to hide it long enough that he was no longer in town," Bell says. "That鈥檚 why he got away with it for so many years.鈥�
Little is in Texas serving multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Richard Bell, special investigations chief for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor鈥檚 Office, when ideastream meant to refer to Samuel Little, the convicted killer. It also erroneously stated Little is currently incarcerated in Texas. He is currently serving a life sentence in California State Prison.
